September 2006 By Dodge Morgan It is true that any decision is better than no decision when sailing. There is a commanding ring to phrases like “hard-a-lee,” even if one is sailing by the lee at the time, a state that confuses which side the lee really is. The artRead More

September 2006 By Tom Snyder When adventurous people encounter overwhelming and dangerous challenges, one common reaction is to make a deal with one’s god, promising a life of greater meaning if only one might survive the ordeal. Even non-believers will temporarily invent a presence with whom to negotiate a happyRead More

A fall delivery to the boatyard seemed such a simple thing. It was only a few miles. What could possibly go wrong?

August 2006 By Dodge Morgan Columnists write non-fiction as a rule. Or maybe they write true stories as hallucinations as a rule (hallucination here being an accurate replacement word for opinion.) Excepting for Dave Barry and Tom Snyder, columnists do want more than anything else to be insightfully believed. OnlyRead More

August 2006 By Tom Snyder I cruise for a month each June to get away from all the voices that fill one’s life. And the worst offender is my own voice. I talk too much. I have taught my wife a hand signal to use in public when it’s timeRead More

Words from a seafaring dog.

Our friends are right — we should write a book. But not right now. We have too much stuff to do around our marinas and boatyards — like watching the circus at the docks.

July 2006 By Dodge Morgan The British solo sailor Pete Goss and I recently traded signed copies of our circumnavigation books. Pete’s 1996 sail as a competitor in the Vendee Globe non-stop race was a dramatically different challenge than was my solo, non-stop sail 20 years ago because it wasRead More

July 2006 By Tom Snyder I have a true story that I probably shouldn’t tell you. Oh, don’t you love saying that to someone? It’s irresistible. Anyone you say that to will then tell you that they are very good at keeping secrets. Even women will say, “Your secret isRead More

June 2006 By Dodge Morgan If practice produces insight, then I should qualify as a solitude guru. I have spent more time solely with myself than anyone I know, mostly at sea. The more practice I have accumulated, the further from both ignorance and knowledge I become. I am notRead More