Night was approaching…and it was only 4:30 p.m. The wind was 22 knots with gusts up to 26. It had picked up over the past hour. Too much sail was making it difficult top control the boat. We talked about reefing the main so we could sail without putting too much pressure on our struggling Read More

Today was the day. At 5 a.m. I was wide awake in the pitch blackness of the cabin. The silence permeating through the boat indicated no wind and calm conditions in the Salt Ponds Marina, in Hampton, Virginia where I had docked ILEANA for the past month. After much discussion among the Salty Dawg Sailors Read More

“A pocket of energy is in the Gulf of Mexico. The moisture and warm water temperature, along with the trough extending from Hispanola to the Bahamas will cause significant disturbance in the weather, possibly in the northeastern Caribbean.” The Exclamation Marks suggest possible lightning strikes along the sailing route south…… I listened intently before I Read More

The alarm went off at 5 a.m., jolting me awake from a deep sleep. Reluctantly, I crawled out of the warm bed and to the main salon. My brother Neil was already awake and firing up the Nespresso. Neil and I were savoring our first coffee of the morning, enjoying the warmth of the mug Read More

“Do you think we should give them a hand?” asked Neil. The image of me holding onto the bottom of the mast and tripping on the lifeline sending the mast to the bottom of the Hudson River flashed through my mind. “We’ll leave it to the professionals,” I replied. Scarano Boat works had attached the Read More

The clock struck 7 a.m., signaling the start of the day. With the combined efforts of Steve and Neil, the boat was carefully positioned in front of the crane, ready for the mast to be lifted. As we prepared our morning brew, the aroma from the Nespresso machine filled the boat. It was going to Read More

With the icy autumn wind rattling the rigging, the sailboat rocked back and forth. The eery noise created by the boat prevented any conversation in the cockpit of the 51-foot sailboat. The boat forged ahead, battling against the strong eastward wind and crashing waves. Under the cover of dark clouds, the night was pitch-black, with Read More

The inevitable question arises: what could possibly drive someone to want to do such a thing? When heading south in the winter, most of us opt for the convenience of air travel, indulging in luxurious accommodations at a 5-star, all-inclusive hotel, and passing the time lounging by the pool, sipping on colorful fruity drinks adorned Read More

The Sailor Have you ever felt the burning desire to craft your own narrative? As a busy surgeon, I have often pondered it, but spare time was a luxury I rarely had. My mind was buzzing with brilliant ideas, but the thought of translating them on to the paper felt overwhelming. Only after retiring from Read More

They were waiting for us when we arrived at the Shanghai Airport. A Chinese surgeon named Car and the driver. They stuffed bouquets of flowers into our hands and then photos, before they ushered us into a waiting van for the 4 hour drive to the small city of Taixing. They explained it was not Read More