Shackleford Banks
Warwick Schiller Podcast: Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks
This spring, my wife Julia and I towed our sailboat Grit out of the barn, launched her and sailed her to Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, where we spent the next two weeks studying the wild horses that live there. We never imagined that ramble would land us on numerous podcasts, including Warwick Schiller’s Journey On podcast.
Shackleford Banks Wild Horses on Today’s Horsewoman Podcast
Earlier this spring, Julia and I spent two weeks anchored off Shackleford Banks (North Carolina) studying the wild horses that call the 9-mile uninhabited island home.
While we were at Shackleford, we appeared on Rose Cushing’s podcasts Today’s Horsewoman and Today’s Horseman.
Have a listen. You can just hear the crackling energy in our voices. We were alive to everything around us.… Continue reading
Farewell to the Wild Ponies of Shackleford Banks
After two weeks anchored off Shackleford Banks aboard Grit, we felt like an extension of the uninhabited island. We knew the dark blue part of the channel we needed to aim for if we didn’t want to run Grit aground as we entered the anchorage. We had seen Back Sound in a range of states, from galloping with white horse waves to reflecting the full moon’s glow. We had watched the lieutenant stallion long enough to know that when… Continue reading
Shackleford Banks: The Beach That Made Me Put the Camera Down
The first two days, my wife Julia and I had just focused on observing the wild ponies of Shackleford Banks and making sure our sailboat Grit didn’t drag anchor. The whole time, we heard a low thudding coming across the island — the sound of the Atlantic Ocean crashing on the beach a half mile from where we were anchored. The third day, we walked across the island to check out the beach.
White terns chattered overhead and plunged into… Continue reading
The Sacred Maritime Forest of Shackleford Banks
My wife Julia and I had spent the afternoon observing the wild ponies on the middle part of Shackleford Banks and were following a sandy beach back to Grit, which was anchored just off the beach.
The tide was high and we came to a tangle of trees that had fallen across the beach, making a barrier between land and water.… Continue reading
No Fridge, One Burner, Two Weeks: Cooking Aboard a Small Sailboat at Shackleford Banks
My wrist caught the bowl of oatmeal on Grit‘s galley table. It did a steamy Charlie Brown loop and landed next to the centerboard case with a plop, spraying oatmeal across the settee.
“Damn I miss the dogs,” I thought. “Lucky and Diggity would have licked this up in seconds.”
Instead I spooned the oatmeal back into my bowl and chewed carefully, avoiding the grittiest bits. Welcome to Oatmeal à la Grit.
Here’s how my wife Julia and… Continue reading
Wild Ponies of Shackleford Banks Have the Last Word
It was our last day observing the wild ponies of Shackleford Banks and my wife Julia and I went out to see what they were up to.
25-Foot Sailboat: Are We Closer at Sea or on Land?
My wife Julia and I have spent the last two weeks anchored off Shackleford Banks on our 25-foot sailboat Grit. We came here to learn more about how wild horses interact when they’re largely left alone by humans.
The morning before… Continue reading
Life in 8 Feet: A Couple Lives Aboard a Small Sailboat
The last thing I do at night on our sailboat Grit before I drop off to sleep is say, “Goodnight Chickadee,” reach over the table that sits on top of the centerboard case and kiss my wife Julia goodnight. “Goodnight, Bubbie,” she’ll say, and we’ll tell each other we love each other, then snuggle down into our berths. She sleeps on the port berth. I’m on the starboard side. My toes will knock against the bottom of the berth, where… Continue reading
Wild Horses, Rough Seas and Lessons from Shackleford Banks
This week Julia and I joined Lynne Carnes on her Creative Spirits Unleashed podcast to talk about our time aboard Grit with the wild ponies of Shackleford Banks. Lynne interviewed us directly from the Grit‘s wood-lined cabin as were anchored 100 feet of a sandbar. You can hear the energy crackling in our voices.
Thanks, Lynne, for having us on!
Creative Spirits… Continue reading
How to Provision a Sailboat for Two Weeks: Why the Sausages Worked but the Wine Didn’t
The homemade cured sausages that survived Lucky and Diggity were a hit. The bottle of red wine that had a cork instead of a cap was a bust. Here is a list of the provisions that Julia and I took on our 2-week long trip aboard our sailboat Grit to study the wild ponies of Shackleford Banks. Here’s what worked, what didn’t and why every sailboat should carry a corkscrew.
Sketching Grit: How We Fit a Life Aboard a Nimble 24
How do 2 people live in 8 feet? I’m writing a post about that right now. The working title is Life in 8 Feet — it’s about the two weeks Julia and I spent living aboard our sailboat Grit, our Nimble 24 sailboat. Here’s a sneak peek at part of a sketch I drew to illustrate the piece.
Note: You can now read the article Life in 8 Feet here.
Julia’s… Continue reading
The Rock, the Vine, and a 40-Knot Gale: Anchoring at Shackleford Banks
“The single commandment of anchoring is, ‘Thou shall create scope.'” Reese Palley / flamboyant art dealer, author, sailor, environmentalist and businessman
The best time to write a post about anchoring is on an anchored boat during storm conditions. The second best time is after the winds start dropping but your body and mind are still buzzing from the pounding, lurching, jerking, and groans in the night. That’s where I am right now. Julia, our sailboat Grit, and I recently… Continue reading
Someone to Stand Watch: What the Wild Ponies of Shackleford Banks Still Know
My wife Julia and I had been anchored off Shackleford Banks on our sailboat Grit for nearly a week, studying the wild ponies that call the 8-mile-long uninhabited island home.
The goal was a slow, unhurried look at the bands — to really understand their social… Continue reading
How Not to Pack a Canvas Tent: A Shackleford Banks Lesson
This week I found myself in a similar predicament to the time my wife Julia said we should carry our kayaks on the deck of Grit, our Nimble 24 sailboat. I said no, we’d be fine towing them. That turned into a debacle.
My advice to Julia this time involved how to pack up the wall tent we’d pitched on Shackleford Banks. In this video I will instruct you… Continue reading
