Profile of a Coast Guard Cutter in PineStraw Magazine

Ahoy everybody, In my other career as a merchant mariner, I'm glad I've never had to call upon the Coast Guard for assistance (and I intend to keep it that way). But it's always nice knowing that they're out there, always ready, in case I ever do. When the USCGC Diligence announced it was shifting …

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Down the River, To the Sea

A few months ago, I single-handed my sailboat all the way down the river I live on to where it meets the mighty Atlantic. There, I spent a peaceful night at anchor, watching the world revolve around me. When I wrote about it, I didn't know that that feeling of aloneness would become a daily …

The Implications of Redefining “Waters of the United States” – New Essay in Encore Magazine

Water -- and I can't believe I have to keep saying this -- is important. Fifty years ago, we passed legislation to protect our most precious natural resource: the Clean Water Act. However, recent action by the EPA under the Trump administration threatens to undo many of the protections the CWA currently affords. By the …

Commentary on WHQR

Yesterday, my voice was transmitted over the airwaves of our local NPR station, WHQR 91.3 FM. As a guest commentator in the station's Communique department, I read a short essay about standing a night watch on the Schooner Anne and seeing myself in perspective with the world around me (readers of Going Aloft might recognize …

Cover Story in Salt Magazine: Paddling the Black River

So this is exciting. This month, an essay I wrote about paddling the Black River in North Carolina with local environmental group Cape Fear River Watch was selected by the editors of Salt for our cover story (my first in that particular publication). I am beyond thrilled and honored to grace the front of a …

Terrapin Tally

Last weekend I had the pleasure of becoming a Citizen Scientist at the local wild place which I love most: Masonboro Island. I got to ride along in a kayak (okay, paddle along) with two actual scientists from the NC Coastal Reserve; together we observed the waters for any sign of Diamondback Terrapins, the only truly …

Cold Water Warriors

Happy winter, everyone! I've got a new essay out in Salt magazine about the history of wintertime surfing in the frigid waters on the Carolina coast. It's just the right read for this chilly time of year: in it, you'll find what surfers wore to keep warm in the days before neoprene, and how the …

Fishing for the Future: Essay for Salt Magazine

I hope this essay is as fun to read as it was to research, because I had a splendid time kayak fishing in the mouth of the Cape Fear River, angling for a Sciaenops Ocelata, the Old North State Fish known as the Red Drum. It was a beautiful day, and there I stood on …

Water Dwellers: Essay in Salt Magazine

It is my pleasure to announce that my inaugural On the Water column comes out in this month's issue of Salt Magazine, Wilmington's own art and literary publication. In it, I profile the wandering souls who pass through our harbor at Wrightsville Beach on transient boats. In the process of doing research I got to …