Lessons Learned on Our Big Left Turn
April 9, 2026
Sitting in the cockpit at anchor in the peaceful laguna at Barra de Navidad, Mexico, I’m listening to the ker-splash of pelicans dive-bombing for fish around our boat. The afternoon breeze has just sprung up, the fleet of…
Go, Stop… Go!
March 24, 2026
The San Juan and Gulf islands. Alaska. Mexico. Colombia. Curaçao. The British Virgin Islands. Sint Maarten. There’s a single-line that connects all of these places throughout our family’s cruising odyssey. They’re all…
Charting the Course
January 22, 2026
A Trip to Blake Island Sets the Stage for Future Adventures From the very beginning, I had a plan for sailing to become a way to adventure with my partner, Bianca. When I casually floated the idea of taking US Sailing’s…
#TBT: Finding Awe in the New Year
January 1, 2026
In our latest Throwback Thursday, we ring in 2026 with a column by Bruce Bateau from the December 2023 issue of 48° North encouraging fellow boaters to find magic on the water in the new year. As boaters, we get to see the…
#TBT: Goodwill in Whittier
December 11, 2025
In our latest Throwback Thursday, we find out once again how assistance from strangers is a unique part of the cruising experience.
Close to the Water: Sailor’s Day Off
December 2, 2025
As the steward of three wooden craft, I look forward to the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival as a highlight of the boating year. So I feel guilty admitting that I wasn’t there this past September. Instead, my wife, Kate,…
Shifting Gears: We’re Still Learning
November 18, 2025
Happily, we pulled our C-Dory 22 Cruiser Sea Lab out of our Fair Harbor slip and onto her trailer for a good cleanup and a few repairs before our three weeks of late summer cruising. I really wanted the windlass to work…

Whatever marvels to the north drew these…
From the February 2008 issue of 48°…
It all began with a…