Christopher Birch

Photo by Christopher BirchThe duck house near Birch Marine, from which a valuable lesson emerged.

Lessons learned from a lame duck

July 29, 2019 at 12:00 am

By Christopher Birch For Points East Not every marina has a duck house, but, lucky for me, mine does. I’m thinking now of a certain duck that once lived there. She had a bad starboard wing and a bad port leg. When she walked, she leaned on her good wingRead More

Moxie

Moxie

January 28, 2019 at 12:00 am

Guest perspective/Christopher Birch My adventures in yachting got off to a rich start. A “SAIL” magazine subscription card, with a questionnaire at the bottom, was my launch ramp. I checked the box indicating my net worth exceeded $10 million (I felt like $10 million just checking that box). I alsoRead More

Six simple machines

Six simple machines

July 6, 2018 at 10:57 am

The tools we use today all descend from a few common origins.

Photo by Christopher BirchBoston's skyline framed by a dramatic sea and sky, and viewed from a yacht underway.

For Koshare, early spring came in December

March 12, 2018 at 12:00 am

March/April 2018 By Christopher Birch There we were: In an engineless sailboat, in the Atlantic, in December. Paddling. Sea and sky were the same shade of slate. Light snow further blurred the boundaries between frozen, liquid and gas. Koshare’s faded dirty whiteness blended into the scene. We’d been paddling forRead More

Arguments for a proper rowboat

Arguments for a proper rowboat

June 26, 2017 at 12:00 am

Guest perspective/Christopher Birch The longer I have been around boats, the more I have come to appreciate the small ones. When I was young, I dreamed of how grand it would be to have a massive sailing yacht of my very own. Now, some years later, my heart skips aRead More

Photo by Chris BirchBoat ownership, contends the author, demands respect for those who draw and build our boats -- and the elegance of designs they hold dear.

Let the genius shine

January 27, 2017 at 4:36 pm

Midwinter 2017 By Christopher Birch The best advice I ever gave my children was to drink their coffee black and their whiskey neat. I rest easy knowing how much time I have saved them from rustling around looking for things like cream and sugar and ice. If other parents hadRead More