Blog

Sex in the Sea

Last night Juniper and I sailed into a river of silver that was painted by the light of the moon. The path lead from the bow of the boat to the horizon and we sailed towards it until it was no longer visible. Once the sea grew dark, I looked...

A Gentle Breeze

I woke up to a text from Oliver, my weather router, asking for my coordinates. He changed my course slightly so I can avoid the high and stay in the low. I know what your thinking, why on earth would you want to get low instead of high? Highs are...

The Strangeness of Solitude

According to the Chumash, dolphins are humans that fell from a rainbow. Their Creator built a rainbow over the Pacific Ocean so people could cross from the islands to the mainland. Creator warned them not to look down or they would fall to their deaths. Some people couldn’t help but...

BW Jaguar

There is another boat out here. Only 7 NM away from me. BW Jaguar. I can’t see him but he is on my radar traveling at 13.6 Knots and heading southeast. It’s the first ship I have seen since Thursday morning. I want to radio him, but I don’t know...

Feathers Flying

Last night I sailed through a gale. I said a prayer, gave my ship over to God, and slept in the quarter berth. Waves pushed under the boat and lifted me in the air. Everything that was dry is now wet: pillows, clothes, books, cushions, wood floors, my hair, the...

West Butterfy

I haven’t consumed anything but the fallen grapes, an orange, water, and a protein bar since setting sail yesterday. I don’t feel hunger or exhaustion or seasickness, I feel every nerve in my body. And they are all screaming “what the hell are you doing out here?” The feeling reminds...

Letting Go Of Land

A few months ago my dock neighbor went out for a solo day sail and they later found his boat, but not his body. He was no novice. I heard he could ride the swell like a true cowboy. That his heart was made of seawater. That he had fins...

Sailing Solo in Search of an Endless Sunrise

At the beginning of August, I am sailing solo across the Pacific Ocean from San Diego to Hawaii. It is one of the longest ocean passages in the world, with nothing but a wilderness of waves between the land. The Pacific was named by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and...