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sailing North Carolina

Small Boat, Wild Island: Life Aboard a Sailboat off Shackleford Banks

Published March 21, 2026

My wife Julia and I are settling into life aboard our yawl Grit off Shackleford Banks, North Carolina. While Julia just posted about our second day on the island, I thought you’d enjoy some photos and videos of how we’re settling onto Grit, our Nimble 24.

Nimble 24 sailboat Grit anchored off Shackleford Banks, North Carolina
Grit anchored off Shackleford Banks. She’s a 1992 Nimble 24. Our goal is to spend the next two weeks observing the wild horses that call this uninhabited eight-mile stretch of sand dunes… Continue reading →
Posted in Nimble 24 Sailboat Grit, Shackleford Banks — Sailing to the Island of Wild Horses, Travel by Sail | Leave a comment

The Grit List: A Broken Axle Before Shackleford Banks Voyage

Published February 15, 2026

My wife Julia and I plan to sail our Nimble 24 sailboat Grit to Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, this March to study the wild horses that live there. But before we go, I need to do some maintenance on Grit. She is, after all, 35 years old and I don’t want a repeat performance of my highway break down.

How Grit Ended Up on the Side of I-77

Solo circumnavigator Bernie Harberts' Nimble 24 yawl Grit parked in the backyard with a broken trailer axle, North Carolina
Grit, as parked in our backyard last fall, days before… Continue reading →
Posted in Nimble 24 Sailboat Grit, Shackleford Banks — Sailing to the Island of Wild Horses, Travel by Sail | 1 Comment
General Store Too Proud to Ride a Cow

Designed by Christian Harberts.