Here you will find tales of voyages past and present on our trusty Pacific Seacraft Dana 24, "Sockdolager," and our Bigfoot29 powerboat, "Raven," from Port Townsend, Washington, USA. In 2009 we sailed north from Puget Sound up the west coast of Vancouver Island to the Queen Charlotte Islands (now called Haida Gwaii.) In 2010 we went back to the west coast of Vancouver Island. In July 2011 we left the Northwest, sailed to Mexico, and in March 2012 we crossed the Pacific to French Polynesia, then on to the Cooks, Niue and Tonga. We spent several months in New Zealand, and in May 2013 loaded Sockdolager (and ourselves) on a container ship for San Francisco. In June and July 2013 we sailed north along the California, Oregon and Washington coasts, and in August we arrived home. In October 2016, Sockdolager found new owners, and we began cruising on Raven, a unique wooden 29' powerboat. In 2018 we cruised up to Glacier Bay, Alaska, and back. But in 2024 we had the chance to buy Sockdolager back (we missed her), so we sold Raven. We hope you enjoy reading about our adventures as much as we enjoy having them. (And there will be more.)



Published articles

An index of (mostly) sailing articles, published in various magazines.

Solo Sailing Series
Good Old Boat magazine, September 2014 through May 2015

Cruising World, November 2012

Head-Turning Horseshoe Buoy
Good Old Boat, Sept-Oct 2012

That Was No Puddle!
48 North, September 2012

Mexico Wrap-Up
Latitude 38, April 2012

Rode Show!
Good Old Boat, January 2012

Unshrinking the Planet
48 North, December 2011

Slow Waltz with the Bay
Two southbound sailors find San Francisco Bay Area's charms irresistible
Latitude 38, October 2011
How the Sea Changes Me
Women and Cruising (online) November 2011

Eight Days Down the Coast, Two Hove-to
48 North, September 2011

You Talkin’ to ME?
What we call ourselves speaks volumes…
48 North, May 2011

Stop Monkeying Around!
A Cautionary Tale of Smuggling and Risk
Fish and Wildlife News, Spring 2011

Connecting the Dots: A New Tool for Consolidating Isolated Wildlife Incident Reports
Fish and Wildlife News, Spring 2011

Brevity Begets Harmony
Code words let Mars understand Venus
Good Old Boat, November 2010

What’s in a Boat Name?
48 North, November 2010

When Sail Rules
The Sound of No Engine
Good Old Boat, July 2010

Ratcheting Down the Rancor
Restoring Civility in Conversations about Climate Change
With the Citizens Roundtable; published May 2010 online.

Fog Knives and Other Wondrous Devices
48 North, November 2009

What’s in YOUR Closet?
Nautical Skeletons from a First Cruise
48 North, May 2009

A Double-Ended Delight
A singular affair with a Pacific Seacraft 25
Good Old Boat, March 2009

Make-and-Mend Days
Good Old Boat, July 2008


My First Race
48 North, May 2008

Alaska Will Break Your Heart
A companion piece to an interview with Naomi Wolf
Matter 11:  The Woods, (Wolverine Publishing) March 2008

Sailing in the Ice Age           
Pacific Seacraft Owner’s Bulletin, 2008

Profits and Loss
American Bungalow, August 2007

Face Your Fears and Go For It!
Living Aboard, January 2007

The Confession of Roatan Rose
Cruising World, June 2006

The Galapagos of the North
Fish and Wildlife News, Spring 2006


Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Summer wind, blue ice…
Good Old Boat, January 2006

So… You’d Like to Work in Alaska?
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Bulletin, March 1999

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