A New Journey
In 2020, I was 55 years old, and somehow life had stalled. I was grieving the loss of my wife, Kyoko, and otherwise was stuck in a pointless daily grind. I was ready for a fresh start. Sailing the 23-foot Sonars at Port Sailing School on Long Island Sound kept me going, and soon I was taking every ASA sailing class I could, all the way up to advanced coastal cruising and celestial navigation. I was devouring books by intrepid solo sailors, like Liz Clark and James Baldwin, and this fed my own childhood dream of crossing oceans by sailboat. Finally, I decided to go for it. I left my corporate job in Manhattan, sold my house, bought a beautiful old Cape Dory 36 cutter I found in Maine, and moved to Georgia to work on the refit with world-class sailor and boat craftsman James Baldwin, whose books I had been reading.
James and I spent eighteen months refitting Swan for solo offshore sailing, and in September 2023, I sold my car and moved aboard. In the following years, I sailed the Georgia coast, the Bahamas, up and down the US East Coast, and across the Atlantic Ocean and back. Swan was the ideal boat for solo offshore voyaging, and I benefited enormously from James’ many upgrades and innovations. The conversion from diesel engine to a small outboard housed in an integrated engine well made Swan unique among boats of her class, a pure sailing vessel driven almost solely by the wind. Completing the one-year 10,300-mile Atlantic circle voyage with only a 10-hp electric outboard beautifully demonstrated Swan’s seaworthiness and sailing qualities.
My experiences with Swan were among the most challenging and rewarding of my life. Deciding to step away and chart a new course was not easy, but other priorities in life beckoned. While Swan and I have now parted ways, in spirit I remain the solo ocean sailor, riding the waves, living simply, and ready for the next adventure.
This website chronicles my journey with Swan. Welcome aboard!
Tanken
The Japanese word tanken, meaning “to explore,” served as the theme of my journey with Swan. It captures the spirit of curiosity, adventure, determination, perseverance and fulfillment that drove my experience. Tanken also represents my deep connection with Japan, which was my home for many years. The journey with Swan is dedicated to my wife, Kyoko, whom I lost to cancer in 2020.
Mark Tagami Meredith
