I made an unlikely career of sailing across the world's oceans. As a deckhand on 30 different oceangoing vessels, I was able to see a side of life virtually unknown to the landlocked public. Sailing provided interesting content to photograph, both at sea and on distant shores. As importantly, it provided me the financial means to do as I wished during my months ashore. I earned a BA in international studies from the University of Washington and a Masters Degree in journalism from the University of Florida. I interned at the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water, and at the US State Department's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. I quit the sailing life, but after three years of graduate school and two years in Washington DC, I felt trapped. Office work bored me. It lacked drama and color. I craved a return to the sea, to the world of science, and to the community of seafarers. I never looked back.