Evans Starzinger in the rigging of Silk.
A Quest for the Soul
soul journey begins with a vague dream, whose origins may be uncertain
but whose pull is strong. This tale of a circumnavigation is also the story of
one woman's journey into her dream. Beth Leonard followed the success
path of the materialistic '80s: from college to business school to being an
international management consultanta path that took her away from the
core of herself, family and friends, and the sense of fulfillment that only
comes from within.
The story begins when, despite her lack of sailing expertise, her partner
Evans Starzinger suggests they circumnavigate the world in a small sailing
boat. She listens to her heart and chooses to follow the sea and chase her
dream of becoming a writer.
In the three-year circumnavigation, there are intervals of up to 29 days
when she and Evans are alone at sea. Ms. Leonard reads the early ocean
explorers' logs and journals. She feels their presence as she faces the same
dangers and celebrates the same landfalls. At each landfall, she immerses
herself in cultures where Western values have no place, where life is lived to
different rhythms. She learns from the hospitality, humility, and hope of the
people she meets in a South Pacific pearling lagoon, a South African
laundromat, and a café in the Azores. From these new perspectives, she
discovers how to live a life both fulfilling and satisfying.
Armchair sailors and adventuers alike will be drawn into her voyage of
discovery and change. Anyone with an unquenchable dream will find in these
pages the encouragement to chase that dream, right over the horizon..and
find themselves at journey’s end. To order Following Seas visit Amazon.com BarnesandNoble.com, or Borders.com