Attending Baltimore’s OpSail 2000 Tall Ships event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Seeing these magnificent vessels up close helped me appreciate how traditional merchant vessels and navies nav…

Attending Baltimore�…

Attending Baltimore’s OpSail 2000 Tall Ships event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Seeing these magnificent vessels up close helped me appreciate how traditional merchant vessels and navies navigated the oceans without the luxury of engines and electronic equipment. Yes, many of them really did use sextants and compasses to find their way to the right destination (and back to their home ports). Although Tall Ships often participate in major coastal cities’ maritime history events, the odds that I’ll ever see a Tall Ships gathering again are slim. Here in north central Florida, I�…

Viewing a Tall Ships gathering is like getting a front-row seat at a maritime history reenactment. Beginning with ancient mariners, and continuing throughout much of the 20th century, merchants and na…

Viewing a Tall Ships…

Viewing a Tall Ships gathering is like getting a front-row seat at a maritime history reenactment. Beginning with ancient mariners, and continuing throughout much of the 20th century, merchants and navies plied the world’s waters aboard diverse types of boats. Tall Ships, with their impressive sail areas and large cargo holds, were the most visible reminders of sail-powered commerce and military maneuvers. Today, a growing fleet of newer Tall Ships continues to participate in goodwill port stops around the globe. Growing up outside Baltimore, Maryland, I vaguely remember several Tall Ship…

Living on a boat is a never-ending weather forecasting Exercise. During almost seven years of living (and cruising) on our 46-foot trawler Holiday, we ran through nearly every weather scenario in the …

Living on a boat is …

Living on a boat is a never-ending weather forecasting exercise. During almost seven years of living (and cruising) on our 46-foot trawler Holiday, we ran through nearly every weather scenario in the books (except tornadoes and waterspouts). We spent most of that time at an Annapolis, Maryland marina, in a region where the weather can change on a dime. During the 5+ years at our Back Creek dock, we experienced rain, thunderstorms, wind, and snow (way too much snow). Every day, we kept a watchful eye on the wind, the barometer, and the cloud patterns. Over time, we learned how to identify up…

Returning from our sailboat cruise to Florida represented both the end ─ and the beginning ─ of a boating dream. When the trip was finally over, we docked Santorini at our local marina, giving our…

Returning from our s…

Returning from our sailboat cruise to Florida represented both the end ─ and the beginning ─ of a boating dream. When the trip was finally over, we docked Santorini at our local marina, giving our beautiful old sailboat a much-deserved rest. She had served us well, keeping us safe from the clutches of many on-the-water mishaps. But as we transferred the mountains of boat gear back to our car, and prepared to resume land life, we realized that the past six months had given us a taste of a drastically different lifestyle. We realized that we loved the cruising life’s freedom and flexibi…

Our Visit to These Legendary Vessels Viewing a world-famous sailing yacht might not be on everyone’s “Bucket List.” In the United States sports landscape, sailing has never had the wildly pop…

Our Visit to These L…

Our Visit to These Legendary Vessels Viewing a world-famous sailing yacht might not be on everyone’s “bucket list.” In the United States sports landscape, sailing has never had the wildly popular following enjoyed by football and baseball. And to many non-sailors, watching a sailboat carefully navigate a race course is about as exciting as watching paint dry.  But being in the presence of an America’s Cup yacht is an extraordinary experience. Back in 1990, my husband Mark and I were living just south of Annapolis, Maryland (often called the United States’ Sailing Capital).…

During my 40+ years in the boating world, I’ve seen my share of memorable yachts. I never grow tired of seeing classic racing sloops’ beautiful lines. The vessels’ yacht club race wins, and thei…

During my 40+ years …

During my 40+ years in the boating world, I’ve seen my share of memorable yachts. I never grow tired of seeing classic racing sloops’ beautiful lines. The vessels’ yacht club race wins, and their victories in the Annapolis-Bermuda Races, are a testament to their world-class design and construction. In 1990, the J-class America’s Cup yacht Endeavour briefly visited Annapolis and Baltimore. My husband and I dropped everything to pay this grand old lady a visit (and that’s a topic for another column). And I still remember the early-20th-century Trumpy motoryachts that occasionally cr…

Viewing a classic wooden boat is like delving into maritime history. For centuries, sturdily built wooden vessels have embodied their region’s maritime heritage. Each boat also reflects her builder�…

Viewing a classic wo…

Viewing a classic wooden boat is like delving into maritime history. For centuries, sturdily built wooden vessels have embodied their region’s maritime heritage. Each boat also reflects her builder’s craftsmanship. And even if the boat is a scuffed-up workhorse instead of a pampered gentleman’s yacht, her captain feels a certain sense of pride when he cranks up the engine or unfurls the sails. On the 200-mile-long Chesapeake Bay, iconic wooden skipjacks have carved out their niche in maritime history. Built to dredge oysters under sail, the Chesapeake Bay skipjacks have their own beau…

Exploring a new destination on foot offers an “up close and personal” look at an intriguing city or town. During our Maryland- to-Florida sailboat cruise, we trekked the streets of Beaufort, North…

Exploring a new dest…

Exploring a new destination on foot offers an “up close and personal” look at an intriguing city or town. During our Maryland- to-Florida sailboat cruise, we trekked the streets of Beaufort, North Carolina (Bow-fort) and Beaufort, South Carolina (Bew-fort). We observed each waterfront city’s architecture, soaked up the area’s character, and checked out charming (and some funky) shops. Next time, we’ll schedule a longer visit. And then there’s Savannah, Georgia. Established in 1733, this quintessentially Southern city is also known as “Georgia’s first city.” The Savannah Ri…

Preparing for our six-month sailing sojourn to Florida required tons of attention to detail. I made packing lists, provisioning lists, and an endless progression of “To Do” lists. My engineer husb…

Preparing for our si…

Preparing for our six-month sailing sojourn to Florida required tons of attention to detail. I made packing lists, provisioning lists, and an endless progression of “To Do” lists. My engineer husband Mark created (and constantly updated) cruising itineraries, boat maintenance checklists, and parts inventories. Both skill sets complemented each other very nicely. When we cast off the lines on December 3, 1997, we were confident of our pre-trip preparation, and indeed everything functioned perfectly. Thanks to Mark’s expertise, we only had a single burned-out light during the entire six…

The somewhat nebulous phrase “we’re Downsizing” generally means shedding a little (or a lot) of unwanted “stuff.” Sometimes, downsizing means donating your excess clothing and shoes to a loc…

The somewhat nebulou…

The somewhat nebulous phrase “we’re downsizing” generally means shedding a little (or a lot) of unwanted “stuff.” Sometimes, downsizing means donating your excess clothing and shoes to a local thrift store ─ in other words, thinning out the closet. Maybe you’re just tired of tripping over wall-to-wall furniture and décor, so you’re considering a whole-house “Estate sale” ─ but you’re not going anywhere. But in the disruptive version of downsizing, you might be preparing to make a major life change. You’ve decided to move to a much smaller place ─ and you can…

Our late 1990s sailing trip to Florida allowed us to escape the brutal Maryland winter. While spending two months docked in Titusville on the Atlantic Coast, we enjoyed nightly gatherings with other c…

Our late 1990s saili…

Our late 1990s sailing trip to Florida allowed us to escape the brutal Maryland winter. While spending two months docked in Titusville on the Atlantic Coast, we enjoyed nightly gatherings with other cruisers in the marina’s spacious hot tub. We also rented a red convertible for a week. Hopping down to the Florida Keys, we took the high-speed ferry to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. It would be tough to top that experience (or so we thought). Our mutual fascination with space exploration sparked our next great adventure. Our Titusville marina is located on the Indian River Lagoon, abou…

During our late-1990s sailing cruise to Florida, my husband Mark and I soaked up as many new experiences as possible. We enjoyed the ever-changing scenery as we wound southward along the Intracoastal …

During our late-1990…

During our late-1990s sailing cruise to Florida, my husband Mark and I soaked up as many new experiences as possible. We enjoyed the ever-changing scenery as we wound southward along the Intracoastal Waterway. Every day, we checked out waterfront dwellings that included well-appointed compounds along with decades-old cottages with tons of character. We also docked at a succession of Intracoastal Waterway marinas, where we caught up on laundry and waited for mail shipments. Every day, we analyzed the weather forecast, often creating two Travel plans based on the predicted conditions. And we …