Excerpts from Passage East (the skipper/author’s log of the 1952 transatlantic race aboard his yawl, Caribbee)

By Carleton Mitchell

Racing a small yacht across the North Atlantic is not entirely a technical feat nor even an adventure in the classic sense; but it is a great emotional and physical experience for those involved – moments of exhaustion and exultation, of cold fog and blazing sunshine, of hard driving and maddening drifting. And always watch after watch the routine of living and shipkeeping goes on, day and night, with never a sense of monotony…

In the attached article, Ralph Naranjo reviews his development as a sailor.

Opening paragraph:

By John Rousmaniere, The New York Yacht Club: A History © John Rousmaniere

Seamanship is usually described as a litany of skills and knowledge of boat handling, navigation, deck work, and systems maintenance. The combined crew should be able to cover all of it. Ideally the boat is in better shape at the end of the trip than the beginning.