Personal Profile

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

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

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

It all probably started 3-4 years ago when I started to watch Mike Beemer’s Tech Tips on the Skagit Valley College/ Marine Tech Program’s “Scallywags” YouTube Channel (highly recommended by the way). So, after owning sailboats (3), plus cruising and racing in and around the Salish Sea for 40+ years

As we swing at anchor in Kangiqtugaapik—in Inuktitut—also known as Clyde River, Patricia Inlet on Baffin Island, the wind howls through the rigging at a steady 22 knots, gusting over 30. One Ocean creaks, and I hear the water lapping against her hull. I’m curled up in my bunk. The crew is still

We departed Fort Ross, on the east side of Bellot Strait, early Tuesday morning, September 2. We’ve just passed our first official icebergs. Not floes or sheets like the ones we navigated earlier, but true icebergs. Sea ice forms when ocean water freezes into flat sheets that drift with wind and

So far, the Arctic region has consisted primarily of flat tundra—formed several thousands of years ago by glaciers. Dave, who crewed on the 2009/10 Around the Americas expedition and has joined us for the Northwest Passage portion of this journey, often describes traveling through the Northwest

It’s my turn at the helm. I’ve been on watch with Grace and Mark since 10 p.m., and it’s now 12:30 a.m.—an hour and a half left before a crew change. It’s 32 degrees outside, no wind, but lots of fog. We’re lucky to be able to steer from inside. Despite the intensity of the situation, the cabin is

Navigating the Northwest Passage: Science, Stories & Stewardship One Ocean is now deep in the Northwest Passage, traversing Inuit territory in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region—a place where land, ice, and culture are intimately tied. This region of the Arctic is starkly beautiful, shaped by wind