Not many people would sell their homes to go sailing up and down the east coast of the United States and into the Caribbean for six years. But Heather and Dave Mann, late of Wisconsin and now of Summerville, did just that. Dave says they did it for the adventure, and they had plenty of those, which Heather recorded in a book about the lessons she learned from the ocean during their voyage aboard their sailboat, the Wild Hair.
Along the way, they and their sole companion, Dinghy the sailing cat, encountered a vanishing culture in the Chesapeake Bay, a close call with pirates, plus turtles, whales and storms aplenty, as well as the physical hardships of day-to-day sailing. Heather says the trip changed her, that she's more fearless and confident in dealing with life’s curve balls. She learned many life lessons from the ocean, which she calls "the great teacher." People would do well to listen for its voice, she says.