In the boating glossary, the Big U refers to the u-shaped route that takes cruisers from Alaska to Maine (and vice-versa). It’s not crossing an ocean exactly, but it is an 8,000 nm journey that leads vessels through two oceans and the Panama Canal for starters, not exactly an itinerary for the casual boater. While others seek to explore Europe and Asia to get their fill of history and geography, Eric Bescoby opted to do a deep dive of his own back yard in his Nordhavn 40. It was done almost by accident, the result of Bescoby’s “what’s next?” approach once he’d completed one cruising ground, and then another.

The adventure was broken up into several segments – some spent connecting and enjoying experiences with his children; some smartly spent piggybacking on pre-planned rallies that happened to follow parts of his route; some buddy-boating with other Nordhavns headed the same way. Each was a lesson in cruising preparation as well as an appreciation for the back story of the land he lives in. Nordhavns can go anywhere in the world, but Bescoby was in Vancouver Island when he decided to pull up anchor and head to Alaska. The rest of the way was just putting one foot in front of the other, as it were. Click here to read the whole story.