Before the maiden voyage of Shepherd Moon in 2003, I was asked if I was afraid to sail on the ocean. I replied, "yes, but I am more afraid of not sailing on the ocean …..and letting a dream slip away". I have always been active and adventurous, but no longer have the invincibility of youth when mountaineering expeditions excited me; and marathon running has been scaled back to shorter age-group races. But the dream to sail around the world has remained. This multi-faceted challenge of combining skill and spirit in harmony with nature has inspired many others. In 1996, I bought a sturdy boat and the voyaging dream began for me.

The name, Shepherd Moon, comes from space. They are the small moons that gravitationally shepherd the rings of planets. I was once a candidate for the NASA Teacher-in-Space program and have continued that interest as a college faculty member in mathematics and astronomy. My profession affords me some flexibility to circumnavigate in stages by storing the boat in various ports along the way.

A lengthy vessel outfitting stage allowed the incorporation of a number of safety and natural energy features. Although an environmentalist, my initial interest in natural energy aboard Shepherd Moon was to increase independence during voyages. This philosophy has evolved toward complete reliance on renewable energy (only minor conversions remain to accomplish this). Complete net-zero energy self- reliance is potentially possible on the boat, but not yet a goal. The uniqueness of the vessel has attracted notice, and some educationally funded crew. We will also be interacting with public school students during our voyages. We are happy to share our adventure through this website and hope to leave a clean wake of warm memories.

Cap'n Joe

(Joe Wilcox is presently on the math faculty at Highline Community College near Seattle, Washington.)