Two kids were standing near the edge of the Main Street Bridge watching me come through. The warning signal had sounded, the bridge was opening, and the operator had timed it perfectly. I had called ahead, he was on it, and I never even needed to slow Mearr down. I just glided through the opening,…
Docking gets most sailors at least a little more on edge. It tests skills and relationships. Yelling is often involved. Swearing? A staple. There’s a reason people make shirts that say, Sorry for what I said while docking the boat. The little wireless headsets couples use to communicate from opposite ends of the boat are…
I woke up the next morning feeling like a completely different person. The difference was almost ridiculous. The night before, I could barely function. A night of sleep later, I felt fully restored. That was encouraging all by itself. Maybe yesterday hadn’t taken as much out of me as I thought. There was just a…
Cold hands, hard sailing, and my first solo mooring in St. Augustine At four in the morning, Cumberland Island was completely dark. Not stars-over-the-anchorage dark. Barely seeing your hand in front of your face dark. The little white anchor lights scattered around me didn’t necessarily look like boats. They were just lights floating in blackness,…
“Hi, buddies! There you are! You’re coming to wish me luck? That’s so nice of you.”
Yes, I always talk to dolphins. There were five of them dancing beneath Mearr’s bow, surfacing only a few feet from where I stood.
One Week Before Leaving for the Florida Keys My boat looked like a marine supply store had exploded inside it. Tools covered every available surface. Parts were scattered throughout the cabin. Ongoing projects seemed to occupy every square foot of living space. Battery system component boxes sat on the stove. Half-finished cables snaked across the…