...on sailing life

...with a Christmas Message from Us “Roger, he’s telling us something is wrong!” “No, no, he just likes my boat,” Roger responded confidently. “No, he’s saying we need to pull over. Take the next exit,” I insisted. And good thing Roger gave in—this time. As we slowed on the off ramp, a wheel from our boat trailer passed us and turned the corner. “Wow, God, look what happened to your boat trailer,” Roger quipped. Our anticipated sailing day was over before it started. Instead

What Do Wetsuits, Kayaks, and Dinghys Have in Common? Wetsuits, kayaks, and dinghys all look great on Instagram. Swimming with the fish, paddling along a beautiful island coastline, buzzing among anchored boats in a quiet harbor—all things we wanted to do. So for our sailboat excursions we really wanted all three. We could just see ourselves sharing exciting adventures and exploring new vistas. At the very least, these three things would give us something to do besides lounge

Potato Harbor, Santa Cruz Island Rounding the headland into Potato Harbor on Santa Cruz Island—it always feels like a homecoming. Potato...

On Keeping Promises and Navigating Danger There’s a tried-and-true maxim among liveaboard sailors, the ones who have chosen the adventurous, nomadic lifestyle of the sea: You can commit to a date or a time, but never both. We weren’t liveaboard sailors, but we enjoyed several multi-day sailing vacations cruising among the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. Talk about an exciting lifestyle! From isolated coves to bustling harbors, from fog to sunshine, from

And It Was Toxic Wandering Spirit  was a beautiful vintage sailboat—all 36’ of her. But she had much to be desired in the way of...

Where’d That Island Go? If your husband anchored the sailboat next to an island one night and woke up the next morning wondering,...

Dinghy Debacle On TV, they just push the boat out and leap in. The waves are never too big, the outboard motor doesn’t drag, and they don’t mind getting their feet wet. Looks simple, right? So how hard could it be to push our inflatable dinghy off the shore? Out on Santa Cruz Island near Scorpion Anchorage, the water was calm, my pants were rolled up, and Roger was sitting ready with the paddle. We’d brought the dinghy ashore to explore a bit and now it was time to head back

What our first sailing trip taught us about adventure, mistakes, and the courage to begin As newbies to the sailing world, Roger and I...

Roger (helpfully): Hey, do you see those kayakers at one o’clock? Julie (snarling): Yes, I see them! My husband and I love sailing. Our...