The 10 pounders flamed in our direction and grapeshot whistled overhead, missing our rigging and splashing harmlessly to the lee. The nimble scow jumped to life as we heeled her up and darted under the big schooner’s bowsprit.
Our only hope was to sail under the deck guns and launch the grappling hooks. The jackanapes aboard the so-called Pride of Baltimore would get a proper DC drubbing, hand to hand!
As we crossed under the foresails, Karen swung the treble hook overhead in lazy loops, cowboy fashion. Just as she was letting fly, a manatee surfaced from the depths and bumped the bilgeboards. A miss on the first toss as the iron and rope fell to the waves!
Continue reading Like an Apparition, the Big Privateer Opened its Gunports →

Snatched from his crib at a young age, friend and cycling legend Mike Snuggles  insists he was stolen away and nurtured for several months by a mythical creature, half woman – half seal, known as the Selkie.

It’s a tall tale rooted in fact and festooned with fantasy, befitting a tormented soul whose past is as murky as the depths of the two rivers that join at nation’s capitol.
Irish lore has it that Selkies are friends of ancient fisherman, beautiful creatures who could be tamed and wed when they slithered on land and shed their sealskin exterior. Continue reading Search for the Elusive Potomac Selkie →

Two million years ago, a glacial finger scraped a 12 mile valley out of a stream bed and when it retreated, water filled what is now  Lake Owasco.  It may be  one of the least known of the 11 finger lakes in the middle of New York State, but from where I stand it is the best for sailing thanks to lower hills  and less chop than surrounding lakes like Skaneateles and Cayuga.

Winds in 2011 were consistent for the two weeks we were able to spend on the water.  Our dog Mike didn’t get to see much of us many of the days, but he seems to be getting up in age perhaps appreciating a slower pace.  Certainly he was enjoying the bed on the sleeping porch.

If you watch the video through, you see the extended righting moment that explains why these overpowered boats don’t go over more often. Special thanks to Karen’s cousin Valerie for the video work!