Category Archives: General

I took my first sailing course at Tradewinds just over a year ago, after wanting to do so for years, thanks  to varied seeds of inspiration — going out under the Golden Gate Bridge on someone’s sailboat (that they lived … Continue reading →

It’s an old but puzzling piece of nautical wisdom asserted by self-styled boating experts that “there aren’t any ‘ropes’ on a boat.” Once a rope is put on a boat, it would seem, it ceases to be a rope and … Continue reading →

By Mike Holmes Farallon Patrol – Replenishing an Island Outpost By: Mike Holmes I had the opportunity to sail to the Farallon Islands recently as part of an “essential services” trip to replenish supplies and personnel that work on the … Continue reading →

                A “yardarm” is not the entire yard, but just its tip outboard of the leeches of the sails. Some authorities commenting on our phrase suggest instead that we use the “upper yards,” while others recommend the “foreyard,” which is … Continue reading →

By: Mike Holmes – Assistant Watch Leader – CV23 – Team WTC Logistics At the start of January, I headed off on an adventure, sailing as crew and assistant watch leader in the 2019-2020 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, … Continue reading →

Presidents Day — sunny, nice, sometime after one in the afternoon — my friend Kriya and I were heading back to Tradewinds on a Capri 22. We were ending a short yet enjoyable sail along the Richmond shoreline. As we … Continue reading →

Hello everyone! I’m back in Sacramento after my grand adventure which included 700+ nautical miles of open ocean sailing from NW Spain to Madeira. Here’s one version of the tale, although my sailing buddies Mike Duda and Tom Flynn may … Continue reading →

In my opinion winter has arrived.  It’s not really winter until December 21, however, for me it’s winter when we move off daylight savings time back to standard time.  That’s the point it starts to get frustrating getting back to the dock before … Continue reading →

Have you ever thought of quitting your job, buying a boat and sailing to exotic locations around the world? If you love being on the water as much as I do, I’m sure you’ve had these thoughts more than once. … Continue reading →