I once spent far too long sitting at the blackjack tables in Caesars Palace. By the time I finally decided to leave, the sun was beginning to rise and I was somehow fifteen hundred dollars ahead. As I walked out, a street hustler stopped me...

My uncle dealt in fine French wines, and much of my wine education arrived through stories rather than study. Around him, choices were discussed with surprising seriousness. Some people inherit silver. Others inherit taste.

I arrived in Istanbul by sea. Sailing into the city felt like entering a place designed for travellers — continents, languages and stories all crossing paths. Some things have a habit of finding their way together.

In Bavaria we learnt to kayak rapids. White water teaches you something useful: sometimes thinking helps, and sometimes you simply trust the current and commit. Some coins seem reluctant to leave you.

A private game. Eight players. Four full houses. Two four-of-a-kind. I was told the odds were impossible. Fortunately, impossible games tend to attract interesting company. And if someone asks whether it really happened: “Depends who was dealing.”

Somewhere between Jersey and Guernsey the engine gave up. A lifeboat collected us and I spent three unexpected days ashore while repairs of questionable legitimacy took place. Sailors learn quickly that if a thing works, it wasn’t stupid. Rope remembers strange journeys.

Some afternoons deserve no destination. In Lucca I sat outside a café with an Old Fashioned and a cigar, content to watch the world wander past. These teak cups came to remind me of that afternoon — elegant, understated, and quietly intriguing. The longer people...

“I once flew by helicopter to a relay station on Mount Alice to repair a military radio fault. The diagnosis proved surprisingly simple. The weather, however, had other ideas. Three days later I finally left the mountain. Certain objects seem to collect stories of their...

During a summer teaching sailing in Oman, Ramadan arrived in temperatures touching fifty degrees. At its end, my guide Jamal invited me to a traditional feast. After weeks of heat and quiet anticipation, the evening felt extraordinary — endless dishes, stories, and generosity around the...