Sailing to Simplicity: Life Lessons Learned at Sea

A lyrical voyage of self discovery for all sailors. Sailors are interested as much in the journey as the destination. This collection of thirty beautifully written and evocative vignettes and the simple lessons they convey will appeal to any sailor--or anyone who knows a sailor. Familiar yet profound, these observations reaffirm why time on the water is time well spent. Migael Scherer offers vivid glimpses of life aboard--of trimming sails, anchoring, making repairs, being fogbound--that convey bold, simple, thought-provoking truths. And she reflects on what her boat and the sea have taught her: a zen-like wisdom and peace of mind, flexibility in the face of chaos, a deeper appreciation of the richness of each moment. All in all, this is a marvelous affirmation of the beauty of sailing.

Seattle-based author Migael Scherer has been cruising the waters of the Pacific Northwest and living aboard since 1974, when she and her husband launched the sailboat they had spent two years building. Her cruising experience includes four years in Southeast Alaska and three trips on the 1,500-mile Inside Passage. Her first book, Still Loved by the Sun: A Rape Survivors Journal, won a PEN/Albrand citation for distinguished nonfiction and a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award. She is author of numerous magazine articles and of the oft-praised A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound (International Marine, 1995).