At first it sounds pretty outrageous: last month, Dennis Howard, a nearly blind sailor who set out on a voyage from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on a small but hardy Flicka 20, ran into some bad weather. The gooseneck broke, the boom hit him in the head, and more bad weather was on the way. He called a friend and told of his troubles. The friend called the Coast Guard, which sent a cutter. The Coast Guard arrived on scene and boarded to assess the situation. Howard declared he was fine and wanted to continue his voyage.

© Franny Kupersmith

Possum Bowl

I graduated from St. Mary’s in May, and there are a few things I haven’t missed about college sailing: excessively long van rides, sailing in the cold, making myself into a small ball in the bottom of an FJ…

So, logically, I packed up my drysuit and wool socks, hopped into the car for a 9-hour ride from Rhode Island to southern Maryland, and mentally prepared myself to crew in an FJ for a couple of races at our annual alumni regatta, Possum Bowl.

Sanding the Sled the past few weeks, I've been noticing all the old epoxy repairs marking the boat's history. Some of them I remember—like the faint scar where the vang cleat pulled away from the centerboard trunk during a Midwinters race years ago—and some I've only just discovered.