Close to the Water: Dreaming of the Inside Passage
This article was originally published in the August 2021 issue of 48° North. In some ways I never really returned from the Inside Passage. After my meandering, six-week solo journey from Port McNeil to Anacortes in 2019, I…
Weekend Warriors: Alaska Amazes Again
The surprise of a borrowed power-cruiser gets the Cross family back out on the water to one of their favorite anchorages in Alaska. Sitting in the cockpit of our friend's sailboat, I listen to conversation and laughter,…
Close to the Water: Secret Society of the Lower Columbia
With miles of backwater sloughs, scads of wildlife, and no competition for anchorages, I’ve often wondered why the Lower Columbia River is so empty of small cruising boats like mine. Row Bird is frequently the only one…
Destinations: Discovering Puget Sound, Part 2
Here's our latest destinations feature from Lynne Picard of SalishSeaPilot.com, — the second in a three-part series on cruising Puget Sound, this installment covers the waters around Seattle and Bainbridge Island.
Respectful Play, So We Can Stay in Andrews Bay
Lake Washington's only overnight anchorage, Andrews Bay, is a vibrant summertime scene with boats and revelers congregating, often in large numbers. The bay's neighbors have raised concerns about noise and wake, so it's…
Close to the Water: Missing Kelp in South Puget Sound
Kelp loss South Puget Sound is real and, despite the odds stacked up against it, boaters and scientists aren't giving up hope. If you hiked to see those towering giants, the coast redwoods-and all you found were a few ferns…
Tales of the Northwest Passage: What’s in a fish?
This article originally appeared in the June 2021 issue of 48° North. Night had begun to return since leaving the last settlement of Cambridge Bay. Headed west, the wind on our nose, Breskell pounded into the teeth of the…
Sail to Surf: One Passion Enables Another
This article originally appeared in the June 2021 issue of 48° North. Never leave two feral ‘tweenager’ kids in charge if you aren’t prepared for some mayhem. My good friend, Matt Nelson, and I were paddling over to the…
Lessons Learned from Power Cruisers
This article originally appeared in the June 2021 issue of 48° North. For many cruisers, us included, sailing our vessels from one port to another is in our bones. Or is it? Being driven by the wind isn’t essential to…
Video: 450 Glorious Downwind Miles from Nicaragua to Mexico
The crew of Yahtzee embarks on a 450-mile passage from Nicaragua to Mexico. With hurricane season coming in the tropics and a summer in Alaska on the horizon, our crew decided to leave San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and head…