The sexiest way to travel is none other than sailing. While living in the Marshall Islands, I developed a passion for the open sea and a love for sailing. Clear blue waters with rolling waves crashing over the hull left not only branded my soul but left a taste for ocean exploration.
It was a typical day on Wake Island when I received word that two sailing vessels were pulling in the harbor for needed repair. The first was a 60-foot monohull with four crew members sailing to Asia. The second was a 50-foot catamaran with a crew of two heading to Singapore. Unfortunately, while waiting for parts, the first mate on the catamaran was fired and flown off the island. The captain asked if I would want to make the crossing with him. My dad said no.
Years later, Alicia and I found ourselves on different sailboats in different oceans, but our favorite was to film an Adventure and Romance episode. The Glen Sweatman is a 100-year-old 70-foot schooner based in Biloxi, Mississippi. It is part of the Maritime Museum that focuses on the oyster industry that led the country in the early 1900s. The Glen Sweatman is also known as the white wing angel of the Biloxi sound.
We had intended to sail the Glen Sweatman on a day that she was open to the public. As luck would have it, we were the only ones aboard at the time of departure. The crew agreed to take us out if we paid the amount for six, the least amount to sail. We were happy to pay for the private trip and help the museum.
Our captain for the day was Captain Ron, an 88-year-old veteran with salt water flowing through his veins. He welcomed us aboard, and with the thoughts of Kurt Russell (the star in the 1980s movie named Captain Ron), we shoved off and motored to open waters. It wasn't long before he shut down the engines and hoisted the sails. Pointed to the barrier islands and sailing downwind, the 100-year-old gal was as quiet as a whisper breaking through the small waves. I had once again found my place of peace.
The day could not have been a better day for sailing. We launched our drone and took a video of the white angel as she guided us, showing how the oyster boats once performed. Captain Ron was a wealth of information on the Biloxi sound and how oyster farming ruled the area back in the day. Typically, work was hard and made for honest men in the past, but a chance to work on the Glen Sweatman would have been an excellent opportunity for any sailor.
Sailing is meant for the renaissance man or woman and is undoubtedly the most romantic way to travel. So watch our episode below, and jump aboard the Glen Sweatman when you are in Biloxi.
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