Sometimes, friends inspire me to write about them. Last winter, as I followed Brad and Cara Read on their six-month sail around the Western Atlantic, I wanted to better understand both their whys and their hows. Thinking others might also be interested in what makes two hard-working empty-nesters take off on a sailing sabbatical… I proposed an article to the editor of Cruising World.
I should’ve known I was not the only writer to find such inspiration.
My own result was “More Please,” a summary of clockwise adventure around the Western Atlantic on a comfy and well-equipped 47-foot cruising boat. Brad and Cara left Newport last fall, made it to the Caribbean in time for the holidays, and then explored the Bahamas and the Chesapeake before heading back to New England—just as the marine industry was waking up from its long winter’s nap. Brad’s frequent posts had kept their fans up to date, so when I met them on the boat shortly after their return we didn’t have to waste time on the itinerary.
Interviewing friends is always a treat, because trust gives context to what lies beneath their words. So I was happy with the story I submitted—but I’m really glad that it was finished before I found out journalist Herb McCormick had also written about the Read winter adventures. For the same magazine. Where he used to be an editor.
My gut reaction was “Oh! Of course, Herb did a better job than I did.” The more rational conclusion is that the two stories just take different approaches. It’s a wonderful reminder that two writers, given the same material, will usually come up with such different stories that they can be published only months apart by the same editor. I like to think that each reinforces the other, rather than sparking the discomfort of “didn’t I already see this?”
You can read both stories on the Cruising World website, and I’d be very curious to hear your thoughts on how they compare:
More Please: Life After Six Months at Sea
Writing is how I make sense of things, so I’ve already achieved my initial goal: to better understand the whys and hows of this six-month sabbatical. Now I want to know if you still find “living the dream” stories appealing, in an age when we can easily follow our lucky friends in real time. Please share your thoughts in the comments below, or send me an email—I read every single one, with a boatload of gratitude.
P.S. Happy 50th birthday (again) to a fine magazine. I thought I went back a ways, but Herb McCormick started working at Cruising World in 1979, as a receptionist! Read more in Lucky Boy.
Very cool, I enjoyed both pieces. Having done similar things with friends over the last few winters, I have a hunger for more!
Thanks Alex. Here’s to retirement sailing!