Dispatches: A Captivating Photo Essay Sailing the Puget Sound

Relatively speaking, we were never far from civilization, but it didn’t feel that way. Living on a sailboat is like exploring another planet: awe-inspiring and isolated, cramped and freeing at the same time. A three-day voyage in the Puget Sound marked our second excursion aboard TRUE, a bright red 44-foot Pearson Countess designed by world-renowned naval architect John Alden and captained by our friend, Ben Doerr of Sail Bainbridge. Departing from a small harbor on Bainbridge Island, Washington, we wove south through a maze of landmasses and channels under the prestigious, cloud-skirted silhouette of Mt. Rainier. As Ben taught us how to manage ropes and steer the 38,000-pound vessel, we spotted sea lions and jellyfish, eagles and porpoise, crab and fish. Each day we stopped at a secluded anchorage and rowed ashore in a small dinghy to stretch our legs on wooded trails. Ben is a singer and songwriter—he also helms the band St. Paul de Vence, an homage to his gran.... Continue Reading at Men's Journal Adventure