The Adventure Begins

Well, well, swell. At long last I have set sail aboard the s/v Nomadness in search of my strange new life and live new strangers and new reasons to laugh in spite of the terror of the situation. My able and brilliant partner, Steve Roberts, has provided the substrate for our journey in the form of an 18 ton raised pilothouse steel sailboat.


I abandoned my land based life of librarianship about six months ago and took the plunge into what I've come to know as the technomadic lifestyle. It is true what they say about having to let go of something to be ready to grasp the next opportunity. Ask a trapeze artist, they'll tell you.

It is twelve days now since we motored out the Swinomish Channel and left the chic but cold little town of Laconner in our wake. We have traveled a mere 120 miles, but already the list of new friends and accounts of harrowing experiences is filling pages of my journal. (Thanks, Patty--I'm finally using it!)

This space will be used to log my inner and outer journey, share our experiences through words and pictures, and allow friends and family to track our geographical journey. For those who know me, the choice of title for this blog will seem natural, I have a flair for the dramatic having spent years doing avant garde theatre and running a performance space. A couple years ago I discovered sailing and something very deep and long asleep awoke and demanded attention. "Take to the water" the voice whispered. I thought it over. I love to travel but hate cars and planes; I love being in nature, but need socializing. I love solitude but despise routine. Ahh... the cruising life suits me well. And for the first time in my life, I will have the time and space to write. Not to mention an endless flotsam and jetsam of material and colorful characters to people my stories and ignite the imagination.

Today I write from Boston Harbor, a darling, home-towney little marina just north of Olympia which is the southernmost tip of the Puget Sound and my home on and off since 1983. From here we travel north to Seattle for some engine maintenance (diesel injectors for those who care) then on to Port Townsend for some plumbing upgrades (don't ask, but if you must know the gritty details visit Steve's Nomadness blog where he discusses all aspects technical). We'll probably crash the Latitudes and Attitudes party and once the hangover is over, we'll head north into the wilds of British Columbia, so stay tuned good people, the adventure is beginning...