Sail Far Live Free

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." - Margaret Mead Sailors are often traditionalists and sailboats are often traditional in design. I'm perfectly ok with that. In fact, many of my favorite designs are quite traditional, often to a fault. But there are a few new cruising sailboats that have caught my eye and even made me scratch my head lately. It must be boat show season too, because I'm suddenly feeling like a sailing rag editor. Broadblue Rapier 550 At first glance, the Rapier 550 looks similar to many other large modern cruising cats, but trust me, this one is truly unlike any other. Look just a bit closer at the exterior and you'll see sharp reverse bows. This boat actually appears to have a shorter length-on-deck than the waterline length. You'll also probably notice a smallish cockpit with a large slider door into the main cabin. What you'll notice is conspicuously absent from the exterior is much of

 "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." - Jonathan Swift Sailors have great vision, speaking from a mental perspective. We see what's beyond the horizon. We see the journey being equally important as the destination. Physical vision is important while sailing too, so it makes sense to invest in a quality pair of sunglasses that can combat the intense glare off the water and UV rays from the sky. But can't any frame and lens do that just about the same as any other? Maybe on land, but when you factor in spray and wind bombarding your eyes and the high level of activity sometimes required to sail a boat in challenging conditions, a specialized pair of sunglasses begins to make more sense. Julbo Wave sunglasses handle the job of providing excellent optics by cutting glare and protecting your eyes extremely well, thanks to quality vented and polarized lenses that are light weight and shock resistant. That's all great, but again, there are

Chart Art  (Lake Michigan) by K. Walters

"I hate storms, but calms undermine my spirits." -Bernard Moitessier, The Long Way Moitessier had a way with words. I would like to have been a fly on the bulkhead to hear the conversations he had with his sailboat on the long solo passages that define his sailing legacy. Consider his quote above. It wasn't heavy weather and storms that challenged his inner self, but rather the monotony and silence of being becalmed. Storms on the other hand, have a way of shaking us to the core and tossing us out on the other side a little scared but often a better sailor for the experience. And frankly, the threat of storms can sometimes undermine my normally free spirit. How do you deal with storms while sailing? What follows is merely my overview of options for dealing with heavy weather while sailing, rather than a deep discussion about the particulars of each storm tactic. I personally don't have extensive experience with all of these tactics nor do I have offshore heavy

1,000,000 pageviews. That's the number that SailFarLiveFree.com recently surpassed, thanks to you all! Actually, I'm officially at 1,035,614 as of today, but who's counting? And in reality 900,000 of those pageviews could be directly from my mom for all I know.  In any case, I want to sincerely thank anyone who's been a reader of my musings here. Pageviews are nice, but I prefer this view. I started this blog in 2007 to simply chronicle the restoration of our first sailboat , keep myself accountable for my dreams and keep a journal of our adventures for my kids and I. I never intended to build an audience, but you've shown up nonetheless. And you've brought with you tons of inspiration and encouragement. Again, THANK YOU! To show just a smidgen of my appreciation, I'm offering a pair of brand new recently published cruising books, As Long as It's Fun by Herb McCormick and A Sail of Two Idiots by Renee Petrillo , free for two random read