Tag: Sailing

  • Sailor Knots

    The sun came out like a newborn baby, I was that elated to see it. The night had been pregnant with a new day. The sky was transformed, growing pale […]

  • Listening Inside

    Sailing single-handed you don’t sleep much, not for very long at a stretch. Like you don’t sleep caring for a restless newborn, except on a boat, the first time you […]

  • Slow Leak

    Having a baby is very like offshore sailing: ahead of the birth, before setting sail, you think you have a plan, all laid out as a series of lines drawn […]

  • Authority

    The first rule at sea is don’t fall off; you never let go unless the vessel sinks out from under you. Most sailboats, like most marriages, can withstand more stress […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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, […]