Sail Far Live Free

"Hark, now hear the sailors cry. Smell the sea, and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly, into the mystic."   - Van Morrison I've always loved the smell of the sea. The scent of low tide is a powerful reminder of just how much life there is in the ocean. Even the air here on the Great Lakes has a distinctive and refreshing smell. Laying on our forward berth under an open hatch when a cool evening breeze is wafting aboard is one of my simple pleasures. But as with most yins, there's an equal yang to the pleasant smells of life on the water. Yes, I'm talking about boat odors. You know, the ones that accumulate in a small damp space like a bilge or head when multiple people live, cook, eat, pee, poop and play aboard a sailboat. Luckily, it seems like companies have been getting creative with deodorizing solutions for boats in the last several years. I've tried the tea tree oil products like Kanberra Gel and Forespar's Tea Tree Power , both o

Now that spring has finally sprung and more sailors are back on the water, I thought it would be a good time to review some VHF radio protocols, if for no other reason than to keep my own skipper skills up to snuff. But first I’ll start with a couple of VHF “conversations” from my recent Great Lakes cruising memories… The seas had built to snotty 3 and 4 footers under the cloak of a thick fog as we departed Charlevoix bound for Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan. Even when the fog did begin to lift, the visibility from our little sailboat was still obscured by rain showers. I knew there weren’t likely to be many other recreational boaters out beyond a mile or so of shore on a weekday with crumby weather, but I also knew we’d be crossing paths with the Beaver Island ferry Emerald Isle at some point during our 30 mile sail.  Sure enough, we heard her engines through the fog astern well before we actually laid eyes on her. I hailed the ferry via VHF channel 16 to make sure

"It's not far to never-never land, no reason to pretend And if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see Believe me" Sailing by Christopher Cross Sailing. Pure and  simple. Wind, water, and sky. Marina mornings. Lazy afternoons. Bright full moons. Yes, it's good to be on the water again with my family.

Hannah at the helm this past weekend

"Live your life, do your work, then take your hat." - Henry David Thoreau Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference on the water. Take for example the Cruiser Hat from Sunday Afternoons . It's just an outback style hat (Seen lots of those before!) but it's light weight, breathability and sun  protection will have your neck, face and eyes thanking you when you slip below to the cabin at night. While none of that is necessarily new for wide brimmed hats, at less than $40 it's a real bargain compared with some of the other sun hats you might be familiar with that are suitable for sailing. I've been wearing mine this spring and almost always forget that it's even on because it's so light and airy. Another cool feature: The insides of the brim (3" front/sides, 4" on back) are foam, so the hat floats if you forget to use the chinstrap during your next windy sailing adventure. I also like that it packs flat without lo