Blunders That Made Me A Better Sailor
From drifting anchorless overnight to dragging toward a buddy boat at 1 a.m., here are the blunders that made me better at sailing.
Category: Sailing
In Search of Mantas in Wild Polynesia | SAIL Magazine, Oct. 2025
One family treks off the beaten path, on the lookout for some truly special encounters with nature. My 10-year-old son spotted it first as we snorkeled in Taha’a’s sunset-lit lagoon. I saw Talon dive abruptly, yellow fins flashing, before noticing the creature gliding below us with its enormous half-moon mouth […]
Women Leading Polynesian Wayfinding | SAIL, Sep. 2025
Polynesian women are practicing the ancient art of traditional navigation and inspiring seafaring communities around the globe to do the same. By Brianna Randall, published in SAIL Magazine On a recent voyage from Tahiti to Hawaii, Ka’iulani Murphy was starting to get nervous. She was nearing the end of the […]
Crossing Paths and Oceans | SAIL, Aug. 2025
A Sailor’s Reunion Before the Race to Alaska By Brianna Randall, published in SAIL magazine The brothers came to our hotel after dinner, the summer sun still shining bright above Victoria, British Columbia. They were men now, though I could see the echoes of the boys they were below the […]
Lanterns & Lucky Breaks | Cruising World, Aug. 2025
Sailing Baja: Second Chances in the Sea of Cortez By Brianna Randall The last time my husband and I met friends to sail out of La Paz, Mexico, all hell broke loose. A decade ago, Rob and I arrived in Baja with one giant backpack each, ready to hitchhike across […]
Liquid Courage | Cruising World, April 2025
Staring Down Sharks in the South Pacific In the heart of the Tuamotus, I jumped into shark-infested waters—and found awe, peace and the power to face my deepest fear. The outgoing tide shot us through the narrow pass at 10 knots, spitting our C&C 43 into the beatific blue of […]
Hitch-Sailing: A Ticket to Cruising Paradise? | Cruising World, Mar. 2025
Hitchhiking the high seas of the Pacific as volunteer crew is an adventurous and inexpensive way to see the world. We sailed into the Kingdom of Tonga at dawn after five days at sea. The verdant shores looked like broccoli tops through the wet haze. Huddled under my rain jacket, […]
Good news: We didn’t die. | Cruising World, Dec 2024
Spinnakers, Sweat, and Survival: Three women embrace chaos and camaraderie on a 750-mile wilderness race to Alaska. By Brianna Randall, published in Cruising World Magazine I held my breath as I pulled up the sock to unfurl our spinnaker in Haro Strait. Of the five headsails we’d brought aboard our […]
Northern Exposure | Cruising World, Oct 2024
Sailing Montana’s Flathead Lake After we left our catamaran in the Bahamas, I had to find my sailing fix closer to home. By Brianna Randall Tiller between my legs, I hold the finicky jib sheet in one hand and my sparkling water in the other. Sueños picks up speed like a horse […]
Three Women in a Boat | The Guardian, Aug 2024
How girl (and pedal) power helped us finish a 750-mile race to Alaska A trio of mothers in their mid-40s were among more than 100 intrepid sailors in a motley armada sailing the unpredictable and spectacular Inside Passage in the Pacific Northwest. By Brianna Randall in the Pacific Ocean As we […]
The Grand Finale: SLAM’s take on the finish line in Alaska
The following blog post by Brianna is reprinted from the Race to Alaska’s daily update. Enjoy our perspective from the finish line this past weekend! We’ll write another wrap-up blog soon reflecting on the trip as a whole. Meanwhile, THANK YOU for your amazing support during our race! — Greetings, […]
How It All Begins: The Race to Alaska
Sailing solo on Montana’s Flathead Lake inspires a “yes” to brave 750 miles of gnarly, cold currents … and Team ‘Sail Like A MOTHER‘ is born! Tiller between my legs, I hold the finicky jib sheet in one hand and my sparkling water in the other. Sueños picks up speed […]
Welcome To Paradise (Half Of The Time)
Sailing with (or without) kids isn’t always picture-perfect. But the rain and bugs and broken bits are worth it for the good days.
Boating With Kamikaze Toddlers
When sailing with young kids, get off the boat often. (Seriously.) Here’s a funny run-down of our first outing on a small boat with two kids under five.
Sailing With Kids In The British Virgin Islands
Chartering a catamaran in the Caribbean is fun for the whole family — especially when you bring friends.
Do you know where marrying a local is forbidden?
A spring roundup of stories and adventures, including a BBC Travel tale about the oddest island in the Pacific.
Pacific Hitchhikers | The search for fish in the South Pacific
This story by Rob, recently published in Anglers Journal, talks about our search for solitude and our search for big saltwater fish that Rob teased with a fly rod while we sailed the South Pacific.
14:1 | The Perfect Ratio for Vacational Whimsy
A weekend extravaganza where Kevin Colburn coined the term “vacational whimsy,” an apt description for fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants holiday planning. Vacational whimsy isn’t for the faint of heart. Rather than rainbows and gumdrops, unplanned adventures can lead to rainstorms and gum in your hair.
Throwing Things Overboard
Talon tells the tale of his first sailing expedition on Flathead Lake: “Last weekend, my parents took me in this big empty bathtub thingy with loud, white sheets that flapped around, went up and down, and swung side to side…”
What to Look for When Buying a Cruising Sailboat
Even though we’re back in the mountains of Montana for now, we are already dreaming of the next voyage … when we will take our very own boat! This post has been in the works for the past year, during our up-close research as volunteer crew aboard a variety of […]
Sailing Memories – A Video of Crossing the Pacific
Sailing the Pacific already feels like a distant dream as we navigate the crowded streets of landlocked Thailand. This video from our first bluewater passage vessel, Llyr, brings back sweet memories of swimming and sailing (and, yes, a few seasick memories, too!). Well done, Island Reach, and thanks for the shout-out to […]
Top 10 Photos of the South Pacific
As we leave the Pacific for Southeast Asia, it seems like a good time to reflect upon what we’ve seen this past year. Here are a few of our favorite photos, which give a taste of sailing, swimming and living across the South Pacific islands. Note: This Top 10 album […]
Front Page: Read our update in the Missoulian Newspaper!
I might have picked a better picture of us if I’d known it would end up on the front page of our hometown newspaper. But what fun to be able to share a few stories with the press. Here’s a snippet from the article. Click here to read more. In […]
2013 – One Incredible Year in Review
6,000 nautical miles 26 tropical islands 8 countries 7 sailboats 6 months living on the sea 3 months living in Tonga 2 careers put on hold 2 big backpacks 1 incredible year In some ways, it feels like 2013 was the longest year in ages. Probably because a lot happened. […]
Entering A Waking Dream
We have yet another new home. Her name is Waking Dream, a 42-foot Cooper monohull owned by Ben and Lisa Newton here in Vava’u. They sailed her from Oakland, California and spent three years cruising before deciding to stay in Tonga. Now that they live on Fetoko Island and are […]