Sail Far Live Free

Sundowners at Sundown (by K. Walters in Punta Gorda, FL)

"We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light." -Earl Nightingale Flashlights are seemingly simple devices charged with a straightforward task of providing light on demand. The new Pelican 7000 LED flashlight is my favorite for three reasons: brightness, toughness, and size. Pelican says this pocket-sized flashlight puts out 602 lumens of intense LED light. In fact, this is the first tactical light from Pelican to break the 600 lumen output barrier. I don't have a way to test for lumens and frankly, I'm not sure what a lumen even is. But what I do know is that this flashlight is seriously bright. In fact, bright enough to be used for a spotlight. For some perspective, two other very impressive lights I've tested in the past ( Inova XO3 and Streamlight Waypoint Spotlight ) put out 200 and 300 maximum lumens each respectively. So the Pelican 7000 is indeed very bright. Pelican 7000 LED Tactical Light And it's pe

"I'm back to my deck shoes with holes in the toes. Fish on the line, sails in the wind. Cooler of beer on beach with my friends. Back in the sunshine again." - Lyrics from "Back in the Sunshine" by Jim Morris I knew it was going to be an epic getaway when one of our friends said, "I could pee on her, but it would smell like coffee and feel less weird if Kevin did it." So, I reluctantly mustered up the courage and wrung out a kidney in an empty water bottle. I then proceeded to pour my pee on my wife's neck and shoulders. Does urine really take away the stinging from a run-in with a jellyfish or is that a myth? Scientific American says it's a myth , but we were nearly 5 miles offshore and Erin's shoulders and neck were on fire from the man-o-war she just snorkeled through. Actually, Erin's analogy was that it felt like someone was putting out a pack of Marlboros on her skin. The good news was that she didn't show signs of goin

"Dear ocean, thank you for making me feel small." (Photo from Islamorada, FL by K. Walters)

"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe." - Gustave Flaubert So true. My writing forces me to examine my beliefs and my inner thoughts. That's free therapy and part of what I enjoy about blogging. But I learn just as much about my own beliefs from reading what others write. And so, it's that time of year again. No, I'm not talking about New Year's resolutions, fruit cake or boat shows. It's time to give some love back to the sailing blogs I've enjoyed following during 2014 and look ahead to other blogs that should provide new cruising adventures in 2015. (Need to catch up on the best blogs from 2013 or 2012 ? What are you waiting for!?). SFLF's Best Sailing Blogs of 2014: Sailing Totem : The s/v Totem crew has been cruising and blogging since way before 2014 and probably should have showed up on my annual "best sailing blogs" list sooner, but nonetheless, here they are. Inspiring stories, practical

A Cruiser's Neighborhood (by K. Walters on S. Benjamin Island, Lake Huron)

“Offshore, it’s all about expectations. If you expect life onboard to be like life at home, you won’t enjoy it and you probably won’t be successful at creating it. It’s supposed to be an adventure, so treat it like such.”   –Andy Schell I started SailFarLiveFree.com to document and share my passion for sailing, but also as a tool to help me grow and learn as a sailor. This is one of those blog posts where I get to sit back and learn from a pro, literally a sailing professional. I’m pleased to present an interview I recently did with Andy Schell from 59-North.com . For those of you who don’t know Andy, he has connected his passion for sailing with a career. Andy and his wife Mia help organize and manage cruising rallies, perform yacht deliveries, and offer ocean passage/crewing opportunities. Andy also produces an excellent sailing podcast ( 59 North podcast ) and is currently a Contributing Editor for SAIL Magazine.     I want to say THANKS up front to Andy for taking time t

There are cool hi-tech gadgets for cruising and then there are must-have accessories. But how many of those cool hi-tech gadgets are must-haves? Thankfully, not many. I'm not sure sailing and cruising would be quite as satisfying if we all needed cutting edge gear to make it happen. After all, many of us like the fact that at the core, it just takes a little wind and a simple craft to sail far and live free. However, Noco's tiny Genius Boost GB30 lithium jumpstarter has very quickly become a must-have hi-tech gadget on our boat. We've all run down engine starter batteries, whether in your automobile or sailboat. In fact, between Erin and I, our automobile has required a jump start no less than 4 times during the last 12 months. We haven't ever ended up with a dead battery on our sailboat (we have 3 total: 2 house, 1 starter), but I'm happy to have the added insurance of the GB30. Genius Boost - Tiny, portable jump starting power! The Genius Boost GB3

"What would men be without women? Scarce, sir...mighty scarce." - Mark Twain Sometimes there are comments from the peanut gallery as we walk down the docks. “He’s gonna be in trouble when they get older”, they say. Or “He’s severely outnumbered!” For the record, I'm usually agreeing with these comments in my head. What the peanut gallery has noticed is that I lead (and am lead by ) an all-female crew. Things aren't any different on land either since even our cat is a female. I am blessed and THANKFUL to be surrounded in such a way and so, I thought I would share some of my observations as the only male onboard. First, some heartfelt introspection. My wife and three daughters ensure that I'll always have an identity, that my calling in this world isn't hidden or perceived in my own mind as being scarce. I'm thankful every day for the opportunity to be a husband and father to three girls. Hannah, Soleil, Erin and Isabel guiding my ship. My all