Sail Far Live Free

"It's not far to never-never land, no reason to pretend And if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see Believe me" Sailing by Christopher Cross Sailing. Pure and  simple. Wind, water, and sky. Marina mornings. Lazy afternoons. Bright full moons. Yes, it's good to be on the water again with my family.

" For at the end of the day, he's learned through experience that the essence of crafting an unforgettable picture is both incredibly complex and remarkably simple: being at the right place at the right time. " - Herb McCormick describing Onne van der Wal in   the new book Sailing Note: See the bottom of this blog post for a chance to win a new copy of the book  Sailing . My blogging here at SailFarLiveFree.com is all about trying to capture with words what I've learned (and am learning) about sailing. Sometimes writing is simple and other times complex. So I can relate to the quote above. Page 36: A detail of the wheel of the Tall Ship Massachuesetts is a study in tarnished bronze. Page 37: Riding to leeward aboard Whitehawk , a 105-foot replica of Herreshoff's famous Ticonderoga racing yacht. For Onne van der Wal, the combination of sailing and photography has been magical. During a long ocean race, Onne was prompted to peek through his bunkmate...

"I’ve made my voyages to please and interest myself.  I’m glad that others read what I write; but I would have sailed as I have if no one else ever knew." - Webb Chiles I created this website, SailFarLiveFree.com , to document my own growth as a sailor. Remembering where I came from and how I acquired a certain skill or memory is important to me and I've found is also sometimes of interest to others. A lot of the content on the website is my way of exploring the sailing lifestyle and examining the many different perspectives that make it so fascinating.  From time to time, I've brought in experienced voices to help me sort things out. For example, both Ted Brewer and Bob Perry have generously written guest posts here about bluewater sailboat design. In this particular post, I'm excited to share an interview I recently did with Webb Chiles, a well-known enigmatic sailing voyager who's completed 5 circumnavigations in a variety of sailboats spanning...

Charlevoix (Horton Bay) to Suttons Bay: 38NM - July 20 Next on our cruise itinerary was a short 4 day side trip to Grand Traverse Bay. Grand Traverse Bay is another place I’ve visited often from land. I have always longingly looked out at the open blue water imagining myself sailing. I can now attest that the big bay is an excellent sailing location and a cruiser’s paradise. We left Lake Charlevoix in the morning and motored in the very light air direct to Suttons Bay. While there was plenty of room at the marina we decided to stay on the hook in the south end of Sutton’s Bay and use the dinghy for shore side adventures. After anchoring we all quickly put on bathing suits and jumped into the clear, 25 foot deep water to deal with the building humidity. I snorkeled around the anchorage and saw sunken old docks, lost mooring equipment and lots of other unidentifiable pieces of lumber. On shore we met up with my mom and dad (Grammy and Poppa), who just happened to be visiting with some ...

Now that the sailboat is out of the water and hibernating until spring, my mind has started to wander and wonder.  One of my passions is adventuring, which seems to have manifested itself in my life in the form of sailing and backpacking.  So I started to wonder, other than adventure, what the common theme is between sailing and backpacking.  Erin & I approaching the summit of Mt. Shasta Both activities require and reward self-sufficiency.  Cruising many miles from land on a sailboat, you have nothing except the wind, the waves and that which you brought oboard.  So it is with backpacking in the wilderness.  All you have is the trails, the trees and that which you have in your pack. Good offshore, bluewater sailors know that they must be competent in many skills.  On a long passage you need to be your own mechanic, navigator, doctor, chef and any number of other professions.  Again, when you're on a long wilderness ...