Sail Far Live Free

" For at the end of the day, he's learned through experience that the essence of crafting an unforgettable picture is both incredibly complex and remarkably simple: being at the right place at the right time. " - Herb McCormick describing Onne van der Wal in   the new book Sailing Note: See the bottom of this blog post for a chance to win a new copy of the book  Sailing . My blogging here at SailFarLiveFree.com is all about trying to capture with words what I've learned (and am learning) about sailing. Sometimes writing is simple and other times complex. So I can relate to the quote above. Page 36: A detail of the wheel of the Tall Ship Massachuesetts is a study in tarnished bronze. Page 37: Riding to leeward aboard Whitehawk , a 105-foot replica of Herreshoff's famous Ticonderoga racing yacht. For Onne van der Wal, the combination of sailing and photography has been magical. During a long ocean race, Onne was prompted to peek through his bunkmate'

Halfway to Spring (Grand Haven Pier by K. Walters)

" 'I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it!'  What these men can't afford is not to go.  They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security.  And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine  -  and before we know it our lives are gone. ” -Sterling Hayden from Wanderer I've been dreaming and scheming about long-term cruising for a long while (perhaps too long). I think I've got a good handle on my own reasons for wanting to cruise, and maybe even a better handle on the metaphorical navigation hazards keeping us from cutting the lines. But no matter your individual situation, if you've spent anytime contemplating a long sailing voyage or the cruising lifestyle, then you understand that the costs of cruising can feel like a daunting, nagging issue. For that reason, there has already been much written about the topic.  I’m hoping to approach the costs of cruising in this

If the iPhone has any flaws for use aboard a sailboat, top among them must be 1) a lack of weatherproofing, and 2) inadequate battery life when power hungry GPS-enabled navigation apps are being used. Enter the Mojo Refuel Aqua case for iPhone 5/5S from ibattz - a case that provides practical solutions to both of these flaws and turns the iPhone into a made-for-the-cockpit beast. SFLF aquatic edition (for the fish!) The market is flooded with waterproof, weatherproof iPhone cases, so that feature unto itself is not enough to make the Mojo Refuel Aqua stand out. In fact, if that's all you're looking for, you might be able to find a better or at least cheaper all-weather iPhone case. But the Mojo Refuel's trump card is found in the word "refuel". This waterproof case comes with an integrated 2200mAh battery which essentially gives your iPhone a full extra charge (2 times the standard iPhone's battery life). That's right, a fully waterproof case th

"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." - Amelia Earhart I love looking at boats. Whether they be sailboats, rowboats, toy boats, powerboats or really any other floating contraption, I'm smitten. You'll often see me walking away from the dock or taking the dinghy to shore with my neck craned back, soaking in the boaty views. But I've never seen the shadow of our sailboat from the sky so I'm using this opportunity (and the winter doldrums) to cobble together a kite camera rig in hopes of getting some really cool and lofty kite cam sailing videos like this one .  I initially thought building a rig suitable of attaching a camera to a kite would be easy, but I didn't anticipate the importance of stability. Both times I've flown my prototype rig were wintery, windy days which accentuated shifty movements and made the video footage dizzying to say the least.  Here's a sample of what I've got so far (If