Articles from this Category
January 3, 2017
The tradition of [European] sailors tattooing each other dates back to the 1700s when Captain Cook’s crew picked up the practice from the Polynesians. Since then, countless sailors have followed in their intrepid wake. I have chronicled some of my own experiences here, and here, but haven’t spoken much about how we adopted this tradition or […]
December 12, 2016
Position: 29º 51.822′ S 31º 1.422′ E Arrived in Durban after the worst single night passage ever. Lucky for us, nothing broke and we are all happy to be here. We’ll spend Christmas and New Years in Durban with our friends, and then continue on to Cape Town and beyond. All is well.
December 5, 2016
Position: 28º 47.688′ S 32º 4.71′ E We are in Richards Bay, South Africa. I’ve been dreaming about this country since college and it seems fitting that we arrived here on the edge of a gale and on the very same day (4 years later) as we arrived in Brisbane. Everyone is excited to see […]
December 5, 2016
Position: 27º 33.558′ S 33º 0.42′ E We had a really peaceful night and a fast first day. We are right on schedule. All is well.
December 5, 2016
Position: 26º 2.832′ S 33º 23.1′ E Hip hip hooray, we are underway, to Richard’s Bay! All is well.
November 23, 2016
Position: 26º 0.882′ S 32º 53.748′ E We decided that today’s weather window was too tight and the consequences too high, so we are waiting for the next one. All is well.
November 22, 2016
Position: 26º 0.882′ S 32º 53.748′ E Summers in Round Pond, looking out over Muscongus Sound, I imagined the world as fictitiously vast. My horizon was bounded tightly by Loud’s Island to the East, and New Harbor to the South. Once, when my father took me on an overnight sail to Boothbay Harbor, I was […]
November 21, 2016
Position: 26º 0.522′ S 32º 52.23′ E Arrived in Maputo, safe and sound. It was a raucous night but we reefed down and enjoyed the ride. Supplies are lean these days. Miles asked if we had straws (to draw lots, of course) and suggested that we had a rendang paste, and a ‘daddy rendang’ might […]
November 20, 2016
Position: 25º 22.458′ S 34º 16.992′ E We had a fast night of sailing with (current assisted) speeds touching 10 knots, in only 10-15knots of wind. This morning things eased on both the current and wind fronts, and we are puttering along at a more modest 5 knots. Vick made pizza for lunch, a luxury […]
November 19, 2016
Position: 24º 4.572′ S 35º 33.792′ E Inhambane was much nicer than expected. Despite high winds and a current against wind, it was fairly calm. We had a quiet night and left at the crack of dawn. We are now on our way to Maputo or Richards Bay, depending on weather. Last night, we saw […]