Odda Sea - Life Aboard An Allied Princess Sailing Yacht

The fun never stops around here! I’ve decided to take a crew spot with Ed to help continue his trip north to Canada, and we will be departing shortly. Our plan is to be a coastwise passage for the most part, and we are thinking about one stop just for fun. I’ll keep you posted on that.

As for Aletheia, she’s still under insurance investigation, so I am going to leave her cleaned up and in a marina while I am out of town. So, for a while, this blog is going to be more focused on my adventures outside the boat before we return for another round of repairs, construction, and hopefully before too long some sailing.

However, I’ve been a bit remiss in keeping you all updated on the happenings in town while I’ve been here.

First, Jeff and Anne on their beautiful Morgan were coming up through Charleston for a day or two shortly after I arrived under tow. We met up and spent some excellent time, excellent conversation, and shared some delicious food and beer. They are definitely accomplished foodies and so a very good time was had by all.

This past weekend was the Spoleto festival here in Charleston, and another good friend of mine from Atlanta came by as part of his crazy marching band, the Seed and Feed Marching Abominable. We got crazy, I was given a chance to participate in the band’s antics, and another fantastic time was had for several days. We even had a cannonball competition in their hotel pool, right in front of the “No Diving” sign. Good times!

I’ll try to get some media posted on the flip side of this trip, but for now I am a bit rushed to get myself packed and Aletheia in a condition to be left for a month or two by herself.

More soon!


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So Ed did finally make it back safely today. He’s sitting at anchor just outside the marina I was towed to, and fortunately his rig is still standing. It appears a small tropical storm has formed just offshore where he and I both came through in the past couple days, perhaps some of the high winds during my tow inshore (the same that damaged his spreader) were the beginnings of that system… crazy to think!

I’m spending a quick weekend just hanging out here and resting, cleaning up the boat a little, and now that Ed is in, hopefully making some plans with him. Early next week I’ll be finishing up the survey and insurance discussion and hopefully I’ll know more or less what direction I am moving forward in by next week’s end.

Here’s what my rig looked like when it came down:


And the jury rig I was able to make up with a spinnaker pole to help get me closer to shore:


Getting towed in:


And a better shot of the Coast Guard who helped save my boat and my home:



Again, a huge thanks to the Charleston, SC Coast Guard and the crew of the cutter Yellowfin.


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Thanks so much to everyone who helped, encouraged, and sent well-wishes during my recent dismasting and subsequent tow home. I have a pretty incredible story about it, and I’m going to try to write it all up before too long, either here or in an article of some sort, but the short story right now is that I have made it to Charleston, SC thanks to the immense courtesy and professionalism of the US Coast Guard and the morale support of my buddy on his boat, Rol N’ Rose.

Unfortunately, Rol N’ Rose is now embroiled in some difficulties of his own, a nasty squall front hitting him shortly after I took on the tow line and he is now working his way ashore with a cracked spreader and light winds. So please keep him in your thoughts as he is trying to wend his way through the remnants of a pretty nasty front after having just gone through the ordeal of keeping me company with a jury rig through the Gulf Stream up the east coast. I’m hoping he gets to keep his rig, as he doesn’t have the option of rigging a jury setup like I did if his comes down, since he is not equipped with a spinnaker pole or a mizzen mast.

Seems to be some odd juju afoot in the Bermuda triangle at the moment…

I don’t yet know what the disposition of the rig and the insurance claim is going to be, but I will keep you all posted as I find out.


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They say for want of a nail, a war was lost. In my case, it happened to be the work of a different, yet equally critical piece of metal, and the chain reaction was much shorter.

My mast decided to quit on the job a few days back and pretty much took a dive overboard after crumpling in half at the spreaders. I have a good idea and some evidence as to what happened, but that’s beside the point for now. I’ve been able to rig a bit of a jury mast using my spinnaker pole and my storm jib and while I can’t really point very well upwind I can reach and run and am therefore eeking my way closer to shore. Unfortunately I’ve had to abandon my original voyage plans just to get somewhere safe and hopefully with adequate facilities to effect the repair.

Due to the way the mast came down I was unable to salvage anything from it, including the brand new jib I just made. Quite a shame, and I can’t say I’m not disappointed, although I am in relatively good spirits and making the best of the situation. Ed, on the buddy boat a mile or so away, is sticking with me to help ensure I make it somewhere safe. We’ll decide what to do about the voyage once I get some more details onshore. However, it’s pretty clear that regardless of the resolution, Aletheia is not going anywhere for several months as it will take quite a while to either get a new mast or find a used one that fits, re-rig, and get some new sails. So, sadly, the very exciting voyage has come to an unexpected and rather unhappy pause. But we will continue and we will press on, one way or another! As they say, it’s not an adventure until something goes wrong. And right now, it is definitely an adventure.


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Getting underway for this upcoming passage was, for me, a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. There was a flurry of activity to prepare for departure - provisions to purchase and stow, rigging repairs to finish, a test hoist of the sail I made, etc. There was also weather and route planning - as much art as science and even with the best information still something of a gamble. Saying goodbye to newly met friends is always a challenge.

But for me the greatest emotional disparity has always been with regards to the destination - the thrill of seeking something new and interesting, the hope of finding some piece of something longed for, the apprehension of exchanging what one already has for an unknown, the fear of taking that first step towards change and risk. A melange familiar to many wanderers, gypsies, and pathfinders around the world - although I’d be willing to bet it is more familiar to those who travel because they are driven towards something or by something than to those who travel out of nothing but a love for travel. All of these emotions come in waves, and they continue even during the voyage itself in many cases.

So it was with this rich blend of feelings that I hoisted the anchor this morning and headed out into the Straits under a light breeze and full sail. I have high hopes for this trip, perhaps unfairly so, but then again I am a dreamer and an idealist at heart.

I’m making the passage solo, but not alone. A friend has joined up in his boat and we are two solo sailors on a big sea with a common goal. His boat is smaller than mine, which means I’ll likely have to slow down a bit to stay within radio range, but that’s no big deal as for once it’s nice to have some company.

I’ll reveal the destination to you when we get there, but in the meantime, hang on because it’s shaping up to be a long passage!

Stay tuned, I’ll keep posting during the trip as long as I have power and a working computer and radio!


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