after waiting with bated breath for weeks (not really), a large envelope showed up in the mail with my sailing certificates and official american sailing association membership card. that’s right, people. it’s official: i have “demonstrated an abiding interest in sailing” by completing courses “approved by the national association of state boating law administrators and the u.s. coast guard” … whatever that means. Read the rest of this entry »

sailing was way more intense than i expected. 7 days in the caribbean bouncing around the virgin islands sounds like cake but the water was “heavy” with north swells pretty much the whole time. handling a 43-foot sailboat is a ton of work: trimming sails, helming, navigating, tacking, jibing, points of sail, docking, mooring, anchoring, right of way, man overboard drills … my brain has been jammed full with so much information it’s mush. Read the rest of this entry »

i signed the booking agreement for sailing today. it’s a week-long course that covers everything from sail handling to reading charts to anchoring to provisioning. this officially starts the ball rolling on our fantastic sailing adventure plans. Read the rest of this entry »