Sail Far Live Free

"I'm back to my deck shoes with holes in the toes. Fish on the line, sails in the wind. Cooler of beer on beach with my friends. Back in the sunshine again." - Lyrics from "Back in the Sunshine" by Jim Morris I knew it was going to be an epic getaway when one of our friends said, "I could pee on her, but it would smell like coffee and feel less weird if Kevin did it." So, I reluctantly mustered up the courage and wrung out a kidney in an empty water bottle. I then proceeded to pour my pee on my wife's neck and shoulders. Does urine really take away the stinging from a run-in with a jellyfish or is that a myth? Scientific American says it's a myth , but we were nearly 5 miles offshore and Erin's shoulders and neck were on fire from the man-o-war she just snorkeled through. Actually, Erin's analogy was that it felt like someone was putting out a pack of Marlboros on her skin. The good news was that she didn't show signs of goin...

"From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to Earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free." -Jacques Yves Cousteau As a child, nothing inspired me to dream more than when I took trips to the ocean. My senses were overwhelmed with the scent of sea air, the sound of crashing waves and the feel of salt drying on my skin. I'll never forget the first time I dipped my face below the surface of the sea in Key Largo, Florida and watched a whole new world of colorful fish, ornate invertebrates and geometrically beautiful coral thriving together. My time spent as a marine biologist is deeply rooted in sights my parents showed me through the polycarbonate lens of my snorkeling mask. Over the last week, I had the amazing experience of sharing these same experiences with my two oldest daughters. While we spent plenty of time relaxing on the beach and soaking in the south Florida sunshine, I feel most blessed and energ...