We landed awkwardly on a wave and the boat shuddered, our aluminum hull protesting loudly under the impact. Seconds later, I felt another violent thud and immediately feared the worst鈥攐rcas! Foghorn in hand, I readied myself to wake the rest of the crew, reciting our response plan in my mind. Noisemakers, full revs to shallower water, radio call, check the bilges. Run like hell and hope they lose interest!

But I hesitated in the intervening silence. After many days underway with relatively little sleep, I knew my nerves were raw, my internal radar struggling to decipher clutter from true danger. I forced myself to count to ten. Breathe, listen, wait. The usual sounds resumed. Water rushing beside us. Gulls calling hoarsely in the dark. Wind whistling against the halyards. No 8,000-pound whale body-slamming our boat. At least not yet.

It was 2 A.M., and I was on night watch 15 miles off the west coast of Portugal, feeling anything but at home on the sea. Familiar constellations offered reassurance that we hadn鈥檛 sailed off the edge of the earth, while the wildly tilting horizon suggested otherwise, making Orion dance like a jester. It was mid-November during a new moon, the sea black besides occasional phosphorescence rising in our wake.

We rode easily over the ten-foot swell that lingered from an earlier storm, but the west wind had begun to kick up an unpleasant chop with short, sharp waves whose crests looked eerily like orca fins. Alone on deck, my mind wandered to worst-case scenarios. I pictured my seven- and nine-year-old sons, Dawson and Huxley, being shaken from sleep as my husband, Pat, sprinted up on deck in his underwear to find that we had been struck by an orca.

Most unsettling of all was the unwelcome reconfiguration of my relationship to the natural world: suddenly, I was afraid of a creature I鈥檇 long regarded as friend. As a wildlife biologist in Alaska, I鈥檝e worked in the company of orcas; as a sailor, I鈥檝e celebrated each surprise sighting at sea; as a mother, I鈥檝e reveled in my sons鈥� fascination with them.

But now, rather than being graced by the presence of whales, I was worried we’d be taken down by them.

The post Navigating Orca Alley: One Family鈥檚 Journey Among Rudder-Bashing Whales appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Welcome to Tough Love. We鈥檙e answering your questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Our advice giver is Blair Braverman, dogsled racer and author of and . Have a question of your own? Write to us at toughlove@outsideinc.com.

After my dad died, I heard 鈥淪outhern Cross鈥� by Crosby, Stills, and Nash on the radio, which is about making a big sailing trip after a divorce. And I thought, that鈥檚 what I should do! I feel like in times of grief, it鈥檚 natural to want a big project. And so I bought books about young and inexperienced sailors making solo trips around the world.

I thought I should sail from Portland, Oregon, where I live, to New Zealand, where my dad鈥檚 from. It would be a journey to try to understand someone who鈥檚 not around for me to try to understand anymore.

When I told my friend about my idea, she said, 鈥淚 really support you, but I think you鈥檙e going to die if you do that. Please don鈥檛 die alone on the ocean on a boat.鈥� She may have had a point鈥擨 haven鈥檛 sailed since I took a sailing class in sixth grade, and I didn鈥檛 like it.

Now it鈥檚 been two years. The trip remains an idea and I still have all those books, but I鈥檓 more focused on other parts of my life, like my work and my garden. When I drive over bridges in Portland and see ships on the river, I wish I could be on one of them. Because it鈥檚 easier to think about taking a grand journey than it is to take a sailing class. How do I honor the impulse to do something big even though, when it comes down to it, I don鈥檛 actually want to do it?

It took me a long time to get pregnant, and when I finally did, it didn鈥檛 stick. I told myself: this loss is okay, because I鈥檒l get pregnant right away after this, right? I have to. That鈥檚 how stories work. Things get hard, and they get harder鈥攂ut then there鈥檚 a crack of hope, just when the protagonist needs it most.

But it didn鈥檛 happen. The journey to parenthood felt random and unfair, with brave hopes that didn鈥檛 pan out and sorrows with no resolution. With each setback, I thought: this must be the moment that things turn around.聽Now, I thought. Now comes the happy ending.

But it didn鈥檛 come yet.

Wait鈥攖hat means it must be coming now.

Nope.

I tried stuff. Is this a story about wilderness? OK: I鈥檒l go alone to the woods, plunge into a river, come back cleansed and ready to bring life into the world.

Nope.

Is this a story about God? I鈥檒l pray.

Is this a story about art? I鈥檒l throw myself into work. I鈥檒l write another book.

But none of those stories played out. At least, not in the ways that I planned them. And that made me feel more helpless than ever.

Eventually, I did have a happy ending, or at least a happy middle. But there was no clear, straightforward story I could tell myself that explained the difficulties along the way. By the time the good news came, I was so weary of hope that I didn鈥檛 let myself trust it for a long time.

The process showed me how much I鈥檝e leaned on storytelling in my own life, and how much that instinct can backfire. Stories are, after all, threads of meaning in a chaotic world鈥攁nd if finding them gives us comfort and control, losing them does the opposite.

I tell you this because you sound like a storyteller, too. And it sounds like you鈥檙e looking for a story to tell yourself about grief. A story in which you cross the wild sea and come out the other side healed.

There鈥檚 an easy answer here, which is that you should take a sailing class, or buy a ticket for a boat ride, or rent a kayak for the day. It might be fun. You might hate it, which is OK, too. That said, I don鈥檛 think the sailing class will fix you, because I don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e actually looking for a trip across the sea. I think you鈥檙e looking for a story with an ending that finds you far from where you started.

I鈥檓 hesitant, now, to use stories to predict what鈥檚 next in my life, but there鈥檚 incredible power in identifying them in retrospect. And I think that by writing your letter, you鈥檙e already a good chunk of the way there. You鈥檙e figuring out your story, even though you鈥檙e still home in Portland. You鈥檙e moving forward with it every day. So what鈥檚 the story that feels true to you, now? What鈥檚 the story that helps you live with your grief?

I鈥檒l try writing one for you. If it feels wrong, change it. If it feels right, take it. Use it to launch your ship.

After my dad died, I became obsessed with sailing.
I dreamed of sailing to New Zealand, where he was born.
I wanted answers in the sea.
I looked at the water every time I crossed a bridge.
But instead, I found myself planting vegetables.
Seed by seed.
In my mind, I sailed. I caught the wind.
It rained.
The seeds sprouted.
I think, in a way, I鈥檓 already on the journey.
Not to find home, but to make it.
Not to seek answers, but to grow them.

The post Why an Outdoor 国产吃瓜黑料 May Not Be the Best Way to Grieve appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When the SOS message beeped on Kirsten Neusch盲fer鈥檚 satellite device, she was piloting her 36-foot sailboat, Minnehaha, alone through the remote vastness of the Southern Ocean. She was two and a half months into the Golden Globe, an old-school, solo, nonstop sailing race around the world鈥攔un without use of most forms of modern technology, a challenge that many in the maritime community consider the greatest in sailing鈥攁nd she had the lead. Fellow competitor Tapio Lehtinen鈥檚 boat had suddenly sunk, leaving the Finnish sailor adrift in a tiny raft far off the tip of the African continent. Neusch盲fer changed course, sailed some hundred miles through the night, found the little raft in the huge and heaving ocean, and shared a glass of rum with Lehtinen before safely transferring him to a giant bulk carrier that had detoured from Singapore to help with the search. Then she turned the Minnehaha to the wind and kept racing.

Even after rescuing Lehtinen, Neusch盲fer retained the lead in the perilous contest, which ultimately forced 13 of 16 entrants to drop out. When she crossed the finish line in Les Sables d鈥橭lonne, France, on April 27, 2023鈥攁fter 30,000 miles and 235 days without stepping off her boat鈥擭eusch盲fer became the first woman to win a circumnavigation race, crewed or solo, that involves navigating past the three great capes at the bottom of the world.

Neusch盲fer, 40, doesn鈥檛 like the focus on her gender. She鈥檚 prouder that the win made her the first South African to win a round-the-world sailing event. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 quite a pity that the attention is due to the fact that I鈥檓 a woman rather than a sailor,鈥� she told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淚 like to be on the playing ground as an equal.鈥�

But the playing ground itself isn鈥檛 equal. Historically, women were barred from working on ships, and in our time they remain wildly underrepresented in sail racing, chartering, and sail training, and on superyacht crews. Discrimination still exists; in February, French sailor Clarisse Cremer, who holds the current record for fastest woman to sail solo around the world, was dropped by her sponsor in advance of the 2024 Vend茅e Globe after she took a break from sailing to give birth to her first child. Race organizers changed the qualifying process, increasing the number of sailing hours competitors needed to complete in the year prior to the event. (She has since found a new sponsor and is working toward qualifying for the race.)

In fact, Neusch盲fer doesn鈥檛 like the spotlight, full stop. Competitors were required to send daily text message updates for race media, and hers often read merely: text. But she does acknowledge that there are positive aspects to the staggering amount of press coverage she received. 鈥淚f there are women out there who鈥檝e had a tough time getting into the sailing industry鈥攐r any industry that鈥檚 male dominated鈥攁nd they feel, 鈥楽he could do it, maybe I can also pursue my dream,鈥� then that鈥檚 a good thing,鈥� she says.

The coverage has also helped draw attention to the Golden Globe. While other major circumnavigation races鈥攍ike the Vend茅e Globe and the BOC Challenge鈥攊nvolve expensive, high-tech boats that race at high speeds, the Golden Globe hearkens back to a simpler era. The inaugural, legendarily disastrous Golden Globe was run in 1968, when nine men vied to be the first to sail solo, nonstop, around the world. Only one man finished the race. The rest sank, abandoned the journey, or, in one harrowing case, slipped into the sea in an apparent suicide. The Golden Globe was revived in 2018 and is run every four years. The course follows the same perilous route as the original: from Europe down the coast of Africa, around Africa鈥檚 Cape of Good Hope, Australia鈥檚 Cape Leeuwin, and South America鈥檚 Cape Horn, returning north along the east coast of South America, and crossing the Atlantic back to Europe. Competitors, who are barred any outside assistance, sail with much the same technology used in 1968, in small boats, navigating with paper charts and sextant, catching rain for water, and communicating by radio.

Neusch盲fer likes the Golden Globe because it鈥檚 old-school, which makes it more affordable than other sailing races. 鈥淚t鈥檚 accessible to anyone who鈥檚 interested in adventure,鈥� says Neusch盲fer, a veteran thrill seeker. She cycled the full length of Africa at age 22, riding more than 9,300 miles through jungles and across the Sahara Desert, and sailed National Geographic and BBC film crews to wildly remote locations in the Southern Ocean. When she鈥檚 alone in the calm waters of the tropics, she sometimes drops sail and jumps into the ocean, swimming away from the boat 鈥渢o get that feeling of vastness, that sense of eternity.鈥�

If the buzz around Neusch盲fer鈥檚 Golden Globe win 鈥渋nspires people to follow their dreams to whatever degree,鈥� she says, 鈥渢hen it has its worth in that.鈥�

The post Round-the-World Sailor Kirsten Neusch盲fer Made History. Now She Dodges the Spotlight. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In late May 2017, McKayla Bower was ski-touring alone on the Pacific Crest Trail when she started to feel a little spooked. She paused to assess the stability of the Sierra snowpack, which was at a record high, and didn鈥檛 like what she saw鈥攄ense, heavy snow sitting atop a layer of powdery facets.

As Bower turned to retreat, the ground fell out from under her. The avalanche ran several hundred feet down a slope toward a 20-foot drop, carrying Bower with it. The next thing she knew, she was lying dazed on the ground. The impact had snapped her ski pole, but miraculously she had no serious injuries.

鈥淚 had this feeling of, I did everything right and this still happens?鈥� Bower says. 鈥淵ou never know when the thing that is going to wipe you out might happen.鈥�

The brush with mortality made Bower think harder about her long-postponed decision to come out as transgender, which she did shortly after returning from the trek. 鈥淭he thing that felt like the real risk was coming out and losing all my friends,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 think I lost a single one.鈥�

Bower, now 31, says that going public with her identity鈥攁nd then starting hormone therapy鈥攚as the best decision of her life, empowering her to undertake even bigger adventures. This fall she鈥檒l embark on her most ambitious journey yet, an east-to-west solo sailboat circumnavigation of the globe beginning in Panama City. The number of successful solo trips around the world is thought to be in the low hundreds, fewer than the number of people who have gone to space, though there鈥檚 no comprehensive record. If Bower succeeds, she鈥檒l be the first known LGBTQ+ person to have completed the voyage alone.

鈥淢y biggest hope is that tons of people will learn about this and feel more confident,鈥� Bower says. 鈥淚 want people to see what happens when they are authentic and real.鈥�

Bower is setting sail at a time when trans issues continue to be hotly debated across the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union has identified 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills at various levels of government, and Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently signed a bill banning trans people from using school bathrooms that don鈥檛 match the gender shown on their birth certificates.

鈥淭he right has turned transgender people into a villain, a bogeyman,鈥� says trans sailor and activist Sabreena Lachlainn, who called off her own planned solo circumnavigation in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For her part, Bower says that most of what she鈥檚 heard has been supportive, but that some of the usual hate has already come her way. 鈥淥ne comment I got on Reddit said my energy would be better spent killing myself,鈥� she says. Lachlainn, who knows the politics of all this as well as anybody, says, 鈥淚 want to hug McKayla at the finish line, because her journey is so important for our community.鈥�

Meanwhile, the realm of sports and adventure has also become contested terrain for trans athletes. Last year, swimming鈥檚 international governing body from competing in women鈥檚 events. In February, after the World Surf League announced that trans women surfers could compete if they maintained sufficiently low testosterone levels, surfing star said that she鈥檇 refuse to participate in WSL events if it upheld the policy. In March, World Athletics, which governs track and field, on trans athletes competing in elite women鈥檚 races.

To reach Panama from her home in Washington鈥檚 San Juan Islands, Bower will have to sail her 30-foot-long 1977 San Juan Class custom cutter rig, Swirl, for roughly 5,000 miles. To prepare, she spent $35,000 retrofitting the 厂飞颈谤濒鈥�s interior, doing the carpentry and fiberglass work herself. She plans to sail on a meager budget, funding the trip with earnings from various jobs, including a stint at a bookstore, along with a few sponsorships from private businesses, personal donations, and the $400 a month she receives from her Patreon account.

From Panama City, which is nine degrees north of the equator, she鈥檒l set a westerly course toward French Polynesia. 鈥淭he easiest circumnavigation you can do is around ten degrees north or south of the equator, because that鈥檚 where the trade winds are,鈥� Bower says. From there she鈥檒l head for Indonesia, cross the South Indian Ocean to Mauritius, sail to South Africa, traverse the Atlantic to the Caribbean, and, finally, head back to Panama. She estimates that the total length of her voyage鈥攊ncluding the trips from the Pacific Northwest to Panama and back鈥攚ill be somewhere between 35,000 and 40,000 miles. She expects the circumnavigation to take 15 to 17 months.

A lot can go wrong during such a long journey. Climate change has intensified storms and made them harder to predict, and Bower will be racing to beat hurricane season when she reaches the Caribbean. Solo sailing is rife with tragedy: Guo Chan, an accomplished Chinese sailor, vanished in 2016 while trying to set a new speed record for a solo crossing of the Pacific. Susie Goodall made international headlines in 2018 when she was rescued after a storm in the Southern Ocean severely damaged her boat during the nonstop Golden Globe race around the world. While attempting a solo journey from California to Hawaii in 2020, Paralympic rower Angela Madsen died in the central Pacific while performing routine maintenance on her boat.

To prepare, Bower has sailed approximately 5,000 miles over the past three years, much of it in the mercurial waters of the San Juans, where hazards can include large trees known as deadheads that lurk below the surface. 鈥淢cKayla鈥檚 been doing her homework,鈥� says Karl Kr眉ger, an adventurer who lives at anchor in the San Juans, leads boat charters, and traveled 420 miles of the Northwest Passage on a solo stand-up paddleboard journey in 2022. 鈥淪he鈥檚 been working at it, and she鈥檚 been spending time alone on that boat, sailing around these waters that can certainly dish it up.鈥�

There isn鈥檛 much prep work Bower can do for her biggest concern: the way she鈥檒l be welcomed鈥攐r not鈥攊n countries openly hostile to LGBTQ+ people. While some governments have adopted more progressive laws in recent years, the Human Dignity Trust, a London-based charity that provides legal assistance to LGBTQ+ activists, maintains an online map of countries with restrictive policies. It reports nearly 70 governments around the world that 鈥渃riminalise [LGBTQ+ people,] fuelling stigma, legitimising prejudice and encouraging violence.鈥� During her circumnavigation, Bower will stop to resupply for food and water, forcing her to deal with customs and immigration. 鈥淛akarta scares me, as a visibly queer person,鈥� Bower says. In 2022, Indonesia passed a new criminal code that includes an adultery ban, which according to Human Rights Watch could be used as an excuse to step up harassment of LGBTQ+ people in a place where gay marriage is illegal.

Bower says that her route leaves her no choice but to stop in Indonesia. 鈥淢y other option would be Malaysia, which is worse,鈥� she says. As of late April, she was still trying to figure out the best place for reprovisioning in the Caribbean. 鈥淢ost Caribbean countries don鈥檛 have very friendly queer legislation,鈥� she says.

Her parents share her concerns. 鈥淚 am at least as nervous about how she will be accepted as she does this journey and interacts with people around the world as I am about the physical risk,鈥� says her father, Jay Bower, who works as an environmental engineer in Washington. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know which is more harrowing.鈥�

But Bower says she plans to 鈥渇ly under the radar鈥� as much as feasible during the global voyage. 鈥淲hile I am very publicly out in the U.S., I am not showing up in other countries flying my rainbow flag,鈥� she says. And she refuses to dwell on potential hassles and dangers. 鈥淎n unfortunate part of being in this queer and trans community is that we almost have to accept that there are places in the world that kind of hate us,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd I refuse to let that be something that stops me from going on a trip like this. We can鈥檛 let our fears control us, right?鈥�

Daniel White () is the author of , a memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

The post As a Trans Woman Sailing Around the World, Storms Are the Least of Her Worries appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

To infuse more adventure into your life, it helps to start with a loaded travel fund to launch an unforgettable experience. With a bigger budget, overseas travel and outfitted assistance enter the equation: maybe an island-hopping sailing adventure in the Caribbean; a hot-springing ski tour of Japan, or that bucket-list rafting trip down the Middle Fork of Idaho’s Salmon River.

Enter below to win a $10,000 prize and hatch your plan. Awarded as a check, the sweepstakes winner will be announced in September (no purchase necessary, open to U.S. residents). Until then, you can find out more ways to pull off memorable trips that mix the most interesting elements of land and sea, plus how to upgrade your outings with tips and cocktail recipes to complement these added adventures.

After you’ve entered, live the spirit of adventure with advice on how to make every day count. Plus, join this summer’s U.S. Cutty Sark Tour and learn the storied history of Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky.

As an original and inimitable whisky launched at the heart of the Prohibition era, was deliberately created to defy conventions. With its smooth, mellow taste profile and its unique maritime and historical heritage, Cutty Sark will make you go on an adventure.

The post Win the 国产吃瓜黑料 x Cutty Sark Summer Giveaway appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Among the world鈥檚 harrowing marine survival stories, the strangest might be a crew鈥檚 escape from one of the earliest submarines. It was 1851, and the 26-foot-long sub, designed and captained by a Prussian carpenter, was powered by a couple sailors spinning treadwheels. When the vessel floundered during a trial run and began sinking to the bottom of a German harbor, there was only one very frightening way to get out alive鈥攚hich is why the crew got into what was almost certainly the first-ever underwater fistfight.

Please tell us what you think about the show and how we can make it better. Fill out a brief survey聽at聽outsideonline.com/podsurvey.

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On the evening of April 27, as the sky darkened over the Atlantic coast of France, a 36-foot sailboat drifted slowly on a windless sea. South African sailor Kirsten Neusch盲fer, 40, stood alone at the helm of Minnehaha, whose once-white hull had gone dingy with algae. An entourage of rubber Zodiacs, motorized crafts, and other sailboats surrounded her as a welcome into the Les Sable d鈥橭lonne harbor. Their occupants were the first people she鈥檇 seen in months. She hadn鈥檛 stepped off her sailboat in 235 days.

The leisurely pace of the fleet belied the magnitude of the feat Neusch盲fer had just accomplished. When she finally crossed the finish in the full dark of night, she became the first South African to win a round-the-world sailing event, and the first woman to win a circumnavigation race via the three great capes, crewed or solo.

And the Golden Globe is no average sailing race.

Where modern circumnavigation races like the Vendee Globe, BOC Challenge, and Whitbread Round-the World involve expensive, high-tech boats that race at high speeds and can evoke an elitist image of sail racing, the Golden Globe has only been held three times, and hearkens back to a simpler era. Competitors sail small boats, navigate with paper charts and sextant, catch rain for water, hand-write their logs, communicate by radio, and cannot accept outside assistance. The original race was run in 1968 when nine men vied to be the first to sail solo, without stopping, around the world. No one even knew if a boat could survive 30,000 miles straight at sea, or what might happen to the mind of a sailor alone for so long.

Only one man finished. Twenty-nine-year-old Robin Knox-Johnston sailed back into Falmouth Harbor, in southern England, nearly a year after he鈥檇 left it. Along the journey, his water tanks polluted, the sails tore, and the self-steering broke. The radio malfunctioned a month and a half in, and his only contact was sightings from other ships to confirm he was still racing. The other eight competitors sank or abandoned the journey, most in spectacular fashion. Bernard Moitessier, the favored winner, slingshot a message onto the deck of a passing ship that he was abandoning the Western world for Tahiti. Donald Crowhurst sailed in circles while transmitting fake radio reports to fool the world into believing he was winning, then slipped into the ocean in an apparent suicide. The Golden Globe was deemed a voyage for madmen and it was not repeated.

It was only revived in 2018, and it鈥檚 a retro race in every way. The course follows the same dangerous route as the original race: from Europe down the coast of Africa, under the three great capes where the infamously violent Southern Ocean roils unobstructed by land, before returning northward along South America. Racers stop at a series of three gates along the way鈥揕anzarote in the Canary Islands, Cape Town in South Africa, Storm Bay in Tasmania鈥搕o drop film. But they don鈥檛 leave their boats, making the race nonstop over the course of several months. Many in the marine community call it the greatest challenge in sailing. The 2018 race delivered its share of adventure: daring rescues of fellow competitors dismasted in a cyclone, a massive rogue wave that somersaulted one boat and left it slowly sinking three days鈥� voyage from the nearest help.

Neusch盲fer finished sixth place to the first race gate in Lanzarote, The Canary Islands. But she soon cruised into the leading fleet to arrive second to the Cape Town, South Africa, gate. By day 164 of the race, 12 of the 16 entrants had dropped out or been forced to quit due to equipment failures, and Neusch盲fer was first to make it around Cape Horn. She outran a storm and was barely able to speak through frozen lips on her weekly check-in call with race headquarters. Even after she sailed 100 miles through the night to rescue fellow racer Tapio Lenin, from Finland, who radioed for help after his boat suddenly sank in the Southern Ocean, Neusch盲fer retained the lead. Over the last days of the race, Indian Abhilash Tomy tailed Neusch盲fer in a tossup for first, until it became apparent on April 26 that Tomy would be unable to close the gap.

Throughout the race, Neusch盲fer appeared uninterested in spotlighting her performance. Her communications were terse; competitors were required to send daily text messages for race media, and Neusch盲fer鈥檚 often read only: Text. When race founder Don McIntyre asked her how she felt at having become the first woman to win a nonstop circumnavigation race, she said, 鈥淚 entered as a sailor, but it doesn鈥檛 change the fact that I鈥檓 a woman so… great,鈥� and trailed off, appearing at a loss for more to say about it.

Jean-Luc Van den Heede, the 76-year-old French sailor who won the 2018 Golden Globe, says that such a challenge doesn鈥檛 discriminate on gender. The fact that a woman had yet to win it is largely due to the fact that women in sail racing are still rare; consider that throughout the vast majority of history, women were barred from working on sea ships at all. Van den Heede was on hand to welcome Neusch盲fer to Les Sable d鈥橭lonne. 鈥淚n this kind of race,鈥� he told me, 鈥渢here鈥檚 no difference to me between a man and woman.鈥�

Neusch盲fer is no newcomer to improbable solo pursuits. When she was 22 years old, she cycled the full length of Africa: over 9,000 miles through jungles and the Sahara Desert. She鈥檚 an experienced Southern Ocean sailor who鈥檚 taken National Geographic and BBC film crews to wildly remote South Georgia Island鈥攖he lonely landmass that Ernest Shackleton sailed to, then famously crossed on foot to secure aid聽 for his stranded men after his ship Endurance was crushed in sea ice. She says that, while solo sailing in the calm water of the tropics, she鈥檒l sometimes drop sail and jump into the ocean, swimming away from the boat 鈥渢o get that feeling of vastness, that sense of eternity.鈥� Golden Globe race organizers have called her a 鈥渞eal loner, reminiscent of Bernard Moitessier鈥�, the sailor from the first Golden Globe who abandoned the race for the tropics

Neusch盲fer鈥檚 not the first groundbreaking female in solo sailing or racing. In 1988, Australian Kay Cottee was the first to circumnavigate solo, nonstop, and unassisted via the Southern Ocean. The following year, Tracy Edwards assembled the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race also via the capes. In 2005, Brit Ellen MacArthur became the fastest person to sail solo nonstop around the world, and in 2012 at 16 years old, Laura Dekker was the youngest person to circumnavigate alone.

And in 2018, at 29, Brit Susie Goodall became the first woman to race the Golden Globe. Goodall鈥檚 well-publicized status as the only woman, particularly when the circumstances of her rescue after her boat was pitchpoled in the Southern Ocean abruptly flipped the public narrative around her from lone heroine to damsel in distress. The situation also highlighted the few roles women have traditionally been allowed to occupy in cultural narratives.

Of Neuschafer鈥檚 win, Goodall says, 鈥淪he鈥檚 made history. And that鈥檚 amazing. But what she鈥檚 done also speaks for itself. The sea doesn鈥檛 care if you鈥檙e a man or a woman. Anyone finishing a race like that is amazing.鈥�

Some would argue that we鈥檙e past the point of needing to label female accomplishments and firsts; that rather than leveling the existing playing field, such emphasis only serves to create a separate one. And as women鈥檚 accomplishments stack up, it can seem as though barriers to entry and skewed participation levels for women in the outdoors have been all but eliminated.

But just in February, French sailor Clarisse Cremer, who holds the current record for fastest woman to sail solo around the world, was dropped by her sponsor in her 2024 bid for the Vendee Globe circumnavigation race after she gave birth to her first child, and 鈥渁fter race organizers introduced a rule change that penalized her for taking maternity leave,鈥� .

Katie Gaut, a sailor out of Bellingham, Washington who鈥檚 had her captain鈥檚 license for twenty years and teaches women to sail, watched the progress of the Golden Globe in 2018 particularly to follow Goodall and did the same with Neusch盲fer. 鈥淚鈥檝e been in the marine and sailing industry practically my whole adult life,鈥� Gaut said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so male-dominated and there are very few women in boating, much less sailing. I know how hard it is just to get a sailing job locally. So watching those women do what they do at that level… I can鈥檛 imagine how many obstacles they had to surpass to get where they鈥檙e at.鈥�

Gaut watched the live feed of Neusch盲fer crossing the finish line. It brought her to tears. 鈥淚t鈥檚 empowering for myself, for every little girl, for everyone out there that of course women are capable, and they can beat the guys. We鈥檝e just never gotten the chance because there are too many hurdles to even get to the start line.鈥�

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Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor are must-see attractions for most visitors to Oahu. Iolani Palace and sunset luaus are also popular. But John John Florence has other ideas of how to spend your time on Hawaii鈥檚 most touristed island.

The 30-year-old North Shore native, two-time world surfing champion, and member of the inaugural U.S. Olympic surf team was born and raised here. When he鈥檚 not dropping into a set wave or sailing, he enjoys meditative land-based pursuits: gardening, beekeeping, and mountain biking are three favorites.

Florence doesn鈥檛 often spend time in town, as locals call Honolulu, but he does have a set of places he frequents that don鈥檛 necessarily make it into his posts. (You have to keep some secrets from 1.5 million followers.) From the nicest beaches to the healthiest caf茅s to surfing, sailing, and hiking, here are his suggestions on the best ways to round out a trip to Oahu.

OUTSIDE: Oahu welcomed more than three million visitors in 2021. That鈥檚 a lot of people! Where would you send friends who want to see stunning beaches as well as get a sense of the wild side of the island but avoid the crowds?
FLORENCE: Oahu as a whole is a really beautiful place, and I enjoy every side of the island, but I鈥檒l share a few stops from some different areas. Starting with the North Shore, pretty much anywhere you decide to pull over the car is going to be a really nice beach. Waimea Bay is a special place and perfect for a beach day. On the south shore, I like spending time in the Ala Moana area of Honolulu鈥攖he waves are fun, there are plenty of great restaurants, and the sailing scene and Friday-night races are rad. Lastly, I鈥檇 recommend checking out some of the nature reserves: the bird sanctuary at Kaena Point [the island鈥檚 westernmost tip], Sharks Cove on the North Shore, and Hanauma Bay [in the southeast], to name a few.

What are your recommendations for visiting the North Shore: What鈥檚 the best month, and where do you go if you’re up there to see pro surfers on big waves? And do you have any tips for amateurs surfing that stretch of coast?
I might be biased, but I think visiting the North Shore is fun any time of the year. Summer and winter have different faces, but both offer great things. I could give a big list, but instead I鈥檒l shoot you an ideal day: During a contest day, head down to Pipeline and watch a few heats. It鈥檚 a fun environment and really cool seeing waves that big up close. Head over to Pupukea Grill for some food before heading into Haleiwa town to check out the local shops. If you鈥檙e looking to learn to surf, head over to at Puaena Point for an afternoon lesson and sunset. That鈥檚 a pretty good day on the North Shore.

After surfing and sailing, what are your favorite outdoor activities on the island?
Recently I鈥檝e gotten into biking, both road biking and mountain biking. They鈥檝e been a lot of fun to learn about and use as another method of training. Also, I鈥檓 part of a solid crew of people who go downwind foiling. Foil boards are essentially surfboards on top of a large foil. We move with the wind鈥攄ownwind鈥攁nd basically see how far we can go without dropping back into the water. It鈥檚 a lot like snowboarding in powder, but in the ocean. I do that a lot.

If you only had time for one hike on Oahu, what should it be and why?
That鈥檚 a tough one, but I鈥檇 say Koko Head. It鈥檚 fairly well-known but not too long and offers great views on the southeastern side of the island.

I know you grow a lot of produce yourself, but when you鈥檙e out and about, where do you go to eat healthy, and what kind of local farmers鈥� markets or local farms would you encourage folks to seek out while they鈥檙e visiting?
There are definitely great farmers鈥� markets around the island. I also use an awesome resource called Farm Link; it groups together offerings from all the organic farms into one marketplace for purchase. They鈥檙e great. Kokua Hawaii Foundation鈥檚 Learning Farm鈥擪im and Jack Johnson鈥檚 nonprofit鈥攊s a fairly new farm and retail space in Haleiwa. It鈥檚 a really cool place to visit, learn about farming, and volunteer. As for healthy caf茅s, I like the Country Eatery and Raised by the Waves, both in Kahuku.

What do you do on a rainy day in Oahu?
I guess it depends how rainy it is. If it鈥檚 a flooding type of rain, there isn鈥檛 much you can do but we get a lot of light rain, too. That usually doesn鈥檛 stop my normal activities鈥攕urfing, mountain biking, or foiling. I suggest doing the same things you鈥檇 do on a sunny day. Rain passes quick!

Most mainlanders know that Hawaii is famous for poke and shave ice. Where do you go to get these? What other places with traditional food do you frequent, and do you have any favorite orders there?
Ha, we are kind of famous for those. I don鈥檛 have a shave ice place, but if I鈥檓 getting poke, I鈥檒l stop by Kahuku Superette. The best, though, is when a friend catches fish and makes fresh poke at a BBQ or something. Some other food places I really like are Kahuku Farms and, in Haleiwa, Haleiwa Joe鈥檚, Haleiwa Bowls for acai, and Pupukea Grill鈥攅verything at the grill is amazing!

As a sailor, do you have any recommendations for seeing the island that way, either with a company or with your own boat? Any off-the-radar聽 coves or areas with notably more sea life or a fantastic swim or snorkel?
Yeah, definitely. There are a ton of great tours you can take. On the North Shore, Island View Hawaii has a really cool pelagic tour where you get to swim with the sharks outside of Haleiwa. That鈥檚 a great experience. In town, there鈥檚 a tour called Hawaii Glass Bottom Boats that will take you out around the Waikiki area to see all of the sights. Both are great ways to see different parts of the island.

What local shops have a good selection of unique homemade items from Oahu?
There are a lot of great local shops on the North Shore. The Cove Collection sells household gifts, jewelry, and art. That鈥檚 right at Sharks Cove. In Haleiwa, there are a bunch of cool art galleries and surf shops. I like Surf N Sea and North Shore Surf Shop. You don鈥檛 need to go far to find what you鈥檙e looking for in the way of gifts.

Do you follow any local musicians?
If you have the opportunity to see Hawaiian artists like Paula Fuga, Kimie Miner, Jack Johnson, or Ron Artis, I鈥檇 highly recommend it. My friend Martin Saito is another amazing musician on the rise.

Have you ever considered moving to another Hawaiian Island?
I enjoy visiting all the islands鈥攖hey鈥檙e all amazing in their own way鈥攂ut I haven鈥檛 thought much about moving to another. Oahu is home!

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John John Florence has remarkable physical talents, but his greatest asset as an athlete might be his enduring positive attitude. The 29-year-old is often his happiest when things go sideways and he鈥檚 forced to adapt. This explains why, after suffering a major knee injury earlier this year during a competition, the two-time world champion surfer decided to spend his rehab sailing from his home in Hawaii to Fiji, a 3,000-mile open-ocean crossing that was loaded with unpredictable weather, high stress, and some truly scary moments. We connected with Florence at the end of his voyage to find out how he鈥檚 always able to handle whatever comes his way.

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We are a few hours into the inaugural sail of the 2022 season aboard the Schooner Ladona, which traces the rocky coast of Maine for twenty-odd weekends a year, seeking adventure in the mist, fog, and harbors of Vacationland. On land, it may be a fine June morning, but at sea, we鈥檝e encountered the truest of Maine awakenings: some wind (good for the sails), quite a bit of rain; the kind of weather that Mainers describe as 鈥渢ypical.鈥�

My shipmates and I huddle in the galley as chef Anna Miller unearths from storage a trio of different birds, spatchcocked. Laying them out on the galley鈥檚 simple island, she seasons each bird and layers them on top of each other鈥攖urkey first: 18 pounds, followed by a layer of stuffing, followed by a four-pound duck, more stuffing, then a chicken roaster鈥攖ies them together into a round bundle, slicks the bundle with oil, and presents it for us to see, her masterpiece, the butt of a Thanksgiving joke come to life: the famous Schooner Ladona Turducken (find the recipe here).

Miller only serves the turducken on the first and last trips of the 鈥檚 season. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like word-of-mouth,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here are guests that call up and they鈥檙e like, 鈥榃e want to come on the first or the last trip.鈥欌€� The glorious, labor-intensive birds-in-bird, cooked in the kerosene-heated oven, is possible thanks to the planning and design of captain and co-owner J.R. Braugh who, in 2014, alongside a team including captain Noah Barnes, Jane Barrett Barnes, Simon Larsen, Sean Boyd, and Miller, helped spearhead the 100-year-old ship鈥檚 redesign, which included a complete gut of the galley.

鈥淔eatures in the galley like the lighting, fixtures, appliances, layout, soffit design, and range-hood were contributions I made,鈥� Braugh says. 鈥淭he settees, tables, and counter storage considerations were done as a team. A plurality of existing passenger schooners inspired the design and ergonomics we hoped to achieve in Ladona鈥檚 galley, keeping our signature chef, Anna, in mind the whole time.鈥�

The Schooner Ladona, which was originally commissioned by American industrialist Homer Loring in 1922, holds 17 guests鈥攆ewer than some of her neighboring vessels, which can accommodate up to 40鈥攑acked in like happy sardines. Originally built as a sailing yacht, the Ladona was named as a tribute to Loring鈥檚 grandfather, who had a ship with the same name.

Over the course of a century, the Ladona went through multiple incarnations鈥攁nd names. In the late 1960s, someone identified the Ladona, which, by then, had been converted into a fishing boat, as a former sailboat. She was later restored and her name was changed to the Joseph W. Hawkins. Later, the ship was renamed again to the Nathaniel Bowditch, a tribute to the famous American mathematician and military ocean navigator.

By 2014, the boat had fallen on hard times. Tied up in Rockland, Maine, the Ladona was deemed unfit to sail with a revoked certificate of inspection from the Coast Guard before Noah Barnes had the idea to rescue her. Braugh was, he himself says, 鈥渁 willing co-conspirator, once Noah鈥檚 idea and financial strategy were conceived.鈥� Braugh summoned his experiences at sea as he began thinking about a redesign and, importantly, about what kind of galley would be ideal for clientele.

The result is a 196-square-foot galley that is both large enough to cook a massive turducken and seat the boat鈥檚 guests for the breakfast Miller cooks to order between seven and nine. A banquette is situated against the back walls with benches facing a built-in table, so guests can eat as Miller cooks, chats, and preps later meals, all in a space that does not impede the flow. The benches also hide dry storage, so it鈥檚 not unusual to be asked, mid-meal, to stand up for a moment so that someone can grab this or that.

Braugh and Miller worked together prior to the Ladona on a series of boats that were useful testing grounds鈥攖he Mercantile, Grace Bailey, Stephen Taber, and Roseway, often referred to as the green boats because they have green hulls. 鈥淭hey may not have a ton of creature comforts, in the way we aspire to,鈥� Braugh says, 鈥渂ut the galleys had a nice layout.鈥� This included a counter separating the chef鈥檚 workspace from the passengers鈥� space. 鈥淚t gave them a little defensive barrier, and it portioned off a place that they could kind of call their own.鈥� That idea, Braugh says, was translated to the Ladona.

Other details include built-in wall shelving that holds Ball canning jars full of spices and other assorted mise-en-place; a freestanding slop sink that is the sole onboard 鈥渄ishwasher鈥� but does its duty well; and a kerosene stove tucked to the left as you enter the galley, behind captain Braugh鈥檚 makeshift barrier. Next to the stove, a refrigerator鈥攍arge for a ship, but not quite full-sized鈥攕tores perishables. Written on the outside in dry-erase marker are the chef鈥檚 notes regarding the plans for the day or remaining charter. Miller points out wine storage for 70 bottles above the downstairs dining table, added on by Rockland cabinet-maker Sean Boyd a few years after the restoration.

Miller, who enrolls in two full-share CSAs every season for the boat, has the ability with the curated space to be relatively fearless. (When I ask her if there is anything that she would never attempt on this swaying kitchen of the sea, she stops to think a minute: 鈥淚鈥檒l try just about anything, but I definitely know that I couldn鈥檛 pull off a souffl茅 for 17 people.鈥�)

This fearlessness delivers delicious delights. On our final day, for lunch, seated at the long table in June鈥檚 brilliant Maine sunshine, we enjoy homemade Reuben sandwiches, still hot and joyously drippy, accompanied by crinkled-topped brownies. On our final night at sea, the smell of smoke erupts at the rear of the boat: charred steaks emerge, along with corn-on-the-cob, a warm bowl of seasoned potatoes, and, for dessert, tart and creamy slices of key lime pie.

But before those meals, there is this one, the burnished turducken, a feat both of culinary rigor and circumstance. Here, on our first cool evening, perfectly cooked, small space notwithstanding, Miller produces, from the depths, a cured duck pastrami, made in-house, alongside truffled deviled eggs, garnished with chive blossoms from her CSA, and local French breakfast radishes, smeared thick with butter and dipped in lardons. And then the bird, served with potatoes and the conviviality that one might expect at, well, Thanksgiving.

It鈥檚 hard to imagine, as twilight settles in, lights dance overhead, and the occasional seal noses up from the calm of Bucks, where we鈥檝e anchored for the evening, that this bounty could have been created in a room smaller than my freshman dorm room.

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