Phil, I'm hoping you'll sail over this way again! Of course, you are more than welcome by car :-) I confess it gets harder and harder to leave…

Thank goodness that the Cat to Nova Scotia no longer runs out of Bar Harbor. 40 knots – good gravy. It's bad enough with all the whale watch catamarans out of there, which run at about 27. It's all fine in clear weather, but they go that fast in the fog too! The radio comes in handy…

Annie, it's a nice, down-to-earth woman who wrote that article. Bill C. felt like some of the more adventurous bits of the "Shemaya sailing story" were not adequately covered, but then, he did a good job of that himself! I thought it was fascinating which things caught the author's attention – she heard about more of the distance (by my limited standards) stuff, and outside Cape Cod and all that, but came back to some of those other questions. It's been fun, anyhow – various family members will be getting a big kick out of it, and folks in the neighborhood here have been sweet, as we've only really just been getting to know each other.

I totally agree about not having to worry about other people's comfort and wishes and all, when single handing. I think I shied away from that in the interview because it's also true that I don't like the responsibility for everybody's safety, and using that explanation meant I didn't have to fess up about not liking looking after all those other bits!

Graham, how interesting about rare couples who manage "solitude cruising" together. That's a real gift. I do like the quiet…

Thanks to all for the nice feedback – David, including you too!

Shemaya

How nice to see an article that written by someone who seemed to understand what you are doing.  And no big drama about A WOMAN ALONE, either.  Since becoming a single-handed sailor, I find myself enjoying aloneness more and more; living in my shed and boat building is also generally a solitary pursuit.  As you say, sailing alone and sailing with another person are entirely different things in many ways, but mostly, for me, because there isn't the distraction of having to consider someone else's wishes, comfort, etc.

What a lovely article, Shemaya.  Thanks for sharing it with us.  I love the spirit in which you approach solo cruising.  I also enjoy the peace and serenity of sailing alone.  I've met a handful of couples who manage something similar together, and deeply admire them, but it is as rare as hen's teeth! 

Here's something for a bit of fun. It's not entirely accurate – I did not sail to Long Island sound this year, though I've done that stretch in the past – but the gist is correct. At any rate, the junk rig has gotten a bit of press in a fairly well read regional weekly paper in Downeast Maine. Find the article here.