Articles

How was it I came to be sailing Paradise with an All-Girl Crew? Was I born with a silver spoon? Did I rob a bank? Did I win the lottery? Was I a dot com billionaire? None of the above. Fresh out of University armed with a degree in mathematics and computer science, I did […]

We sailed from Hawaii to Gilligan’s Island (Palmyra Atoll) as part of a race. This provided us with the necessary permits to visit Palmyra. At one time privately owned, Palmyra had been gifted to the US government. Now an uninhabited wildlife sanctuary would-be visitors were allowed only with special permission. Situated about 1000 miles south […]

Pirates and Storms are the most common questions we are asked about offshore sailing. We have had many close escapes over the years and lived to tell the tale. Our destination after Palmyra was the Cook Islands if winds cooperated, otherwise the Samoan Islands. But first, we had to cross the equator. Also known as […]

Coral atolls are one of the most amazing features in Nature. They mark the remains of ancient volcanos that long ago sank below the waves, leaving a ring of coral growing upwards to the surface. Due to the action of rainwater some of these atolls have a pass on their leeward side through which boats […]

We had two encounters with Pirates in Indonesia. The first was in the Tiger Islands. The second was in Bangka Straits. None of these pirates resembled Long John. They are dirt-poor fishermen with a long history of preying on boat people. They rarely make the news because Indonesia is a large, sparsely policed country and […]

The Bangka Straits are notorious for pirates. There is a natural choke point between Sumatra and Bangka Islands that makes it easy for pirates to intercept boats heading for Singapore. After our experiences in the Tiger Islands, I was eager to form a convoy with other sailboats. There was a group of us that had […]

The Swab’s Tale by Shannon Elliott Life aboard the Lazy Bones as seen through the crew’s eyes. Written some time in the previous millenium.

“The Bones” is this year celebrating the 40th anniversary of her launch. The Lazy Bones remains a blue water cruiser with many miles under her keel. Designed and built in Coombs BC by R. Pearson, “The Bones” is now in Holland being readied for a trip to Norway for the summer. History: Quite the boat! […]

The All-Girl crew and I sailed to Papua New Guinea (PNG). One of the most exotic and dangerous places on earth. Of all the countries we visited over the years, PNG remains one of my favorites. PNG remains the only country where the Customs Officials did not take our weapons upon entry. They told us […]

The Chimbu are one of the 800 tribes that populate Papua New Guinea. A tribe of pygmies, the Chimbu are among the most feared tribes in PNG. Having sailed to PNG with my All-Girl Crew, I found the Chimbu among the most fearsome in appearance. Especially given their lack of vertical stature. PNG is a […]