Author Archives: PompanoDan

Greetings from Pylos, Greece. As Homer called it “Sandy Pylos.” (As I write this, I’m enjoying a morning coffee from my Bialetti. While it percolated on the stove, it told me how much it was looking forward to getting back to its Italian homeland.) The island of Ithaca (and generally thought to be the seatContinue reading “Caio! (and announcing the return of daily micro-posts)”

Δεν θα με ξαναδείς, thought the young sailor as the stubbled captain handed him 20 dollars. The billfold was like any other seafaring officer’s wallet in the pre-credit card, pre-Euro days: US dollars intermingled with crumpled Greek drachmas, folded British pound notes, torn Turkish lira (or maybe they were Italian lira, who knows). There wereContinue reading “Jumping Ship”

If you love and absolutely can’t get enough of the words that boil over in the cauldron of my brain and flow down my arms to my fingers like zip-lining tourists in Costa Rica—I have some good news for you. If you groan whenever you see an email from me via hjsailing.blog announcing a newContinue reading “24 x 7 x 31”

In Colleen’s later years, we acquired two big Rhodesian Ridgebacks. First Machupa, and then—since “Chupie” needed a playmate—Jengo. While “playmate” sounds like such a cute and childlike term, they grew into 200+ pounds of combined dog-weight. When the two would wrestle (as brothers always wrestle) you’d best stay out of their way. However, when spentContinue reading “Four Years, and a Postscript of Lemonade”

Although Hazel and I have been an item since 2017 and Rhett and Sunny signed-on in 2020 with their first voyages aboard, recommissioning and re-provisioning her after a winter layup takes confidence. Which at times is hard to muster when suffering from something like imposter syndrome. The confidence comes from the fact that we’ve doneContinue reading “A Couple Confident Imposters”

Note: Please excuse any odd timing here as I started this post several weeks ago. I sit in front of a yawningly black and empty computer screen at our two bedroom rented flat in the New District of Istanbul, Türkiye. As our month in the country winds to a close, I’m lost in thought aboutContinue reading “The Turkey Trot in Istanbul”

“Oh great…so now the rest of my life is going to be nothing but watching Ted Lasso reruns in Florida.” That was my choice snide and snippy comment to Rhett as the 2023 summer sailing season was winding down. At least the choicest one I can remember; I’m sure there were others. While I can’tContinue reading “Gearing Up”

Perhaps you’ve been wondering what Sunny, Rhett, and Dan have been up to—particularly since our last post was over five months ago. Or, perhaps I flatter myself with self-importance and you’ve moved on and forgotten all about us. Or—most likely—you have given us the grace of time. Regardless, I’m happy to report that we areContinue reading “Autumn 2023: Planes, Ferries, and Automobiles (and Gondolas)”