One Year of Shellphone Chronicles

One year. 365 days. 64 posts. 18 interviews and podcasts. 78,869 words.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of this publication. I first learned about Substack when I was helping a client launch their publication. A CMO friend of mine said, “You have the most interesting life of anyone I know – you should launch your own Substack.”

So, I did, on August 5, 2025¹. I did it as a lark really, not with any kind of goal or intention. It was another creative outlet for me, an extension of the journal I already kept. I already had the name – my analog journal has been called Shellphone Chronicles since our first one-year sabbatical down the west coast of California and Mexico in 2001. That’s when I started keeping notes about the places we go and the things we see – but it was always just for us, so we won’t forget. At that time, I never in a million years dreamed that we would end up owning a beautiful yacht like Duende and embarking on an open-ended sailing adventure to remote places that I’d never even imagined.

And likewise, when I started writing on Substack, I never in a million years thought that this publication would evolve as it has.

But oh, how it has evolved.

I made two astonishing realizations. First, it continues to amaze me that people are genuinely interested in reading about our life on the ocean. I guess my friend was right, what we are doing is somewhat interesting. Second, I discovered there are so many other people on Substack writing about things that I am genuinely interested in reading as well. I’ve found fellow artists and writers, adventurers, opinionators, and renaissance people of all stripes – it’s fascinating and marvelous. I am so happy to be here.

My subscriber numbers have grown! Day by day, reader by reader, more than I ever expected. I sent my first essay out to a list of people I knew - family and friends that receive my holiday greetings of original artwork and a poem at the end of every year². Since this list is definitely “opted in” to getting email from me, I made the decision on their behalf that they’d also like to read my newsletter. And amazingly, none of them unsubscribed. Now there are people reading Shellphone Chronicles that I’ve never met, but we have found each other through the power of the algo, many generous referrals and recommendations, and in some cases, pure serendipity. Thank you all for being part of this.

I found a new tribe. This means a lot to an ocean dwelling nomad, who never stays in one place for very long and has no permanent home base. My friends are not few, but they are very far between – especially in this last year, where our sailing has taken us to increasingly remote locations, some so far off the beaten path that we didn’t even know about them before we decided to go there. We don’t get many visitors, and I’ve not made any trips back to the real world, so life can get a bit lonely out here in the wild. Meeting people through a common love for words and art and adventure has been an incredible gift.

Many tribe members are now friends. The friends I’ve made here are too many to mention – you all know who you are. We collaborate on fun projects, you encourage me, you inspire me, you keep me laughing. And you make me aware that there are people who I may not know IRL, but I somehow know better than anyone. Connections are a big theme in my life, and they just keep growing. I’ve been introduced by Substack friends to people who are traveling to my location, and in turn, I’ve introduced Substack friends to people I know in places they are going. Every one of these opportunities brings joy and happiness, and what could possibly be better than that?

I gained a new crew member. One of the most special connections I have made is with my friend Owen Kelly – aka Slavetothestitch. Owen generously allowed me to host his surrogate traveler, the one and only Seamus O’Comanssy, the tiniest sailor. He’s become an indispensable member of our crew and takes his job as Chief Happiness Officer very seriously. He joined us in Fiji in May and will be with us for the next few months.

I launched my children’s book. I decided the best way to get Verde’s Very Lucky Day – A true story of an Iguana and a little girl out to the world was to self-publish. I used Substack as my initial launch platform, and it’s reached quite a few people, with all the proceeds going to charity. The first donation I made was to a community we visited on the island of Malekula in Vanuatu, to help some kids with tuition for school. Thanks to everyone who helped by buying a book – as Verde would tell you, one small act of kindness can make a big difference. 💚

I was featured in People Magazine! Out of the blue one day last fall I got an email from Colson Thayer, a journalist with People Magazine, telling me that he’d found my Substack and would like to do a feature article for the travel section of People. I had to check if he was for real – but he is, and the article published on Thanksgiving weekend. I was almost famous for a few days!

Greatest Hits List: Some of you may have read all 64 of my essays this past year, but in case you want a rerun of a few faves, I thought it would be fun to include a curated list of what I consider my Top 5. They aren’t necessarily the most popular, but these essays brought me the most joy to write and to share.

1. My Intro to Famous Seamus. The fun, the collaboration, and the outsized level of happiness that the tiniest sailor brings to Duende.
   

   This Might Be Silly

2. My 50^th post. It’s all about the power of connection, a constant theme in my life, my work, my writing, and my art.
   

   Big Ocean – Small World (Too)

3. The most unusual piece I’ve ever written. This is a story I wrote to accompany a stitched panel by Owen Kelly, told from the perspective of an ancient sea turtle. Check out the audio track, it’s me! Maybe I need to do more of this. 🤔
   

   The Weight of A Hundred Years

4. This post is where I went public with my affliction – neophilia. It’s one that all my nomad friends relate to, and happily there is no cure – you just have to keep looking for the next new thing.
   

   Neophilia – It’s a Nomad Thing

5. This post describes our life of voyaging. And it references a book that I find myself recommending over and over – it’s a beautiful read.
   

   Some Thoughts about Nomads

6. The stars, oh the stars. I know, this makes 6 posts in my Top 5 list, but I just couldn’t NOT include this one. I continue to be astonished by the night sky that is always a wonder to behold. I wish you could all see it, at least once.
   

   Astonished at Sea

So, what’s next? Besides my location, I hope that not much changes in the next year. I’ll continue to tell tall tales, make art, be silly, and share my adventures here on Substack. I have a few ideas brewing for some fun art projects this next year, and of course I’ll be sending out my annual year-end holiday greeting with a work of art and a poem to go with it. If you’re getting this, you are on the list!

Our adventure on SV Duende continues as we prepare to leave Vanuatu and head north and west through the Solomon Islands and the outer islands of Papua New Guinea and into Indonesia. I still can’t believe this is my life, but here I am. I have the deepest gratitude to everyone that is following along, it’s so cool that you are here.

Sail on Fearless Crew! LJ

About Shellphone Chronicles

I write weekly essays that feature tall tales from the high seas, beautiful photos, original artwork, and occasional poetry. We are a crew of two, enjoying countless adventures on SV Duende, an 80-foot expedition sailing yacht on a multiyear ocean voyage.

To all my constant readers, thank you for coming along on this voyage with us. I love sharing our stories with you.

If you are new to the crew, welcome aboard! You many not need it after all the links to my faves in this post, but I’ve put together a Start Here page — a roadmap to guide you through some of our most popular essays and provide a few binge-worthy series suggestions. It’s a fun introduction to the themes that we weave through our life on the deep blue sea.

1. Where I am, on the western side of the International Date Line, it’s August 5th. I’m already celebrating my one year anniversary. 🥳

2. This was my holiday greeting for 2025.

Holiday Greetings - 2025