A Serious Ocean
You know it by the northern look of the shore,
by the salt-worried faces,
by an absence of trees, an abundance of lighthouses.
It's a serious ocean.
North Sea off Carnoustie by Anne Stevenson
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Tomorrow will have an island
by William Stafford
Tomorrow will have an island. Before night
I always find it. Then on to the next island.
These places hidden in the day separate
and come forward if you beckon.
But you have to know they are there before they exist.
Some time there will be a tomorrow without any island,
So far, I haven't let that happen, but after
I'm gone others may become faithless and careless.
Before them will tumble the wide unbroken sea,
and without any hope they will stare at the horizon.
So to you, Friend, I confide my secret:
to be a discoverer you hold close whatever
you find, and after a while you decide
what it is. Then, secure in where you have been,
you turn to the open sea and let go.
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John's Curriculum Vitae
Here is
a brief glimpse into my qualifications and
experience.
Boats Skippered
Where have the years gone? It's been 29 years since I started sailing essentially full time. During this run, I have logged just about 300,000 offshore miles, equivalent to 10 classic trade wind circumnavigations. I've been as far south as Cape Horn, as far north as Sweden. And what makes my experience unique is that I have plied the oceans in a wide variety of sailboats. Below is a list of 49 different boats that I have personally skippered on voyages totaling at least 1,000 miles. And there are probably a few that I have forgotten along the way. In addition to the boats on the list, I have conducted 97 new boat test reviews for Sailing Magazine, Cruising World, and Sail Magazine. I have also sailed many other boats less than 1000 miles. Some, like the Stevens 47 and Peterson 44. I've logged about 600 miles on each, but they don't make the list. Anyway, I have some perspective on how certain boats handle at sea, especially cruising boats between 38' and 50', and this is one the values of signing on to my consulting service.
| Boat Make/Model | Miles Sailed | Notes/Conditions |
| 1909 74' Custom Ketch | 2,000 miles | Classic Fife design |
| 71' Ocean | 5,000 miles | Winter transatlantic passage, Force 12 |
| Swan 57 | 4,000 miles | Transatlantic passage |
| Jomar 56 | 3,000 miles |
| Mapleleaf 54' | 1,000 miles |
| Irwin 52' | 2,000 miles |
| Classic 52' Yawl | 1,000 miles | S&S design |
| Gulfstar 50' | 13,000 miles | Ft. Laud/Japan, Typhoon Roy, Force 10+ |
| CS 50' | | 2,000 miles |
| Custom 50' Schooner | 4,000 miles | Transatlantic passage, Ft. Laud to England |
| Outreamer 50' Catamaran | 1,000 miles |
| Beneteau 50' | 2,000 miles |
| Hylas 49' | 44,000 miles | Hurricanes Grace, Lenny, Force 11+ |
| Kaufman 47' | 64,000 miles | 4 transatlantic passages, Force 10+ |
| Hylas 47' | 8,000 miles | Force 8+ |
| Vagabond 47' | 3,000 miles | Force 8+ |
| Hylas 46' | 6,000 miles | Force 12, Hurricane Mitch |
| Benteau Oceanus 46' | 2,000miles | Force 10 |
| Heritage 46' | 5,000 miles |
| Beneteau 456 | 2,000 miles |
| Hylas 45.5' | 2,000 miles |
| Morgan 45 | 4,000 miles | Transatlantic passage, Fort Laud to Spain |
| Roberts 45 | 5,000 miles | Force 10+ |
| Hylas 44 | 9,000 miles | Hurricane Bob, Force 12 |
| Pearson Countess 44 | 3,000 miles | Force 8+ |
| Swan 44' | 4,000 miles | Transatlantic passage, Portugal to USVI |
| Gallart 44' | 5,000 miles | Transatlantic passage, Ft. Laud to Spain |
| Krogen 43' | 2,000 miles |
| Westsail 43' | 1,000 miles |
| Spindrift 43' | 2,000 miles |
| Moody 424 | 4,000 miles | Transatlantic passage, Eng to FL, Force 8+ |
| Tayana 42' | 3,000 miles |
| Allied XL 42' | 1,000 miles |
| Fontaine Pajot Venezia 42' | 6,000 miles | Force 8+ |
| Morgan OI 41' | 3,000 miles |
| Endeavour 40' | 3,000 miles |
| Hinckley B 40' | 2,000 miles |
| Catalina 400 (40') | 1,000 miles |
| Oyster 39' | 1,000 miles |
| Beneteau First 38' | 4,000 miles | Transatlantic passage, Spain to Grenada |
| Jeanneau Gin Fizz 38' | 12,000 miles | 2 transatlantic passages, Force 10 |
| Hans Christian 38' | 1,000 miles |
| Caliber 38 | 1,000 miles |
| Gulfstar 37 | 1,000 miles | Force 10 |
| Vancouver 36 | 1,000 miles |
| Neptunian 33' | 5,000 miles | Transatlantic Passage, England to Ft. Laud |
| Contessa 32' | 24,000 miles | NY to SF via Cape Horn, TA Passage, F 11+ |
| Sabre 28' | 1,000 miles |
| Bristol 27' | 1,000 miles |
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| 49 Boats | 286,000 miles |
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What's New |
New posted for 2010 and 2011
with Captain Bob Pingel
My new book, , is out!
Check out my cool new t-shirt collection !
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