One Island, One Blog

All good sea tales start with “It was a dark and stormy night.” I know for certain of the One Ocean crew wished this tale would have none of those words. Unfortunately it does. My ties to the Skagit Valley College Marine Tech Center have been strong since my retirement. I was refitting all the

During our crossing from Lockeport, Nova Scotia to Bermuda, One Ocean and crew faced a storm that lasted 3 days with wind up to almost 70 knots and waves larger than their 48 foot ketch. This is a glimpse into what the team of four was dealing with while out there. I wrote this in a text to a friend

As I started this engineering report, we were docked in beautiful Nova Scotia at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. From the moment we arrived, we were met with such warmth and kindness that I almost forgot we were in a foreign port — these folks made it feel like home. The onboard engineer (that

I was first introduced to the concept of whale hunting in Nome, Alaska. The dock where One Ocean was tied up also served as a popular fishing spot for local kids. On a hot summer day, I found myself chatting with one of them who hadn’t had any luck fishing that day—I wanna say his name was Billy

The wind had been rising all night. I lay in my bunk, listening to the familiar hum of One Ocean’s hull slicing through the waves, but I couldn’t sleep. It was still two hours before my watch, yet the pitch of the wind told me conditions were changing. We’d been short-handed the night before, a

One Ocean has been banging through choppy seas for more than 24 hours. The wind has calmed, but the water—stirred up by days of windstorms—remains restless, confused, and hard on the crew. Some have been seasick, all of us uncomfortable. Now, with the first light of morning, the sea is finally

I’ve been fascinated with wind since I was a child. I loved a good storm, and strong winds moved me so deeply I would write poetry about them. When my dad bought a sailboat, our family explored the Gulf Islands in British Columbia. Those adventures remain some of my best memories. I loved sitting on

Full disclaimer - may not be worth taking your TIME to read this bit of musing. The concept of time takes on many different meanings in all of our lives, literally all of the time. On a boat it is ever-present. Schedules and routines are regulated and occur based on some measure of time. Directions

September 26, 2025 As I type this entry, we’re already hugging the western Newfoundland coast. Hard to believe—it’s been just three weeks since we left the ice and cold of the Passage, but they’ve easily been the longest three weeks of the entire trip. Nothing broke, nothing failed, and yet this

Stormbound in Nain, Labrador There was a storm brewing off Labrador—one that quickly grew into back-to-back systems, nearly hurricane strength. We pushed One Ocean hard to reach shelter, aiming for the most northern settlement on Labrador Island: Nain, an Inuit community nestled in the wilderness

I heard it up north— The ocean connects us all here on Earth, Present the moment this planet gave birth. And we heard her cry, on our journey up north. Some set forth on this passage in search of trade routes, or to simply gain lore, But, to us, this harrowing journey meant more. A place I have come

Featured Image by David Thoreson "Sailing vessels have destinations, not schedules," an oft repeated adage spoken by experienced sailors of a certain age. One Ocean has now been home to a team of enthusiastic sailing educators of varying ages for over 135 days, covering 7,000+ nautical miles, and