North of Ordinary: A Memoir of the Capella III Voyages Paperback – December 15, 2025

North of Ordinary: The Capella III Voyages is the beginning true account of one couple’s decade-long odyssey through some of the most remote and untamed waters on the planet. What began as a retirement dream quickly became a rite of passage—equal parts adventure, adversity, and awe—as Vic and Kathy Martin traded cockpit checklists for tidal charts and set sail into the rugged heart of Alaska.This book chronicles the first year of sailing that took them from Prince William Sound to west of Kodiak Island and logged over 3200 nautical miles.Aboard Capella III—their stout 45-foot Island Packet sloop—the Martins navigate the storm-lashed Gulf of Alaska, glide through the glacier-carved fjords of Prince William Sound, thread the lonely passes of the Kodiak Archipelago, and push all the way west toward the Aleutian Islands. Along the way, they battle a brutal 50-knot Hinchinbrook Entrance storm, solve a baffling mechanical mystery that nearly derails their voyage, and learn (sometimes the hard way) how thin the line can be between challenge and catastrophe.But this is more than a sea story.It is a celebration of partnership, curiosity, and the quiet courage it takes to keep going when the horizon disappears in rain and spray. It is a testament to a beloved companion—Capella III herself—who carried them over 26,000 nautical miles and into places few people ever experience.Filled with humor, vulnerability, wilderness encounters, a photo journal, and the rare kind of wisdom only the sea can teach, North of Ordinary invites readers aboard for a journey that is as intimate as it is epic.Perfect for sailors, wanderers, nature lovers, memoir readers, and anyone who has ever dreamed of casting off and discovering what waits beyond the edge of the chart. Read more