Sailing
-
The Sensation of Yes
I was glad to be alone with the boat. Not having a pregnant wife close by, the obligation I felt to attend her every need was lifted, I was free […]
-
Virtue of the Easy Way
We had been on the move for a month. Starting out, I had tried to teach Betsy how to manage the boat, taking any opportunity to teach and keep her […]
-
Auspices
I saw signs in the flight of birds. “Auspices” the ancient seers had called the signs, who had made their observations to advise emperors in leading nations. If they were […]
-
What Independent Means
I was supposed to be independently wealthy. How else could I pay cash for a sailboat and afford to be without a job? Did I feel rich, spending all of […]
-
Strain
We anchored in Sabine Pass, among giant oil rigs used for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. There were a hundred of them—I don’t know how many—mothballed, standing idle in […]
-
A Man’s Place
For several days, I debated whether to swallow my pride and motor back to Clear Lake. I could tell the broker I’d bought her from to sell her, send me […]
-
Deepwater Anxiety
We motor-sailed on to Galveston, another easy run, no wind to speak of. At the mouth of Port Bolivar, where the giant freight ships came into the Houston Ship Channel, […]
-
Superstitious
No amount of precaution and planning would keep Betsy comfortable for long in open water. She had no experience of time in a seaway All she had seen in the […]
-
Belly Up
Betsy was all for heading to the Caribbean or Central America, to the Rio Dolce, the “sweet river”, in Guatemala. That was where I imagined delivering the baby, anchored […]