Rich Traditions and a Northwest Presence at Fastnet and Cowes
In July and August, my husband Frank and I paused our summer cruising adventures in the Pacific Northwest and soon found ourselves dropping by multiple yacht clubs in the UK, where of course we were surrounded by boat talk.…
Cruising Desolation Sound with Classic Books and Stories
I have always been an excellent armchair sailor. Before any major voyage, I scour bookstores, websites, libraries, archives, and friends’ bookshelves. Sure, I’ll pick up cruising guides, nature studies, or an occasional…
Once More, With Feeling: Making Music While Cruising
The man by the fire pit was getting weepy. Sure, it was late and a number of microbrews had been sampled, but he was clearly moved by something deeper than alcohol or fatigue. “I haven’t heard those old songs in ages,” he…
Navigating the Past: Cruising the Key Peninsula
You know a place like this. It is a secluded, cherished cove seemingly frozen in time. Most boaters have at least one. Mine is located on the east side of the Key Peninsula in south Puget Sound. The site is hardly a secret —…
What Lies Beneath: Sunken Ships, Lost Treasure, and the Discovery of the SS Pacific
My first boat was a wherry — a sturdy, open-hulled vessel that could be rowed or paddled. My husband Frank and I took that boat everywhere around the Salish Sea, often to places I wouldn’t dream of venturing in an 18-foot…
Icon on the Sound, West Point Lighthouse
The West Point Light has guided mariners in and out of Seattle since 1881. This small but stately beacon sits on a low sandy point at the northern entrance of Elliott Bay, overlooking the busiest vessel traffic in Washington…
Beacon Background:Patos Island Lighthouse
Patos Island Lighthouse, 1915. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard. Boaters venturing north beyond the bustle of Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, Deer Harbor, and other popular destinations in the San Juan archipelago will find a…
Bewitching Beacons of the Northwest Coast
Why do so many lighthouses inspire ghost stories? Often when I mention a beacon – particularly a coastal one – someone informs me that it’s haunted. “There’s a good ghost story at that lighthouse” offered a friend and…
Grays Harbor Lighthouse:The Tallest of them All
Grays Harbor Lighthouse, 1959. Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives. This beacon might be the most remarkable in Washington. Part of a chain of lighthouses spanning the Washington coast, it is the state’s tallest,…
Beacon Background:
Sentinels of San Juan Island
San Juan Island offers two distinctive beacons in two unique settings. Both reflect the ongoing story of mariners in the Salish Sea. When you are cruising in the area this summer, they are worth checking out by water and by…