Amphibious by nature

It's my opinion that a cruising sailboat is the ultimate travel accessory. The particular travel accessory I share with my wife, Chele, is shown above – a 40ft custom-built cutter called Shindig. She is our seagoing home for at least half the year.

And also our office, if that’s not too dispiriting a word. Very few of us are fortunate enough to earn a living pursuing the sort of activity many of us would do for pleasure, but that's where I find myself. Quite how this happened to me I'm not quite sure – certainly not the result of brilliant planning. For anyone who might find it interesting, the path I stumbled down towards this agreeable outcome is described briefly in my 'bio' section.

Cruising under sail is a form of tourism – it's as simple as that. But tourism with a difference. To visit the same region first by plane then by boat is to see it in an entirely new light. The plane effectively dumps you into the commercial clutches of your destination, leaving you prey to those waiting to relieve you of your money. A boat, on the other hand, allows you to enter through a friendlier door, more directly to the heart of a place. And you have your home with you. The fact is that I've never found a better way to see the world.

Shindig is now in the Caribbean -- more specifically in Grenada. We crossed the Atlantic in 2015 and intend to explore the various islands, starting with the Windward Islands to the south and working our way upwards to the Leeward Islands in the north. We have no specific timetable and certainly aren't in a hurry. We'll make our decisions as they arise.

Follow this link to read the blogs that describe some of our travels...