On Board Since March 1997

OCSC: Why do you sail?

HE: It just FEELS so damn good! I love being outside, finding my place in the universe by harmonizing with the wind and the waves. Depending on my mood, I can  put pressure on myself to learn, to tweak every last erg of energy out of the sails. Or I can sink into a meditative state where I am much more in touch with my emotions. Or I can chill out with my friends and share some wine and cheese. Sailing can be almost anything I need.

HE: The people. Then also, there's the people. Oh, did I mention the people? My co-workers are some of the best sailors and best human beings I've ever met. I also take great satisfaction in connecting with the students, and giving them the support and encouragement they need to reach their 'a-ha!' moments of insight. I really enjoy getting people fired up about sailing. 

HE: I learned how to sail in Baltimore, taking the ASA's Basic Keelboat class in 1994. The school I went to had a flat-rate all-you-can-sail membership, which I took full advantage of. That first year, I was on the water two or three days a week, and I was reading at least one sailing book per week. I got to be good friends with the club owner -- in my second season he used me as a salesman, sending his potential members out with me for a 'sample'.  In my third year he asked me to teach for him.  I've sailed a little in the Caribbean (1998 for the total solar eclipse), and I've done a double-handed passage from Mexico to Hawaii.  

HE: I spend a lot of time noodling around on my computers. I'm a free software evangelist, and I'm trying to spread the word about Linux. I'm also a high-tech entrepreneur and an engineering manager. 

OCSC: What are your top five sailing books of all time?  

HE: " 1) All of the Horatio Hornblower books by C.S. Forester,  2) Fastnet, Force 10 by John Rousmaniere, 3) The Naval War of 1812 by Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt,  4) Close to the Wind by Pete Goss,  5) Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan