In working on my book about my recent voyage around the world, many drafts have transformed the story from a simple travelogue to a tale of risks and relationships. Because of that, I’ve tried to address the question of why I made this voyage, something I didn’t really think about when I decided to embark. I was very young: 20 years old and a junior in college. I had to take a leave of absence for the first year of sailing. So maybe I wasn’t satisfied with the conventional trajectory of higher education. Or maybe I was drawn to the challenges of long ocean crossings. But as any sailor can understand, I think I just liked messing about in boats. If I could mess around in a boat all over the world, fantastic!
This came clear to me when my husband—then boyfriend—Seth and I returned to Blue Hill, Maine, to complete our circumnavigation in 2010. We’d done it! 32,000 miles! There was champagne and cannon fire and dancing and 18 courtesy flags flying from our spreaders. We were happy and excited of course, but aso a little sad. Four years of messing around on a boat we’d come to love were over.
. . . sign up to the right to get immediate access to this full post,
plus you'll get 10 of our best videos for free.
Get Free Videos& Learn More Join Now!!for Full Access Members Sign In
Colin Sarsfield says:
Anne and I have cruised Mimi Rose from Brooklin down to Georgia this year and found lots of places to love. The other day in Baltimore a college kid working at a fuel dock was asking us all kinds of questions as he had dreams of cruising. One question lingered with me, though. He wanted to know the favorite place we had cruised. At first, I dodged a bit with a “depends what you’re looking for” kind of response and that we had a blast everywhere we went. All true. Still, as we are heading north, I have to admit that we are hurrying a bit not to miss the better part of the season in Downeast Maine. There are some other places in the world that I’ve heard other cruisers describe as having equal charm, but we’ve not been to them. Yet.
Ellen Massey Leonard says:
Hi Colin,
Thanks for your message! Seth and I are looking forward to some sailing around Brooklin this summer too, so perhaps our paths will cross. I’ve enjoyed Anne’s blogs about your trip south to Georgia. It seems like you found some lovely places even if you did start in one of the loveliest. Hope to meet you guys in Maine this summer.
Cheers,
Ellen
Bob Shipman says:
Newbie to OCH. Thanks for sharing beautiful photos. Messers love boats so more about Heretic next time? Great job!
Ellen Massey Leonard says:
Hi Bob,
Sorry not to get back to you sooner–been messing in boats with little internet access… I’ll be happy to write a bit more about Heretic next time, especially as you don’t see many classic boats on the round-the-world circuit. ‘Course, I can’t give away too much of the book I’m writing!
If you’re interested in a brief description of Heretic, I’ve got a bit about her on http://voyageoftheheretic.com/heretic-and-crew/.
Cheers,
Ellen
Larry Venezia says:
Thanks for sharing. Where can I find out more about the circumnavigation and about your boat?
Ellen Massey Leonard says:
Hi Larry,
I’m glad you enjoyed my piece! I have a website about our circumnavigation: http://www.voyageoftheheretic.com, which has a bit about the boat under “Heretic and Crew” and has links to a bunch of articles I’ve written for sailing magazines under “Links and Articles”. And hopefully I’ll finish the book soon!
Thanks and all the best,
Ellen
Carolyn Harrington says:
Sweet
Ellen Massey Leonard says:
Thanks, Carolyn!