Close to the Water: Other Boats
My old college friend and I were eager to get away and forgot the daily details that usually preoccupy us. And as we slowly ghosted into Jones Island’s broad horseshoe-shaped cove, I knew we’d chosen the right spot. An…
The author does a test launch of his new Portage…Close to the Water: Looping the Island
At 20 miles around, Harstine Island could be circumnavigated with a powerboat in an hour. But freeway speeds yield freeway views: a blur of trees, missed inlets, and a flash of homes. A slower speed suits me better, one that…
Close to the Water: A Second Cruise with My Mate
A Second Cruise Brings Border Crossings, Uncertainty, and Lessons Learned.
Close to the Water: Cruising With My Mate
Sailing Luna westward through the San Juan Islands on…
Close to the Water: Finding Awe in the New Year
As boaters, we get to see the world from a unique perspective. We arrive in cities or towns by water, taking in the view of cliffs, trees, and mountains rising from the earth. Out on a bay, river, or lake, the glint of the…
Portland’s 6th Annual ‘Witches on the Willamette’ Rules the River
Taking in the scene at Portland's annual spooky SUP witch paddle. After a week of unrelenting rain, I woke up to a sunny Saturday before Halloween that felt too good to be true: clear blue skies, scarlet and gold leaves…
Close to the Water: The Flip
Almost over, the flipping crew’s coordination paid off.
It…
The finished flatbread.Its secret flavor…Close to the Water: Stitch & Glue
When the need for a new dinghy arises, a reluctant boat builder goes to work "I’m going to start building a wooden boat this weekend,” I told a colleague one Friday last December. It was casual workplace chit-chat, but deep…