Annie’s Books – Page 2 – Have Wind Will Travel

Written Interview on SailNator.com!

June 15, 2016May 19, 2016anniedike

This was pretty cool. I had a fellow sailing blogger reach out to me and ask me to do a written interview for his blog — SailNator.com “Learn to Sail Online.” I found the questions he asked were really fun and insightful and I had a great time letting my Writer Annie let it all hang out in the process. I hope you enjoy the interview!

WRITTEN INTERVIEW with HaveWindWillTravel.com on www.SailNator.com. Dig in!

And, I have no idea where I’ll be as you’re reading this, but it may be somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic as we departed the end of May on our non-stop voyage from Florida to France on a French-built Catamaran. The tracker link showing our little blinking dot as it travels across the ocean along with daily messages to our followers and a world of photos, footage and stories from Atlantic crossing await on Patreon!

Boat #6: 1985 Nonsuch (Like It!) 30

May 27, 2016May 26, 2016anniedike

In honor of my book release THIS WEEK, this is it — the s/v Tanglefoot from None Such Like It. The book is out now on Amazon and on discount this week only. Go get it for an even more intimate, first-hand feel for this comfortable, trusted coastal cruiser. Thank Mr. While You’re Down There for the literary entertainment and the tour! And, tell this little salty sailor “Au Revoir” at the end of the video as she embarks on her Atlantic crossing headed for France! Bon Voyage Video Annie!

None Such Like It is OUT!

May 25, 2016May 25, 2016anniedike

There she is, my new book, live on Amazon … GO GET HER!

Click to Buy None Such Like It on Amazon

Get it in Paperback or Get it on the Kindle

A HUGE thanks to my many pre-release readers for taking the time to review my little rock (which has since been polished to a gem!), provide substantive feedback, help me pinpoint and correct some errors and help shape this story into the enlightening, funny, entertaining piece it is today. I couldn’t have done it without you all. Plus, it was fun to welcome you all into my world (busy, ain’t it?) and share this writing process with you. I hope to write TWO books while I’m crossing the Atlantic!

Now, for the fun TRIVIA. A free signed hard copy (proof above — I’ve got ’em in hand) goes to the first HaveWind follower to answer correctly in a comment on the blog below:

What was the dish we made during this hapless crew’s first passage together on our Niagara back in 2013 that gave our good buddy Mitch such tummy troubles?

I hope you enjoy this story. I definitely saw myself in Mitch many, many times. We’ve all been there! Boats (particularly old but new-to-you ones) can give you plenty of grief!

Enjoy the salty sequel! I now have three! How cool is that?

OFFICIAL TRAILER: None Such Like It + 10 eCopy Giveaways!

May 11, 2016anniedike

First he was in shock, then he was angry. Other times he denied it ever happened. But it was one hell of an entertaining journey helping deliver this Nonsuch and watch as the old gal gave our buddy Mitch (Mr. “While You’re Down There” from Salt of a Sailor) plenty of grief. This is the trailer for my new book that will be coming out this May! There will be none such like it, I promise! So, two exciting opportunities to get an early sneak peek before the BIG public launch later this month:

FIRST: Patrons get free pre-release eCopies! If you have been thinking about Becoming a Patron but have not yet, what the heck are you waiting for?!Also, there are some really cool Atlantic-crossing updates up on Patreon now listing our official crew for the passage (we are now up to FOUR), as well as a virtual tour of the boat, our planned long-shift/short shift watch schedule and, coming this week, results from our Captain’s testing of the satellite tracker while strapped in the cockpit of a jet. WHOA.

Oh, but back to the Nonsuch book (sorry, the Patreon stuff is kind of super exciting … ; )

SECOND: I will also be giving away a pre-release eCopy to the first TEN FOLKS who comment on this blog post saying “Heck yeah, send me a free early copy!”

In exchange for the free eCopy, all I ask is you read the book over the next couple of weeks and post an honest review on Amazon when she goes live later this month (likely May 25th, although that may have to wiggle around some of our Atlantic-crossing preparations). It helps with Amazon’s crazy analytics if the review comes from a “Verified Purchase,” so I will discount the book the first week (only $2.99) so you all can buy a quick $3 copy then post your review. The purchase part is not required, merely requested, to help with Amazon marketing. The book is yours for free regardless. Sound like a good deal? Alrighty then ….

Who all wants a pre-release eCopy? First TEN folks to comment below win. Ready? GO!

Podcast Interview with KeepYourDaydream!

May 3, 2016anniedike

What an honor! Tricia Leach from KeepYourDaydream travel podcasts reached out to me recently via my YouTube channel to ask for an interview with this crazy tool-slinging, shipyard graduate and we had a blast chatting last week. I was honored to be included among the ranks of Sailing Uma, Monday Never, that awesome Pizza-Pi Boat in St. Thomas, the infamous crew of s/v Delos and one of my absolute favs: Tasha Hacker with Chase the Story Sailing. (I want to be Tasha when I grow up!)

Tricia and her family are about to embark on a trek across the United States in an RV to see if she, the hubby and their three children can acclimate to a simpler, more satisfying life before they officially buy a boat, move aboard and cruise and she had a lot of questions about my transition to a more essentialist lifestyle. Tricia’s story in a nutshell (this definitely reminded me of my fat lawyer living, McMansion days) probably sounds very familiar to many of you:

There was no question that we had subscribed to the mentality of more, more, more. From the outside looking in … we had everything. At a cost. It was stressful to keep up with everything we had rationalized as things we needed. Over time, we referred to working as “feeding the shredder.” At the time, we didn’t realize we were associating our happiness with our achievements and possessions. But we knew we were not fulfilled. No matter how great the next thing was… the enjoyment only lasted until we got used to it as our new normal and then it was just another bill. The worst part is… we would have never stopped if it wasn’t for October of 2008 there’s no doubt we would still be in the pursuit of more. That’s when the stock market fell out of the sky and what that meant for us…60% of our bookings canceled in two months. We were forced to start making big decisions about what was really going to be prioritized. And after two years of a lot stress … the final big decision was, we’re not going continue to feed the shredder.

I hope you enjoy the interview! If you’re working toward a goal of more freedom, fun and fulfillment in your life, Tricia and I will both tell you: “Live Your Dream!”

CLICK TO LISTEN >>>> Ep. 75: Have Wind Will Travel with Annie Dike

Also, up on Patreon this week: a fun Meet the Crew post for the Atlantic-crossing crew and a virtual tour of the Soubise Freydis 46 we’ll be sailing on. Join the Journey!

You’re Not Going to Blast it on YouTube?

April 25, 2016April 25, 2016anniedike

Why would you sign up for the passage then?

While I have received approximately 93.8 questions since I shared the exciting news that I will be crossing the Atlantic on a non-stop voyage this June, many ranging from the comical to concerned, the well-founded to the what-in-the-world?, but this one─“Why would you go if you can’t share it on YouTube?”─really frustrated me. I think it’s important I take a moment to make sure my platform and message here is clear.

I love to write and film and share my journey, but first and foremost in that is my desire to embark on journeys. The experience is primary. The ability to share the experience with the masses is secondary. What I hope I have conveyed and achieved here is my goal to document and share my journey so that it inspires others to follow their dreams, including the desire to go cruising. Is it my goal to share the story and experience of a friend who has asked that I not? No. Never. Any time a fellow cruiser has asked me and any time one may ask me in the future: “Please don’t film this” (or “Please don’t blast this on YouTube”), I will gladly honor that request, not unfriend him, stomp away in a huff and lose the experience of his company.

Okay, rant over. But that had to be said. If any of YOU out there are struggling to start and grow your own sailing blog or YouTube channel and have ever found it, at any point in time, frustrating, please remember cruising is about the experience. If something in your life is hindering that experience, take a step back and assess its importance to you and your attitude about it. Do and create things you love and don’t worry about those who cast hate on it.

I am excited about this Atlantic-crossing trip, exuberant really. The Captain’s request is well-founded, legitimate and I am grateful he honored my request to share my content about the Atlantic-crossing on Patreon. If you feel a couple dollars a week is worth it for the experience? Wonderful. If you don’t? Wonderful. It will not deter me in any way from continuing to share my Atlantic content on Patreon and my as-always free content on YouTube and here on the blog.

As a treat, here is a fun little snippet of the video I’m working hard on for Friday about our “work project of the re-fit.” Also, because I knew I would soon be doing some serious traveling (“What? Where to?” France people! Try to keep up!), I finally had to roll over and upgrade my long-time friend and two-year running $115 Chromebook and exclusive use of online video editing software to a computer that would allow me to create videos and write offline. This is the first little mini movie I made on the new MacBook using iMovie and (and!) I got a new mic for Voiceover Annie. *applause* Enjoy!

I’m also very excited about where things are going with the Nonsuch book. Phillip, as it seems he always does (he’s kind of annoyingly awesome that way), came up with a fantastic idea for an overall theme and fun spin on the book and I’m typing away fervently every day trying to work it in. I will send out a request soon for advanced readers so some of you (you’ll have to jump on it quick!) can get a free glimpse of the book in exchange for an honest Amazon review. Plenty of HaveWind goodness to come!

On Patreon this week, I will be sharing more details about the Atlantic trip and will try to answer some of the many (far more legitimate … that’s the last time I will say it) questions I have received about the trip:

1) When are you leaving?

2) Why Non-Stop?

3) Are You Paid Crew?

If you’re interested and inclined …

If you’re not? No worries! ; ) I’ll catch you here on Wednesday.

My Next Book!

April 13, 2016anniedike

Hey kids! I’ve got so many exciting things going on and so much to share with you, I’m kind of stretching at the seams. Life is so full for this little sailor right now. While I do have big news I will be sharing soon, I have some almost-as-big news that I will be sharing NOW:

I’ve got my next book in the works!

It’s going to be a fun, quick read covering our colorful passage with the infamous Mr. “While You’re Down There” from Salt of a Sailor when we helped him bring his 30′ Nonsuch back home across the Gulf in June of last year. As a little treat for you all and continued thanks for your support through the blog, Amazon, YouTube and Patreon, I thought I would share with you a sneak peek of the working title, Prologue and photos I’m considering for the cover. I give you …

NONE SUCH LIKE HIM:

Mr. “While You’re Down There” Buys a Boat

Anyone else I could understand, but this was Mitch, Mr. “While You’re Down There.” There are just some people you know─and they can be very close friends, hearts of gold, good, salt of the earth people─but you just know, they should not own a boat. It’s just not a good fit.

Mitch can’t sit still for five minutes. He cannot not ask questions any time you do anything. “What’s that?” “Where does it go?” “Why are you turning it?” He’s got the best of intentions but he’s also got some sort of halo filter around his head that makes him perceive only his surroundings, only his emergencies. “Patience is a … “ you can start to say, but he’ll cut you off before you finish with a “Hang on,” a “Hold this,” or “Move.”

I know all of this because Mitch was the third member of our rookie crew during the shakedown of all shakedowns, when Phillip and I sailed our recently-purchased 1985 Niagara 35 back from Punta Gorda, Florida across the Gulf of Mexico to Pensacola in 2013. I say “rookie” because there were so many things the three of us had not done, or had not done together, which would have better prepared us for the passage. I, for one, had never sailed. Aside from a one-hour romp on another boat Phillip and I had looked at before settling on the Niagara, this would be the second sail of my entire life. That meant I had no sailing experience, no offshore experience, no experience to speak of at all. Everything was new to me. Sometimes I still have to wonder why Phillip let me come along. Maybe to clean and cook?

While Mitch had some sailing experience, he had never been on an offshore passage and he and Phillip had never sailed together, nor had he sailed a boat like ours. While Phillip was the most experienced of the three of us in handling a boat like ours, he had never captained a boat on an offshore passage and had never been on a passage this long before. And, as Phillip repeatedly stressed: “Every boat is different.” Meaning, no matter how much experience you may have, each time you step aboard a boat you’ve never sailed before, there is a learning curve. So, the three of us─Phillip, Mitch and I─were sailing a boat we had never sailed before, with a crew that had never sailed together before on a passage none of us had undertaken before. Nothing could go wrong, right? Wrong.

Plenty did and, while I’m not sure I would want it to all play out the same way again, it did make for one hell of a story. And, at the beating heart of it was him: Mr. “While You’re Down There.” He was easily the most colorful character on that trip, the loudest too. And while Phillip and I both will be forever grateful for his help in bringing our boat back home in mostly one piece, to be honest, the thought of Mitch with his own boat kind of frightened us. It’s just such a huge commitment. It’s a huge money pit. Plus, it’s huge! The image of Mitch barreling up to our boat in some thirty-plus foot tank shouting and trying to raft up gave me nightmares. “Hang on!” “Hold this!” “Move!” Then I woke to the sound of crunching fiberglass.

But it did not matter how many times we tried to tell him we just didn’t think it would be the right move for him. “Try a charter for the weekend,” we told him. “Don’t jump right into this,” we warned. It did not work. Mitch set his sights on a boat down in Ft. Myers, put in an offer sight unseen, hit the road and just went ahead and bought a boat while he was down there. Only Mitch.

But Phillip and I knew we had a debt to pay. Mitch had stepped up when no one else had or could to help us bring our beautiful Niagara back from south Florida, so he knew we would step up and do the same for him when it came time to bring his own boat home across the Gulf. While I was a little worried, I was mostly intrigued, entertained by the idea of making this passage again, this time with Mitch as the Captain. I knew one thing for sure. It would probably make for one hell of a story.

How about it? You ready to turn the page? I’m excited to hear what you think!

Cover Photos: Here are the cover photos I am considering as well. I have numbered them for easy voting, so please let me know in a comment below which one you like the best! Writing books … such fun! Happy to have you all along for the ride.

Eenie Meenie Miney Moe. Which do you like best? Let me know!

Boat Shopping Should Be Fun

March 16, 2016anniedike

“It should! It should be a fun experience,” she said. “Not a frustrating one.”

Pam Wall told me this, just recently when I was speaking to her over the phone to get her contribution for the Gift of Cruising announcement video. We’re getting so close I knew I had to get my ducks in order! And, Pam said this sort of off-the-cuff, but it stuck with me:

“Boat shopping should be fun.”

Many of you out there may be boat shopping now or will be soon and maybe you’ve found the whole experience stressful, overwhelming, aggravating. I’m here to say: “Don’t!” The shopping is a fundamental part of the whole cruising experience. You are finding your boat, your vessel, your ticket to world travel. She will carry you, protect you, enlighten you. Once you begin to sail her, learn her finicky ways, crack open her chest, her ribs and start working on all the tiny little wires and hoses inside, you will see she has a soul. She will become the most integral part of your cruising plan. If it takes time to find her, then it takes time. Don’t rush it. Savor every bit of the journey.

Looking back on mine and Phillip’s initial boat-shopping days, I realize it’s a good thing I was so blissfully ignorant about the whole cruising experience then. It freed me from over-analyzing the boats we stepped aboard and worrying too much about whether I would want a drop-down table or a permanent one, whether a separate shower stall was “a must” or whether we simply had to have a generator. Because it was all so new to me and because I really didn’t know what life on a boat was going to be like, I just went with the flow and soaked it all in. Phillip was saddled with the task of worrying about everything, but he really didn’t. He had a few key features he knew he wanted. Aside from that, all that was required was an affordable, well-maintained seaworthy yet fun-to-sail boat that “felt right” when he stepped aboard. Those were his very words. So, that was my only indicator: which boat “felt right” to me. It eliminated all stress from the equation.

This one certainly “felt right” to me. The interior of our Niagara 35 before she was gutted at the yard.

With that factor gone, our boat-shopping experience turned into an adventure. In fact, it was so much fun, the story that came out of the first boat we looked at─you may recall the tale of my very first sail, HookMouth and “I’m buried to port!”─still stands as my first post on this blog: February 16, 2013 ─ My First Sail. It was also my first article published in Cruising Outpost and even made its way into my first Amazon best-selling book, Salt of a Sailor. If a story that good can come out of it, surely it’s an experience worth savoring.

Pam Wall inspired me to write this post as I worried many of you who are boat-shopping now may be cursing the whole endeavor. Maybe you’re finding it frustrating, irritating, stressful and my goal is to turn that around. “Boat-shopping should be fun,” she said. Try to treat each new boat you look at as worthy of being “The One,” assuming it─as it must─”feels right” when you step aboard. If it doesn’t, give it the opportunity to at least become a great story to tell some day:

“Remember that boat we looked at in Tarpon Springs?”

“Oh Lord … and the owner. What was his name?”

“Oh yeah. Sammy the self-proclaimed snake-handling expert.”

You never know what can come out of it. Savor it all. Your boat is out there waiting for you. I can assure you. And, you want to find her, not a “she’ll-do” filler because you grew weary of looking. Be patient.

You can’t hurry love.

WHOA. Only $10 more to go. This is happening kids! Who wants the last opportunity to say you were part of it when it all started?

I Don’t Miss the Office

March 9, 2016anniedike

They say you just have to write what you’re feeling, so this is what’s coming out. Some days this whole HaveWindWillTravel gig is exhausting. I am a one-woman film/write/edit production team. I am my own camera crew. GoPro goes everywhere with me, along with my mega-grip selfie stick. I always have my laptop at hand to scribble down some musings or chapter intros. I publish two videos per week, one blog. I have two self-published books on Amazon that I promote and market. I’m trying to get started on my third, but it never seems like there are enough hours in the day. But you know what?

I don’t miss the office.

Seriously, that was my cell, with the little path to my chair picked out between boxes upon boxes of records, depositions, transcripts and files. The sheer volume of my obligations was literally stacking up and threatening to topple over onto me. Some days I wake now and I feel a little pressed for time to review footage, complete a video, write a blog post or get any number of the other things I need to get done in between the time we are currently spending at the yard trying to get our little boat back in the water, but the “stress” from those obligations can never compare to the gut-wrenching, sweat-inducing pressure I used to put on myself while in the practice.

I harbored such vivid fears of screwing up, disappointing my partners or blowing a case that it often made me feel sick and woozy. I knew if a certain number popped up on my phone, it would be one of my partners asking me questions I probably could not answer. If my assistant came into my office and said “We need to talk,” I believed it might be because I had made some major mistake in a filing that might severely impair my client’s case. I sometimes flung myself awake at night worried I had missed an irreversible filing deadline or failed to ask the one singular most important question in a deposition. I’m surprised I got much done I was so busy worrying.

Why am I sharing all of this? I had a good friend say to me the other day, while I was buried down in the engine compartment of our boat, greased up, uncomfortable, contorted in pain trying to thread the tiniest nut on the end of a steering cable clamp:

“I’ll bet you wish you were back sitting in an office right now.”

I stopped fiddling with the nut, I let my arms rest and I had to look at him and tell him: “No. There’s not a day that goes by.”

I’m sure it surprised him a little. But, while I still work incredibly hard to create and produce consistent, quality content to promote my books, my YouTube channel and my Patreon campaign, I no longer experience that gut-wrenching, stomach-convulsing fear and stress that I often experienced while “at the office.” I am now in the driver’s seat of my career and I am now the only person I must answer to when assessing my work performance, progress and goals. While I am very tough on myself, I no longer fear disappointing a partner, losing a client’s case or costing the firm millions. The only thing I fear is disappointing myself which I have yet to do. Even when the return on investment on my productions isn’t as impressive as I would like it to be, I am proud of what I created and garner immense pleasure from those who write to me and tell me they’ve enjoyed a video or one of my books or an article that I have written. That is my true measure of success.

I hope you all have been enjoying the content! If so, please support my Give the Gift of Cruising campaign on Patreon to help me create more and share the cruising lifestyle with more people. Thank you!

Adventure Sports Podcast Interview #2

February 10, 2016anniedike

I might have told a story of losing my bikini top while kite-surfing … Pretty sure I did.

It’s almost impossible to control the things that will fly out of my mouth. Second interview with Travis Parsons on the Adventure Sports Podcast brought to you by 180 Tack. A lot of fun stories in here for you kids talking about sailing, kite-surfing, Keys to the Kingdom and my gift of cruising campaign. Enjoy!

CLICK TO PLAY

HELP ME GIVE THE GIFT OF CRUISING! Click to donate!