Our coasting adventures always seem to be in a certain state of flux as we fathom new ways of addressing the epic sweep of them, and meld into the tried and true. Touching on life’s largest themes and nature’s most powerful forces, it’s about seeking a certain clarity of thingsRead More

There was a time when being told that some of my ideas were impractical, or just not done, proved no small incentive to do them anyway. Mostly I was just annoying, but did get on rather well with irregular behavior. Then I got it into my head that I shouldRead More

There are few pursuits in this world more profoundly dramatic, organic and poetic than coasting. In an age when algorithms divine the way of many things, fetching alongshore is still an ancient occupation that demands discipline, a grasp of various arts, instincts and the abstract. Cruising under sail is generouslyRead More

Fixing up old boats is a family tradition. Back in the day, various seafaring relatives spent a good deal of time keeping their vessels afloat, while more recently my father and I bought beaters of sloops for next to nothing, fixed them up and pursued a life of modest adventure.Read More

  I was startled by the hostility of our encounter with the lobsterman. It’d been a good while since we’d felt the burn, and I was reminded of the ’70s when the world was beating a path to buy Downeast vacation homes and a tide of anti-incomer sentiment was runningRead More

Maine’s mountains by the sea are possessed of a particular gravity, and taking to the trails on a Downeast cruise both adds an expanded dimension to your travels and helps maintain a level of conditioning. Although coasting can be a relatively sedentary business, conditioning is a valuable asset when ridingRead More

The maintenance of a sailboat is possessed of a certain intensity for those of us who are marginally mechanical. Demanding a keen eye and a grasp of the nature of a wide variety of materials and complicated technologies, the cost of failing to act prudently can range from annoying toRead More

There are still extraordinary depths of solitude to be fathomed on far-Downeast islands, where the world is possessed of a spare and abstract drama, palpable ancientness, and breathtaking sweeps of sea, sky and shore. In spite of development creep, perfect privacy can yet be had along this coast and secretsRead More

I can hardly launch spring fitting-out season without thinking about cruises past, and when the photograph above surfaced amid the chaos of my desk I was reminded of the excitement of discovering the New England and Fundy coast in the ’70s, aboard a leaky old wooden sloop I’d acquired forRead More

Cruise of the Leight, Part 11: I had imagined my summer of cruising as a “sailabout” of sorts, sharing qualities of the aboriginal Australians’ walkabouts. I was seeking the peace of wild places, mysteries of nature, depths of solitude, and the incomprehensible energy of the sea. I wanted to lieRead More