Estimated reading time – 10 minutes – SBFL 12* – PLANNING TO VISIT – It was a balmy spring Thursday on April 26 on the Virginia shores. After 4½ months at sea, some 104 people from Britain, horses, and supplies landed on Cape Henry to establish the first permanent English-speaking colony in the New World, North America. The year was 1607. As a Smithsonian Magazine article puts it, “One ebullient adventurer later wrote that he was “almost ravished” by the sight of the freshwater streams and ‘faire meddowes and goodly tall trees’ they encountered when they first landed at Cape Henry. After skirmishing with a band of Natives and planting a cross, the men of...
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes – SBFL 11* – PLANNED & VISITED – Baltimore is not the Maryland version of Georgetown in Washington, DC, nor of Williamsburg in Virginia, nor did the locals ever want it to be. Because of being a major port on the eastern seaboard, some say Baltimore was a sailor’s town throughout its history, up to the early 20th century—and Baltimore has a very long maritime history. Fells Point, located in a deeper section of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, was one of the earliest settlements, and was where the Clipper Ships were made. There are only a few places in the US that had that distinction. It was a working waterfront, with...
Estimated reading time, 14 minutes – Have you heard of Anne Bonny? How about Mary Read? What about Mary Ann DeGraw? If your answer is “no,” let me introduce them to you. These are the names of three woman captains at the helm having full control. Mary Read was an English woman who led a normal life until her husband died. Then, forsaking everything to fill the void in her heart, she took to the sea. Anne Bonny was a wild, reckless, fascinating woman who was never able to deny her passions. She did whatever she pleased and took whatever she wanted. Then comes Mary Ann DeGraw. She is another woman captain, but much, much...
Estimated reading time 15 minutes – For serious pleasure boaters, one of a captain’s most useful habits is to keep a log. On ships, they call it the ship´s log, the logbook, or simply the log. It’s an important document capturing a detailed record of the events related to boat management, operation, and navigation. Now, I want you to imagine that you are looking at your actual notes in the narrative log of your sailboat. “I am heading from Peterhead, Scotland to Eyemouth, England. That is about only 50 miles journey. [Depending on the winds, that is about 6 – 9 hours trip] “For Eyemouth, the cruising guide says ‘A busy fishing harbor, safe in...
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The essence of Trips of Discovery is not to seek new lands and exotic cultures. Rather, it is to cover our boating journey of discovery that comes from seeing what was always just over the horizon with a new eye. Below is our Slow Boat to Florida Series, reflecting the spirit of our site.
