sailing
A few film photos from a trip to Brooklin Maine around this time last year, which also included a trip to The WoodenBoat School.
Oh how I can't wait to go back in July and gain more inspiration for Tumblehome.
Despite being a lifelong Virginian, Maine is a state I could see myself calling home.
But then again, anywhere on the water is a place I call home.
I thought I would take this day, Father's Day, the day in which we celebrate all of those special irreplaceable men in our lives, to announce a venture I am embarking on with my own Father.
One I am extremely excited about...
Tumblehome.
For those of you who follow me on Instagram you may have seen this post already, but I wanted to announce it here, as well as go a little more in depth about it!
Tumblehome is a brand my father, the sailor, and I are starting together.
(That's right friends, you are finally going to gain the privilege of learning a little bit more about the other person behind all of my #daughterofasailor posts.)
We both value the art of mindful and intentional living and sailing embodies so much of that mindset for us.
There's a simplicity that comes with being on a boat that teaches you to have an intentional mindset in other areas of your life as well.
Because so often it's just you, the wind, the water, and going from point A to point B.
You learn to be patient, to slow down and that it's about the journey, not the destination.
It's one of the biggest parts of my life, and I know my Father's as well, that consistently reminds me of that.
It strips everything down and there's a stillness and peacefulness that allows for the contemplation of what really matters.
Which is why we are pursuing the venture of making well made, quality goods that we design and hand craft together.
Because quality vs. quantity is another one of our mottos, and we want our creative endeavors and pursuits to reflect that as well.
We hope that you'll be up for sharing that mantra as we gain inspiration in our day to day adventures together and apart.
All goods will be handcrafted here in Richmond, VA with found and recycled materials or sourced here in the US whenever possible.
There might be a website in the works but in the meantime follow us on Instagram and Facebook as we start to talk more about our adventures and prep handmade goods for the shop this summer!
In closing, I'll leave you with a little definition of the word Tumblehome...
tum·ble·home
ˈtəmbəlˌhōm/
noun
the inward slope of the upper part of the sides of a boat or ship.
Photos taken in Oxford, Maryland around this time last year.
A little waterfront town I will always be in love with.
Meet Una.
She's the product of my father, the sailor's, hands.
He built her in a garage in the suburbs of Richmond over a ten month period.
And, if it means anything to you, she's a Iain Oughtred Sooty Tern. A double-ended yawl, sporting a balanced lug main and bermuda mizzen.
Her name means pure, holy, feminine and single (one).
She's Scottish/Gaelic/Norse in her origin.
In my father's words she was "a labor of love, a commitment to a dream and a promise of adventure".
(You can see where I get a bit of that wanderlust soul from...)
Seeing how proud he's been of this boat and how happy it's made him in the building and completion of it has been one of the highlights of my year.
We took her out for an overnight adventure last month and it was, simply put, one of the top ten best experiences of my life.
(I can actually list these experiences for you too... if you don't believe me)
I will treasure this time and the memories made during this brief but wonderful trip for forever and always.
My father is one of the people I adore and most look up to in this world and while this experience is one I hold very dear to my heart, I hesitated sharing it here because of it's sacredness.
However, I wanted the opportunity to showcase his wonderful talent and to give his beautiful creation the spotlight it deserves.
As I've stated before, being on a boat makes you look outward and there's a special kind of soul searching that happens when you're surrounded by all that blue.
There's also a kind of serenity that comes with it that's not easy to find these days.
It's something that neither words or pictures can really fully express.
You just have to experience it for yourself.
///////////
If you're so inclined, and understand such ruminations (or simply have an appreciation for them), you can read my father's blog on the building of Una
.
One of my favorite photos I've taken recently with one of my favorite songs.
I hope you're having a lovely weekend.
Go have an adventure.
//////////
Into The Mystic by
Van Morrison
We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won
As we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly
Into the mystic
And when that fog horn blows
I will be coming home, mmm mmm
And when the fog horn blows
I want to hear it
I don't have to fear it
I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
Then magnificently we will float
Into the mystic
When that fog horn blows
You know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows
I gotta hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will float
Into the mystic
Come on girl
Will they stop now
Tangier Island is a tiny little place in the Chesapeake Bay.
The population is less than a thousand and the true natives speak in a unique english like accent that is pretty unmistakeable and something thats super neat to hear. They also primarily drive golf carts, or scooters as there's no real need for cars on such a small piece of land.
Milton (as seen in the last photo) is the keeper of the Marina and has quite a lot of cool stories to tell if you happen to run into him and have time to chat for a bit. He was on the island before they had electricity and was among the first graduating class of the local high school.
(Quite an accomplishment to be sure)
It's definitely a cool place to wander around and explore, which you can do in less than an hour or so since the whole island is only about a mile long!
P.s. There are also
a lot
of cats.
So there's that too.
Shot with b/w 35mm film // Minolta x-700
"stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive." | hafiz
And on this blue carpet, this vastness, this unknown, is where my soul finds rest.
Where it remembers how to just be.
//////////
I was born on a
The daughter of a sailor
It's who I am
The feeling the open water brings is one akin to the feeling of home
I love sleeping under all those stars that are only that brilliant far away from the towns and cities that try to overshadow them
Waking up to a sun that is only that stunning when it's rising up out of the water as if it went for a morning swim before starting its day
Being on a boat makes you look outwards
There's a special kind of soul searching that happens when you're surrounded by all that blue
