Hi everyone! Welcome to the King Tide Blog. My name is Captain Andy Deen, and I love sailing and teaching others to sail!
Although I enjoy writing, I never considered myself a blogger until now. My plan is to post weekly, although we'll see how well I stick to that schedule. As they say, "Sailboats and schedules..."
Anyways, I'm hoping this blog can balance some humor, observations, technical advice, and maybe even some reflections on why people are still sailing in the 21st century.
But first- what's a "King Tide" and why did I choose it as my blog name? A King Tide is actually a colloquial term for an exceptionally high or low tide. The proper term for this phenomena is a "Spring tide" and generally occurs at or near a New moon or a Full moon. Despite the name "Spring tide", these tides occur year-round (and not just in the Spring).
Our tides are greatly influenced by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun, and when these planets align (to form a syzygy- great scrabble word!), the tidal range is greatly magnified. I love the metaphor that sometimes everything lines up just right to produce something new or different.
This is just one example of the type of topics I might explore on this platform. I might even throw in some "Street Sailing" tricks – the type of ideas NOT found in any sailing textbook. I learned this term from my buddy Mike (the ultimate Street Sailor). Mike has some unconventional and (mostly) safe ideas and has taught me a thing or two along the way. Like why the jib halyard should only go to the top of the mast when the jib is attached to it.
I am planning to tackle a variety of topics, including:
Why sail?
Favorite Florida cruising grounds
Sailing off a mooring and why you should try it
Reasons to charter in Tampa Bay
Tampa-area events best viewed from the water (hint: MacDill AirFest)
My favorite features of an Island Packet Yacht
How to practice sailing on a budget
What to pack for a Caribbean bareboat charter
Tipping conventions in the marine industry
Easy, healthy lunch recipes for boating
I'd also love for you to comment below if you have any questions or ideas for a blog topic!
Fair winds and following seas!
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