Pris Campbell | Sea Trails

Pris Campbell © 2009

All Rights Reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced without express written permission of the author; except for purposes of review.

ISBN 978-1-929878-02-4

First edition. Lummox Press PO Box 5301 San Pedro, CA 90733 www.lummoxpress.com

Printed in the United States of America

Acknowledgements: Original Sin was published in Wild Goose Review, Streaking was in Empowerment4Women and Plymouth was in Not Your Bitch at Outside Writers

Special thanks go to Carter Monroe, Scott Owens and Margie Stevenson for reading the collection and making helpful suggestions.

How It Began

This 1977 trip was the fulfillment of a dream that the man I will only refer to as R and I had, individually. Together, we decided to make it reality. We lived in a commune in Boston where expenses were low, but we still put ourselves on a strict budget for two years. No frills allowed. My income was the one high enough to qualify for a boat loan after we discovered the boat that was to become Little Adventure. In the late seventies, women still couldn’t be granted a loan unless a husband or financially responsible male co-signed. I went to the bank manager after being turned down by the assistants. He turned out to be a sailor, himself, broke the rules and gave me the loan. For that, I’m grateful. I’m also grateful that such limitations no longer exist for women. Over the next two years we took Power Squadron courses on everything from what knot fits what occasion to advanced navigation to sail to engine maintenance. We practiced sail maneuvers and man overboard drills as part of our preparation.

Our savings were meant to last for a year. They came mostly from my salary while R paid off an old college loan. I also paid health insurance for a year in advance for us both at a time when that was completely affordable for people who weren’t wealthy. Our relationship, however, was dying as the time neared for us to go, but the trip had taken on a life of its own. R’s anger over my job success compared to his was a barbed wire for me to deal with. His eye was beginning to rove, too. I wanted this trip, though, and wasn’t out of love yet. Maybe I hoped the trip would bring back what we’d lost. We gave notice in our jobs, said our good-byes and left. Was it crazy? Yes, in terms of our deteriorating relationship. No, in terms of what was to become one of the most meaningful adventures of my lifetime.

“In a skillful blending of prose and poetry Campbell shares her exciting passage down the east coast from Boston to Florida in a 22 foot sailing sloop. An intimate window on a difficult romantic relationship with her sailing partner, combined with vivid descriptions of adventures at sea and in port, this book will leave you longing to set sail with this able sailor at the helm.” — Margie Stevenson, PhD., Psychologist

“How interesting to actually see the source of inspiration from which Pris Campbell riffs in this fascinating collection. A master at the construction of tightly woven narratives, her work is like the boat itself upon which the reader sails along beside her on this incredible journey.” — Carter Monroe

“I met Pris Campbell at an anchorage off the Delaware Bay during her 1977 sailing trip. We became friends and our two boats sailed several legs of the trip south after that. It’s a pleasure to read her story of this trip, told through poems and log notes. For all you sea lovers and would-be sailors out there, Pris makes the adventure come alive.” — Margaret Rogers, R.N. and former cruising sailor.

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