Sail Far Live Free

"The half minute which we daily devote to the winding up of our watches is an exertion of labour almost insensible; yet, by the aid of a few wheels, its effect is spread over the whole of twenty-four hours." - Charles Babbage Sailing is sometimes that way too. The raising and trimming of sails is like the half minute exertion of watch winding labor whose effects can carry us hundreds or even thousands of miles through the wind and waves. If the wind is right, you get a lot for a little. With today's battery powered smart watches and quartz movement self-winding watches, the exertion of labor that Babbage describes is not only insensible, but in many cases actually non-existent. Take for example the subject of this review, the wooden Dover watch from Jord . The Dover requires an initial winding, but then daily activity keeps it ticking if it's worn for 8 hours a day or so. What I really like is that the wood feels light and comfortable on my wrist and adds a

"It was a poetic recreation to watch those distant sails steering for half-fabulous ports, whose very names are a mysterious music to our ears. It is remarkable that men do not sail the sea with more expectation. Nothing was ever accomplished in a prosaic mood." -Henry David Thoreau I know, I know. Citing a Thoreau quote to open a simple sailor's blog post is going to alienate some of you. But still, I think he sets the stage well for my kind of summer cruise. There's nothing unimagined or lacking poetry when I leave the dock in the summer, even if only for 9 days. When I cast off the lines headed for the other end of Muskegon Lake or the northern basin of Lake Michigan I might as well be sailing to the far side of the world. My mind and spirit run free like a child's on the first day of summer break. I'm James Cook and Bernard Moitessier in a common skin. And oh how those half-fabulous ports of Leland, Northport, Suttons Bay and Traverse City were indee

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." -Margaret Mead A good shoe for sailing has a few unique ingredients - good grip, toe protection and waterproofing or quick drainage. Add to that some degree of comfort, durability and style for gracing the marina and you've got a winner. Keen has taken two cords and a sole and turned them into a really fantastic sandal that's versatile enough for the deck or the trail.  Aptly named the Keen Uneek , these new sandals check all the boxes by providing wet deck grip from the non-marking rubber outsole's razor siping, a degree of toe protection courtesy of the hand braided cord and fast draining and drying due to the microfiber footbed. What was unexpected was just how comfortable the Uneeks are on my feet. The polyester braided cord is form fitting and flexible enough that there are no pressure points anywhere yet the fit is still secure and stable. Now that I've had a chance to w

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