Finding Our Own Way in Pole Pass
The Leonard family relaxes on Teal after participating in the 1980 Olympia Harbor Days Races. Left to right are Charlie, Linda, Lisa (the author), and Don Leonard. A family cruising a classic wooden tug tries to transit a…
A Boat, A Baby, and Bears!
The author and daughter, Vela, take a turn at the helm rounding Cape Caution. Readers of 48° North surely recall Lauren Upham’s previously published stories of cruising the Salish Sea, baking sourdough on-board, and bringing…
Alluring Alaska: The Ups, Downs and Rewards of Cruising “The Last Frontier”
Yahtzee anchored and stern-tied at Fox Island Spit. There are times aboard our boats when everything seems to run counter to expectations. We’ve all been there. This particular time, our family was blasting into a sudden…
Mischief Around Vancouver Island: Part 2
Mischief’s counter-clockwise route around Vancouver Island. After leaving Seattle and heading north, following the east side of Vancouver Island, the crew of the Eagle 40 trawler, Mischief — my partner Karen and I — had…
Mischief Around Vancouver Island: Part 1
Highlights From A Circumnavigation of Vancouver Island Mischief's route around the northwest coast of Vancouver Island:A) Bull Harbour/Nahwitti BarB) Sea Otter CoveC) Quatsino SoundD) Klaskish BasinE) Columbia Cove. Like…
The Outside Passage
The lightning started at 1 a.m. on night four of our 600-mile offshore passage from Craig, Alaska, to Neah Bay, Washington. We were 40 miles west of Vancouver Island and our 50 foot aluminum mast was providing the highest…
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 —…
Close to the Water: Sketching the Sea
Sailing a small boat is like moving a paintbrush across the water. It’s slow, thoughtful, and requires a careful, continuous attention to detail. A typical cruising day for me covers just 10 to 15 nautical miles. On a pretty…
A Life Changing Weekend Cruise
The author's husband, Andrew, has spent his life around boats. I wasn’t born with a love of sailboats. In fact, I would say that I still don’t have a huge passion for them, even though I’ve owned one since 2018. They’ve been…
Sailing the Worries Away:Cruising with My Mother
The author's mother aboard Hecate in Princess Louisa Inlet. When I first got my 1965 Pearson Triton, I sent my mother an original advertisement for it along with the accompanying text, copied from the official Pearson Yachts…
