| News Flash: There is one spot left for the Northern Lights II Passage taking place September 4-12, 2009. Write me for more details. |
Thank you for venturing into the far flung world of John Kretschmer Sailing.
As most of you know, I am devoted to providing unique and rewarding sailing
opportunities and adventures. I am also committed to offering useful and provocative
information about blue water sailing and, more to the point in these trying
times, living life on your own terms. Deep ocean sailing is a powerful blend
of freedom and responsibility; it's a time when you feel profoundly alive. I
wrote in my book, Flirting with Mermaids, "I make landfalls for a living," and
I confess, that is not a bad way to navigate through life. However, as I get
older, and share my sailing experiences with more and more people, I have come
to realize that making landfalls, even the challenging ones, is the easy part
of sailing. Making departures, pushing off the dock, both physically and metaphorically,
that's the hard part of sailing. And that's where I can help. Take a look at
the website: the training passages, the workshops, the information, the sea
stories, and then send me an email. Let's communicate. Sailing dreams are too
important to leave for another day.
I am very excited about the next two years. I have scheduled some amazing passages
and intriguing workshops for 2009 and 2010. Go to the new "Schedule" page to
check on dates and availability. If something intrigues you, drop me an email
at john@yayablues.com
and we'll chat about it. Sometimes I am away on passage and don't respond immediately,
but be patient, I will get back to you.
At long last I have also decided to start blogging, I know, it's about time.
I'm calling it, "A Serious Ocean." In many ways I hope this blog/log will become
the heart of the site, and I look forward to interacting with as many of you
as possible. It will be posted randomly, which I am sure does not come as a
surprise to those who know me. Sometimes I might post three times in a week,
and then not again for a month. Some entries might reveal my opinion on a very
current event; others might be sea stories from long ago, written in article
style. I am going to wander and write, and I hope you enjoy the ride. Finally,
I truly want to thank everyone who has sailed with me aboard Quetzal and other
boats these past years. We've had a great run. We've crossed oceans and logged
many thousands of miles, about 60,000 in the last five years alone. We've weathered
some impressive storms and endured some miserable calms. We've made some tough
landfalls, told countless jokes, enacted some miraculous repairs and shared
a lot of stories. Yes, indeed, the ocean is serious but none of us are looking
for anything less. We accept our pact with Neptune every time we make a departure.
And we do make departures.
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| The crew of the East Coast Offshore Passage makes landfall at Spring Cove Marina in Solomons, Maryland after a wild ride in the Gulf Stream |
Training Passages
Quetzal continues to ply the oceans of the world with an able, enthusiastic
and ever changing crew. As most of you know, in June of 2007, we crossed the
Atlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Cadiz, Spain, an epic passage that included
a Force 10 gale near the Azores.
Since then we have sailed to the corners of the Mediterranean, from Gibraltar
to Turkey. We have visited Athens, Corinth, the Greek Islands, Kusadasi, Croatia,
Venice, Sicily, Rome, Sardinia, Corsica, Capri, Genoa, Cannes, St. Tropez, Palamos,
Barcelona, Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Morocco, and many other magical ports of
call. We will cross the Atlantic again in December, and fetch up in the Caribbean
in time for Christmas.
The schedule for 2009/2010 has finally been posted. Sorry for the delay but
hopefully you will find it was worth the wait. All humility aside, I have some
flat-out fantastic passages scheduled, including a three-legged expedition that will circumnavigate the Caribbean Basin.
Each leg of this expedition will take Quetzal and her crew off the well-worn
path, to unblemished islands where working sail is alive and well. Read more
about this expedition on the Expeditions page, and sign up early. Fifteen berths
are available and five are already booked. There are trips up the east coast
to the Chesapeake Bay, other great Caribbean passages and some intriguing forays
into the wintry North Atlantic.
My training passages are unique and so are the people who sign aboard. I am
not a sailing school. Instead I offer genuine offshore sailing and travel adventures.
You will learn by being part of a crew, not by studying a text. You will reef
the main when it's blowing, maybe even blowing a gale. You will stand watch
on beautiful starry nights and on cold foggy ones as well. You will help with
repairs, meals, dishes, etc. And you will revel in landfalls, especially because
everyone shares the navigational responsibilities. There is nothing like navigating
when it really counts to instill confidence that you can make your own departures
and landfalls. Instead of hearing more from me, listen to some of the folks
who have completed passages aboard Quetzal.
Also, please take note that we have added an additional Canal Boat Trip to
take place August 8-15, 2009:
Canal Boat Trip - Burgundy, France, via Rivers Soune and Seille
This time we are deviating from the sailing and are opting for a canal boat.
We will cruise along Burgundy's serene waterways indulging in some of
France's best gastronomy and wines. If you choose, you can also follow
alongside the waterways by way of bicycle. Along the way we will explore the
pristine countryside and quaint villages. There are many places to visit during
the cruise, including markets, art galleries, churches, and John's favorite... vineyards.
Testimonials
Dirk de Haan, Corpus Christi, Texas: "Susan and I had a great time, I know you
know. You've seen the picture of her with Lady Liberty. Wow, what a fantastic
trip THAT was. So nice to be able to do. It was really something, also, for
our son Dirk, who sailed with us, because he had never seen Manhattan. The time
of day we would arrive there, and the tides were all in our favor, coming in
with the rising tide and leaving through East River on a falling tide. That
canyon, by the way, can pack some serious winds. 20 knots, on a quiet, foggy
day. Wow. Sailing Long Island Sound was very beautiful. What great scenery!!
Entering Newport as well. There I took over the helm form Susan to do a lap
in Newport Harbor. It was my 'victory lap,' a closing circle of sorts, since
I started there with you on Quetzal. I will always remember that, and be grateful
for your teachings and coaching."
Jerry Polly, Madison, Wisconsin: "I would highly recommend a passage with John.
I have done two. One from Key West to Isla Mujures and back and one from Bermuda
to Newport. He is absolutely skilled in every conceivable way with respect to
sailing. He takes safety very seriously but expects you to know your way around
a boat. He does not mother the crew by telling them how to do everything. He
is congenial all the time, almost to a fault. John is good humored, flexible,
a great story teller, somewhat of an entertainer. You will have great fun with
him. You will be left with other crew members on watch and it will be your job
to make that work; he does not really referee, nor should he. You can pull as
much learning as you want from John. He will not push it on you; ask and he
will talk. Be quiet and enjoy the sea, and he will as well."
Barry Chessick, Chicago, Illinois: "I sailed with John from Annapolis to Antigua,
a passage of 1500 miles that took ten days. For me, it was an experience of
a lifetime. Besides bonding a lifetime friendship with John, a truly unique,
capable and magnificent individual, the sights, scents, sounds of being 500
miles offshore are tattooed on my psyche forever. I experienced all the delights
I had only read about before: the night sky glowing with millions of stars,
dolphins playing, awesome sunsets and sunrises. Was it worth the cost? For me,
and the memories that it brought, it was worth many times the cost, of course
I wouldn't tell John that."
Joanne Matthews, Pensacola, Florida: "Regarding a long ocean passage on Quetzal
with John as skipper? I can say without a doubt - go for it. We met John at
a book signing a few years back and then signed aboard for a passage from Annapolis
to Antigua. There were four crew members and we all got along wonderfully. A
highlight was Thanksgiving dinner, complete with all the trimmings, hundreds
of miles from land. A couple of topics, politics and religion, were not discussed,
but otherwise everything was on the table: books, boats, weather, sailing, cruising,
travel, relationships. We laughed for 1500 miles over his crazy sailing adventures.
He is clearly the captain but we all shared equally the shipboard duties. I
have not doubt that in a time of distress, he would maintain a clear head. He
also truly enjoys sharing his knowledge, stories, and love for the sea. He's
an avid reader, and unfortunately, also sings on watch."
Gordon House, Kansas City, Missouri: "Considering a trip with John? Bottom line,
GO FOR IT! A passage with JK may be the high point of your life, not to mention
that it will make you the star of all the cocktail parties for years to come.
John is an excellent skipper and has the uncanny ability to magically appear
on deck just when you need him to assess a situation that you may be unsure
of. You will never hear him raise his voice, even during the most trying situations."
Amy Stapleton, Huntsville, Alabama: "Before sailing with John, I'd never been
on an offshore passage or sailed overnight. I wasn't sure I'd like going offshore,
but my first passage on Quetzal sailing from St. Pete to the Dry Tortugas exceeded
all my expectations. It was an awesome experience and although it was challenging,
John made me feel very comfortable. He's also a great story teller and provides
for lots of entertainment. These passages are not comfort cruises. They are
hard work, but for me they have been a great confidence builder and have helped
me get a lot closer to my personal sailing goals."
Ron Sorenson: "Sailing with John on one of his passages is simply a great open
water learning experience. I've been on two trips so far (with more to come),
and both were on Quetzal, John's boat. One was from Panama to Florida, the other
was a Trans-Atlantic, and both were great. The Panama to Florida Trip was very
relaxing. For me, the trans-Atlantic was the best. It gave me an outstanding
exposure to open water sailing and what that can entail in both good and bad
weather conditions. John's experience showed when we had some rough seas and
his concern with the crew's safety was readily apparent.
John promotes a relaxed atmosphere on his passages. There's no rigid daily lesson
plan that one must follow but there are learning opportunities galore. John
works to make everyone feel that they are part of the crew and spends time with
each person answering questions or helping them bone up on their navigational
skills. And when he's not answering questions from the crew, John has terrific
stories that he loves to share.
Lastly, sailing on Quetzal in the Atlantic during a heavy weather period proved
to me just how safe and solid that boat is. She is truly passage proven. And
I understand now why John is so fond of her."
James Leonard: "I've sailed with John on two different passages. Both involved
some rather 'nasty' weather. Besides learning navigation, seamanship, problem
solving and how to fix things, I gained a confidence from John that you won't
get in a lot of other 'sailing schools.'
He's a pretty good cook and he tells a great story.
I look forward to going out with him again."
Rick Thomson: "I have known John Kretschmer for several years and in that time,
we have sailed many nautical miles together! We have sailed in Greece, Tahiti,
Australia, Thailand, the Caribbean, the Pacific Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, and have
crossed the Atlantic Ocean. We have been becalmed, knocked down, broken down,
braved storms in winds of 60-plus miles per hour, but we have also witnessed
unbelievable sunsets, breaching whales, green sea turtles, dancing dolphins,
deep blue oceans, and brilliant white beaches, not to mention the beauty of
the galaxies, moonlight on the water and shooting stars.
That being said, I feel totally at ease when sailing with John. John is the
ultimate sailor. When the going gets tough, John can cowboy-up, or I guess I
should say sailor-up. I've never personally known anyone physically stronger
or more determined to achieve his objective. John totally immerses himself in
the sailing environment. Celestial navigation, course plotting, and understanding
charts are second nature to him. John is perfectly at home on any vessel. He
knows boats and what to expect from them. He's a sailor's sailor!
On the personal side, John is the most personable guy I know. I have always
said, "If you can't get along with John, you probably aren't going to get along
with anyone." He is also an outstanding cook. I have seen John cook delicious
hot meals in very rough conditions, when other skippers would be handing out
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You must try his Mayan spaghetti!
Captain John Kretschmer is truly a one-of-a-kind sailor, who will show you a
journey that you will share with others for the rest of your life."
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