Category: Odysseys in Paradise

  Rich sailed from the entrance of the Hokianga River pinched by two huge bluffs of sand. His heart and mind felt good and satisfied. The sea opened before him like the beginning of a new day—which it happened to…

Rich passed the house of the woman who gave him directions. She sat on a lounge chair on her porch. Rich pulled the cart in her driveway and walked up to where she sat. “I see you found the store,”…

After 20 days of sailing, The Odyssey bucked the seas 30 miles off the northern tip of New Zealand. Rich planned on coming to shore and making contact with Tim, informing him of Ramona’s safe delivery to Reao. A close…

  Loneliness is a good time to sort through the troublesome things of life, to rearrange them. Most generally they are best kicked aside. Mulling over problems creates anxiety. Reliving past inequities turns a person into a frightful and regretful…

Rich awoke before daybreak. He brewed a pot of coffee and sat at the chart desk amid a pale cabin light. He calculated the distance to Sydney. “About another 3800 miles to Sydney,” Rich murmured. “Maine to LA and then…

The course to Sydney stretched through the southernmost Polynesian atolls and just slightly beyond the very northern tip of New Zealand. Long and arduous sailing laid before Rich. Boredom lurked like a deadly plague. This would be a test for…

Rich watched all the excitement from the porch. He stepped inside the house. He found a pencil and a piece of paper. He wrote, “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding.” He…

Rich eased the dinghy into the water. He tossed Ramona’s two bundles of clothing and belongings into the dinghy. He clasped her hand to help her into the dinghy. “How do I look?” Ramona said. “Like a princess,” Rich said.…

The Prayer The Odyssey sailed within a half mile of the shore to the village. “Stay in the cockpit,” Rich said. “I’ll take care of the sails myself. I don’t want you getting hurt the last minute.” “I’m going below…

Rich stood on his toes atop the cabin’s roof and pointed over the bow, “Land Ho, Ramona! Reao dead ahead!” Ramona suddenly leaped from sitting on the bench in the cockpit and staggered along the side of the cabin. She…

Mona They sailed slow and easy for five days. It rained each day—not all day, just for an hour or two each day. On the sixth day in the late morning, the sun hung big and blazed brightly in the…