My Story And First Trip With Tula

Here is a little about my life and an adventure I am beginning. I have been a water bug my entire life and love surfing, diving, kiting, everything to do with the ocean. About three or four years ago I became intrigued with the world of sailing and cruising. I began reading all about it and researching what type of boats are solid safe cruising sailboats.  Last year I found an abandoned 26’ sailboat in a boat yard near my home on long island. Turns out the boat is a Victoria Frances 26. A small “pocket cruiser” designed by Chuck Payne to be a simple sturdy boat designed for ocean cruising. I bought the boat for $800.

Victoria Frances 26

I spent a year ripping off rotten decks and delaminated fiberglass then building the boat back up and outfitting her for ocean passages. I named her “Tula” which is “balance” in Sanskrit. I have been living on and sailing Tula since September and recently finished a solo shake down trip through New England visiting Montauk, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Newport, and Block Island.

Tula in Nantucket

It was an amazing feeling sailing my home wherever I wanted to go using the wind to move me. I got into some intense situations on this trip. Surfing down 6ft swells funneling through Vineyard Sound and a week later, staring at the Montauk lighthouse for 5 hours in snotty 5 ft. seas at night going 1.5 knots against the ripping current just to get to the harbor. I can’t remember the last time I cried out loud but I cried that night.  I also pissed my pants. I couldn’t let go of the tiller long enough to get my oil slicks down in time. Oops. Needless to say I learned the hard way how important it is to study the currents and how much they can hurt or help you. I also learned what a 3’10” draft really means. It means you can’t go in water less than 3’11” or you get stuck. And getting unstuck is a pain in the ass! In three days I will be heading out the Fire Island Inlet to begin my journey south for the winter. I’m shooting for Florida, the Keys, or Bahamas to live and work until lifeguard season starts up again in the Northeast. I hope to continue learning and training as a waterman and hopefully find work that demands these skills from me. Follow me on my adventure and if you enjoy what I put out there I would be honored if you “like” and “share” my posts with your friends!