Sailing along the coast

December 5, 2011
by
1 min read

Amy Fritsche as Cindy Lou, Sandia Ahlers as Missy, Rachel Day as Suzy, and Jessica Mathis as Betty Jean.

Photo by Genny Wynn

by Kelly Savage
Living in a city by the sea, we encounter many characters from all over the world. I recently sat with an interesting sailor and author at River City Brewing Company to talk about sailing, life and our city.
Mr. Sam Phillis was faced with a barrage of life-changing events: divorce, illness and retirement at age 53. He decided to weather the high seas of his life by taking an actual nautical journey. He untied his boat, Emotional Rescue, a 30-foot, tall-rigged Catalina sailing sloop, from the Peninsula Yacht Club on Lake Norman and headed off to explore our country’s beautiful waterways. As he used the “bibles” of sailing to guide him (Chapman Piloting and Dutton’s Navigation & Piloting, both by Elbert S. Maloney.), he realized they are difficult for laymen to understand and use- quite possibly the reason many people don’t sail.
That epiphany led to writing his own book, A Sail and a Tale, eight years ago. Sam is now trying to revive interest in his guide book. One hundred stories, along with 150 beautiful photos, tell of his journeys up and down the East and West Coasts. When asked about how Jacksonville compares to his favorite port cities like Newport, Rhode Island, Sam says that while we are low on amenities and accommodations, we have wonderful access to our urban core. “This place is dynamite at night!” I agree, Sam.
Meet and greet with sam:
FRIDAY, DEC 2 The Jacksonville Landing Friday Market, 10 am- 2 pm
Saturday, Dec 3 Pier 17 Marine, 11 am- 3 pm. 4619 Roosevelt Blvd.; 387-4669
WEDNESDAY, DEC 5 Chamblins Uptown, 5 -9 pm, 214 Laura St.
Saturday, Dec 10 Billy’s Boat House Grill, 12- 4 pm. 2321 Beach Blvd.
Friday, Dec 16 Whitey’s Fish Camp, 4- 6 pm. 2032 CR 200 (Orange Park)
SUNDAY, DEC 18 Carribbee Key Island Grill, 1- 5 pm. 100 First St. (Neptune Beach)

Folio is your guide to entertainment and culture around and near Jacksonville, Florida. We cover events, concerts, restaurants, theatre, sports, art, happenings, and all things about living and visiting Jax. Folio serves more than two million readers across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, The Beaches, and Fernandina.

Current Issue

SUBMIT EVENTS

Submit Events

Advertisements

Welcome to Rockville 2025
SingOutLoadFestival_TheAmp_2025
omaha-steaks-banners

Date

Title

Current Month

Follow FOLIO!

Previous Story

On the River

Next Story

CHRISTMAS CAROLE

Latest from Lifestyle

Jacksonville’s Weirdest Wellness Trends 

Words by Kaili Cochran When it comes to wellness, it’s easy to think we’ve heard it all — yoga, meditation, green smoothies. But, as self-care is increasingly all over our For You page, some unique and creative ways to approach wellness have emerged.  Looking at goat yoga, for

Earth to Shoppers

Words by Kaili Cochran “If food waste were a country it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.” This is what Kevin Anderson, senior coordinator of Ogier Gardens at the University of North Florida, shared with me during a composting workshop he led. It’s a statistic that sticks

The Battle Over Green Space: Jacksonville’s Fight to Preserve Nature

Words by Ambar Ramirez When the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) revealed its 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative last year, Florida residents took to the streets for protests. As a quick reminder, the Great Outdoors initiative planned to make Florida’s State Parks more accessible by expanding public access, increasing

Combined Minds

The girls talk about the rising coast Words by Ambar Ramirez and Carmen Macri  Ambar: Between 1982 and 2002, futurist and psychic Michael-Gordon Scallion released a series of “Future Maps” depicting dramatic changes to Earth’s geography following cataclysmic events. His maps captured the public’s imagination — and concern —

NFAN/Dining Out For Life

Words by Kaili Cochran Before the mid-1990s, having HIV was considered a death sentence but with modern treatment, someone with HIV can have a similar lifespan as someone who is HIV-negative.  Northeast Florida Aids Network is the only organization in Northeast Florida that focuses on HIV. Since its
July 5th Cleanup
GoUp

Don't Miss

The Avett Brothers

November 15 The Avett Brothers St. Augustine Amphitheatre (904) 471-1965

Paula Poundstone

Paula Poundstone “Twitter is the postcards in my head.” It’s