Brian Hathaway

For the landlocked soul — she who is bound to the rhythm of routines and responsibilities — he shows up like a warm, impossible breeze from someplace far away, a break in the pattern, a vacation disguised as a human being, and for a moment life feels lighter, brighter… almost cinematic. For him, it’s not a vacation. He spends months or years surrounded by nothing but sea and sky — battling storms, fixing things, sleeping with one eye open, moving from place to place. It is a beautiful and...

These are traditional Malagasy and Mozambican dhows — the same kind that have sailed these waters for centuries. Watching them in motion is like seeing time itself shrug off the modern world. Most have no motor at all; they live and die by the wind, their patched-together sails catching whatever breath the ocean decides to give them. The dhows of Madagascar are descendants of ancient vessels that once linked Arabia, Africa, and Asia in the age of sail. Their design traces back over a thousand...

Got sprung from the hospital Tuesday — a free man, back on my buddy’s boat and officially on the mend. It feels good to breathe that salt air again, my happy place once more! It was a very challenging weekend on a lot of levels — incredibly scary. Most folks who know me — and my journey with mental health, addiction, and recovery — also know that I wear it all on my sleeve. Monday’s post was one of those raw, sleepless, truth-filled moments I like to share, not for shock value but so others...