These are stories about sailing with my father and friends in the past.
A friend recently asked what sorts of storms we had to weather on our voyages. There were so many, from intense squalls to roaring gales. I wouldn’t know where to start. It's a little like asking someone who fishes to tell about the big fish…
When my mother, Pat, was on the boat, she was the one who took care of the provisioning. She taught me a lot about the art of it. It wasn’t about volume so much as the variety. Yes, you needed your staples (e.g. rice, pasta,…
The conversation at breakfast this morning was about seasickness and whether I am worried about being seasick on the voyage. The optimist in me thinks that I won’t get too seasick, because I never really got it too badly in the past. Generally, I only…
I was raised to believe everyone enjoyed sailing. Some a lot, and others were more “fair weather” sailors. The first type, those who loved to sail any place, any time, in any weather, were considered normal. Those who would only sail for a short duration…
My sister Kim has been living on a boat by herself in Gibson, British Columbia, for fourteen years now. She has worked as a web designer the whole time. Other than the occasional trouble with internet connectivity, her life tied up at the dock is…
Dave was more or less always on duty. He had a way of making everyone think he was relaxed. Even in storm conditions, he would whistle under his breath and calmly move from one task to another. People felt safe on board. I spent years…
My father, Dave, believed that being on a boat was the best way to spend a day. It didn’t matter where he was or who was onboard. When he was on water, he felt most himself. That sense of purpose, the ease of it, shaped…
It has been over 35 years since I last did any long-distance sailing. Back then, I was on a 17-metre yawl and not a 260-metre dry bulk carrier like the one I’ll be joining soon. We usually had four to six people on board. The…
Oldendorff Carriers is kindly letting me join one of their bulk carriers for six weeks. This is a dream I had carried for decades. Since my twenties, when I used to sail long-distance with my father. Whenever we were in larger harbours, or even out…