TRADING FIRE FOR ICE July 10, When fellow sailor and explorer Mark Nelson, dropped me off at the airport in Juneau. I took a deep breath. After checking my 3 enormous bags in, and passing through security, I sat in a chair and tried to relax. This was it. If I did not have it […]
Read more "TRADING FIRE FOR ICE"At this moment, from my warm, cozy chair on this Alaska Airlines jet, I am looking down at the floor of this world. I lack for no comfort here. Hot coffee was just served right to my chair. I am not even required to throw away my own trash. When they take my trash, the […]
Read more "Shaking loose of the grid."During the 2013 voyage, Empiricus carried a heavier load than she ever has (so far as I know, that is.) Usually her weight in the slings sits at 35000 pounds. This year, when hauling out in Cambridge Bay, the crane recorded her at 38000 pounds. That’s minus a crew of five, all their personal gear […]
Read more "A loaded boat, a leaky rudderpost and a weary bilge pump."If it cannot be bought, it must be built. Behind the scenes of any successful voyage is a mountain of preparation. The 2014 exit of the Northwest Passage is no exception to that need. And, seeing as the clock never stops ticking, I had a few important projects that were due. Wedged in between late […]
Read more "If it cannot be bought. It must be built."Blades of the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage is a fascinating place, to say the least. I remember reading numerous accounts of early exploration, specifically Roald Amundsen’s account of this place. He was Captain of the Gjoa. The first boat to sail through the Northwest Passage. Amunsdsen was successful in this for many reasons. I […]
Read more "Blades of the Northwest Passage"Rolling with the sea is the best way to enjoy her. There is no fighting the inevitable dominance of this great hydraulic flow. She’s too big and powerful. We can fight her for a shift, or a day, or even a week. But eventually, she will break us. Unless of course, we learn to ride […]
Read more "Rolling with the seas"Originally posted on CutterLight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UliVD46YQjQ The dancers in this short video are 6th grade students at Tikigaq School in Point Hope, Alaska, an Inupiat village 200 miles above the Arctic Circle. They are performing traditional songs and dances, passed down through the generations, sung in their native language. The annual school Christmas program in Point…
Another chapter unfolds in our exploration of the Arctic, as I resign my position in Prudhoe Bay Alaska. Samantha, Steven, the dog “Bruce” and myself will set up camp, smack dab in the middle of the Northwest Passage. The story of how Samantha and I met is amazing and will only be done justice by […]
Read more "Beginning our lives together in Nunavut."It’s just past 5 AM, here on the North Slope. I just got off nightshift, where I work as a mechanic in the winter. I’m tired. Yet I sit down this morning to write. Simply because what I have to say will not write itself. Personally I believe that the best thing we can pass […]
Read more "Safe Home"There is a place in space and time where two forces collide. The place is called TERROR. The forces colliding are named IGNORANCE and COURAGE. I am an adventurer yes. But I am not the most seasoned. At 36 years old, I have had many adventures and sailed many grand voyages. But I am still […]
Read more "Bloody Falls and Battered Fools."Sailing, yachts, adventure and sailing around the world!
A site dedicated to purpose filled life, exploration under sail and the philosophy behind it all
A must-have work for enthusiasts on sextant construction, restoration, repair and adjustment
Home is where the empty suitcase is...
Writing and Photography of wild lands and seas
Hitchhiking through the Northwest Passage
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Linking natural and cultural treasures of the Mediterranean
Foods from the fjords of Norway
one small town girl muses on the view from the Hubble
living well off the beaten path
EMPIRICUS EMBARKS 