As a surfer and environmentalist enchanted by foreign waves and cultures, Captain Liz Clark left California aboard her 40-foot sailboat, Swell, in early 2006. As Liz says herself, “The world has since shown me more amazing people, waves, adventures, natural beauty, personal insights, and alternative ways to living than I ever dreamed possible. Swell serves as my floating home and transportation. I travel at a pace not much faster than you can run. The weather, swell, and tides dictate my days. This isn’t just a surf trip, it’s a lifestyle.”
We’re going all the way back to April… On my way home from the surprise surf session on the other side of the island, I passed a lovely sailboat named, ‘Namaste’. Chris and Jessica waved me over. They invited me aboard for a timely warm meal, where I learned more … Read the rest
After my recent ‘knockdown’ from ciguatera poisoning, I’ve tried to gather some information on the subject, mostly through local knowledge due to the extremely limited internet access here in the outer OUTER islands. As the symptoms dwindle now on Day 20 since the poisoning, I realize there is more to… Read the rest
I didn’t find a single minute to write stories on my unplanned trip back to the States for Barry’s memorial. I’m sooooooooooo glad I was there, thanks Dad for the Frequent Flyer ticket! …Just back to Tahiti, where I’m waiting to hop a cargo ship tomorrow that is headed for… Read the rest
With great sadness, I bring news of the passing of my dear friend, hero and role model, Dr. Arent H. “Barry” Schuyler. The Voyage of Swell was as much his dream as mine when our fated paths crossed in July of 2003. He proposed the idea to collaborate on a… Read the rest
That night blurred into morning without sleep to divide the days. By the distance we had remaining, it would be a close race to make it to my destination with overhead sunlight to enter the pass. I revved the engine and felt the hull push through the oncoming waves, it… Read the rest
“Swreeee, skreeee, squeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!” woke me from the deadest kind of sleep. “Where am I?” I thought for a moment…
Opening my eyes, I squinted toward the sky, a mess of flapping wings. “Swreeee, skreeee, squeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“What the..?”
I sat up, wrapping the sheet around me in the cool morning air…… Read the rest
The night wind persisted, shifting northeast, which forced us off-course by nearly 30 degrees. So I tacked south and could still made a bit of easting… “East is east”–I’d take what I could get.
By dawn we were triple reefed, the headsail wound to less than half its size. See… Read the rest
I motored most of the night to lay some solid miles of ‘easting’. The bright moonlight and light winds eased me gently back into the rhythm of a night at sea…
The next morning, the sea was an enormous, regal blue sheet of silk billowing out in all directions. It… Read the rest
Swell was ready–dinghy on deck, gear stashed and stowed. My leafy companions—basil, aloe, mint, lemongrass, and sage plants were wedged securely around the cabin. The night was almost eerily calm. The Milky Way exploded across the sky from behind the silhouette of the island. Swell heaved slightly against… Read the rest
HAPPY EARTH DAY!! Late, but hardly forgotten… as I celebrate the Earth EVERY day! I hope you found a way to appreciate our planet, and as often as possible… Whether it’s the sea or the mountains, the desert or the prairie, a canyon or even the weeds in your backyard…… Read the rest
