Set your story on a sailboat, large or small, and entirely at the mercy of the winds.

Posted in Adventure on Mar 1, 2024

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✍️ 32 stories

“The Wind Whispers” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #240

Baltasan is relaxing on the porch swing of his white cottage that overlooks Madeira Bay. He was born on Madeira Island and has lived his whole life by the sea. Ever since Baltasan was twelve, he had worked on commercial fishing boats. He retired thirteen years ago. He didn’t want to do it, but he had no choice. The company was moving to the mainland. So now he sits staring out at the ocean he loves so much. At eighty-three, Baltasan’s face shows the wear and tear of life at sea. His skin is wind-burn...

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“A Mighty Wind Showed Me the Way” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #240

The day of the launch was April 25, a symbolic day for those who go sailing on their own, who read books with a deep history, and who took at least one English literature course in university. Even though high winds were predicted as a possibility, I still had to leave on that particular day. At first that seemed quite alright. I hadn’t sailed in a number of years, but I wasn’t worried, at least not at first. Caution hasn’t come with age for me. I am just as impulsive and foolhardy as an old man as I always was as a ...

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“Tortugas Adventure” by Roger Fred Gridley

Submitted to Contest #240

As far back as I can remember I have had a boat of some kind. My first craft was an 8-foot sailing pram. It was severely in need of repair but it was free and it was mine. It sunk before I could drag it home so the first order of business was hull repair. My addiction progressed throughout the years and many different watercraft. Power or sail. If it floats, I am drawn to it like a mosquito to the flame. A good friend of mine purchased a 30-foot cruising sailboat. He knew I was a boat nut and invited me over to examine his purchase. She was ...

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“The Sailor” by Barry Starcher

Submitted to Contest #240

The Sailor "Bob, a call just came in and it may be related to our missing poet. Some kid found a sailboat on the beach with a lot of blood in it. It's way the hell up the coast in a place called Lucia Beach. I think it's part of the Birch Point State Park in Maine." Robert Montgomery stirred behind his weathered mahogany desk. A lean northeasterner with a short-cropped beard. He spoke with a crisp Maine accent. "I'm not familiar with it. What makes you think it's our guy this time? There were seven ship wrecks from the last storm and ...

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“Skybound” by Nathan Quinci Kurr

Submitted to Contest #240

Between the two, what would you consider to be the greater risk to my life: taking on the world’s deadliest sky pirate alone (to rob him of all his worth), or climbing the rope wagging from the bottom of his airship with only one hand?With my grasp locked around this dangling piece of twine, as I hang like an insect beneath the massive ship, suspended high above the restless clouds, I can most certainly assure you–ascending handless in the wind is by far the greater risk.The common consensus is that losing a hand is the price one p...

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“is it the sound of freedom, or just the wind?” by Marceline Snyder

Submitted to Contest #240

TW: Alludes to SA/ Abuse The heaps of colors do pirouettes in the sky. The vast ocean extends for eternities, attempting to reach hell and heaven. A journey I've faced many times whilst sailing over the years. The sky burns with emotion. The reds, oranges, and yellows resemble the kind of fire only a lioness has. The ocean boldly contrasts the brightness of the sky at this hour, her blue hues and the bluntness of her waves embodies the very soul of freedom. Something I know I’d never have, something my heart longs for. Why is it ever...

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“Handsome Pete and the Cosmic Sailboat” by David Maxim Jr

Submitted to Contest #240

Handsome Pete and the Cosmic Sailboat We sailed high tides, just me and Handsome Pete. We were guided only by the eternal winds of change as we sailed across the cosmic sea. We glided down an ethereal wormhole, traveling through time and space. When our sails flapped against the oceanic pitter patter of starry magnificence, I would brush my hair back and bask in its primordial breeze. Handsome Pete rode beside me, a bashful Jack Russel Terrier, with black, wiry hair and pearly white teeth. He began each day, the same as the one before it—wit...

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“The Last Sail” by Esther Andrews

Submitted to Contest #240

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The earth was still. Tranquil. Diminutive waves gently grazed the shore. It was simply not possible to conjure a more perfect late summer afternoon, though you innately sensed the weather was about to turn. The deep green foliage along the coast would soon transform into fiery shades of orange, yellow, and red.We were young, kids really, my husband and me. Newlyweds. At times it felt like we were just play acting at being adults. We were broke, just trying to survive from day to day. We shared a tiny one-bedr...

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“Sea-Spray” by Stephanie STEVENS

Submitted to Contest #240

Sea-Spray With a diesel engine back up, the three-sail fishing smack, ‘Sea Spray,’ yawed and rolled in the violent storm winds, throwing Nick from the wheel to the deck. Nick got up and tied a rope around his waist, fixing the other end to a nearby capstan. As he struggled to stand, he heard an ominous crack and, looking up, saw the topsail mast snap. It fell on his radio antenna, which buckled like a dehydrated flower. Then the boat viciously rolled, and much of his precious cargo of...

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“The Voyage of the Siren and Mermaid” by Lydia Chase

Submitted to Contest #240

I fastened the final rope to the sail of our glorious boat. “See, Maia, I told you I could figure out how the human vessels work!” I gazed at my creation. From the bones of an abandoned vessel, I constructed a new boat with a tall sail, a net to the side for Maia to sit in, and the prettiest rocks I found decorating the hull. A proud squawk burst from my lips. “It’s perfect!” “It’s garbage.” Maia’s tail swished through the waves. “Petra, you did your best, but this thing won’...

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“Sunshowers” by Bella Fox

Submitted to Contest #240

The rocking of the boat made it difficult to focus, as I had never been on a boat before and felt a little woozy. I heard the captain of the ship speaking in the background but couldn’t quite make out what he was saying over the sound of the wind assaulting my ears. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a member of the ship crew waving his arms around slightly, as though gesturing for the wind and the waves to follow him, but when I glanced over, I didn’t see anybody on that area of the deck. That’s odd… the salty sea air must be gett...

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“Any Port in a Storm” by Albert Bergman

Submitted to Contest #240

Any Port in a Storm Sunlight slowly crept around the edge of the boat’s canopy to awaken me from a dreamless sleep. At first I thought I had crashed on my patio at home from a night of drinking but then recognized the gentle rocking of the boat I was in, gently rocking due to the wind being calmed. I was, in fact, in my boat not at dock in San Diego but adrift. My boat, a thirty three foot sailboat that had been tested on the Pacific waters many times and a seaworthy vessel that I was proud to own, but what the hell had happened last night ...

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“Sky View” by Prissy Sturz

Submitted to Contest #240

People were beginning to mistake the sky for the sea; that’s why they started jumping off the ship. The jumpers had grown so weary of the white masts flapping in the wind and the creak of the wooden floorboards beneath their feet. They grew weary of sailing, of traveling amongst the clouds for what seemed to be an eternity, waiting to see where the wind would wisp them off to. When the jumpers began to grow weary, so did their minds. Their brains started to become all slow and sluggish, and their judgment all clouded and dazed. That’s when t...

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“The Lonesome Kraken ” by Katherine Basinger

Submitted to Contest #240

It had been storming for a fortnite in the port town and by the time the weather had cleared Nelson’s friend had been gone for almost a month. That's when Nelson decided to go out and look for him. Spending the rest of his money on a small sailboat. The wind was still strong when he left the town and navigation was never Nelson's strong point. He made it about 10 knots before the wind took him away. Heading west instead of east the wind threw Nelson and his vessel around. Cold air and rain hit his face as he tried to steer the boat to t...

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“The Wind is a Mighty Panther” by Susan Lamphier

Submitted to Contest #240

I would be home soon, completing my dream sail around the world, following the trade winds, west to east. Before me, a black wall of cloud rolled towards me. I tried to steer into it, to ride it out, but the wind was too fast, a hot wall, full of ash and stinging particles. It blasted against the bow of the sailboat, turning it side on, and caught it into its vortex of power. The sailboat leaned away, the starboard rail dipping into the ocean waves stirred up in the wind. I crawled, hanging onto the railing, trying to clamp...

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Set your story on a sailboat, large or small, and entirely at the mercy of the winds.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 32 stories

“The Wind Whispers” by Ralph Aldrich

“A Mighty Wind Showed Me the Way” by John Steckley

“Tortugas Adventure” by Roger Fred Gridley

“The Sailor” by Barry Starcher

“Skybound” by Nathan Quinci Kurr

“is it the sound of freedom, or just the wind?” by Marceline Snyder

“Handsome Pete and the Cosmic Sailboat” by David Maxim Jr

“The Last Sail” by Esther Andrews

“Sea-Spray” by Stephanie STEVENS

“The Voyage of the Siren and Mermaid” by Lydia Chase

“Sunshowers” by Bella Fox

“Any Port in a Storm” by Albert Bergman

“Sky View” by Prissy Sturz

“The Lonesome Kraken ” by Katherine Basinger

“The Wind is a Mighty Panther” by Susan Lamphier

🌟 Similar prompts

Begin your story with the sensation of a breeze brushing against a character's skin.

A crumpled piece of paper holding an unexpected message is carried by the wind. Where did it come from, and where is it going?

Craft a story where a character finds themselves swept away by the wind, either physically or metaphorically.

Set your story in a lighthouse surrounded by powerful gale-force winds.

Contest #240

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

331

Contest entries

134

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: