This web site is home port for the Sailing/Vessel Escapade.  It is intended for those who like to sail and cruise and have a love of the sea.  Please visit each of the above areas to learn more.

Escapade is an Oyster 55 sailboat, equipped for long-term world cruising, built in England in 1996.  Since then Escapade has been on the move, completing a circumnavigation of the world on April 8, 2002.  Our adventures and experiences are presented for your enjoyment.

The Captain is Erick A. Reickert, who has been sailing for 60 years.  Erick is retired from the automotive industry after 30 years and is now enjoying the fruits of his labor.  Heather, his wife of 26 years, accompanied him on Escapade voyages through 2004 but she died in 2005 after a long battle with cancer.  Erick resumed sailing in 2006, this time accompanied by a new friend, and now wife, Susan.  Their first challenge was to sail around North and Central America, or from Alaska to Maine.  That accomplished, in 2008 they cruised the Northeast Coast from New York to Nova Scotia, Canada.  In 2009 they sailed from Newport, RI to Florida, where Escapade remained for the 2009/2010 winter.  For the 2010 summer Escapade called Annapolis her home and cruised in the Chesapeake Bay. She returned to Florida for the 2010/2011 winter.  While in Florida, she spent time visiting the Bahamas.  Sadly, Escapade was sold on June 15, 2011, so she will enjoy a new life with a new owner who plans to sail the world with his family.

For a lot more information, visit the section on Articles.  There you can follow Escapade around the world with published articles on the start of our sailing, our Pacific passage, New Zealand and Australia cruising, the Red Sea, the whole circumnavigation, Alaska, and our Alaska to Maine voyage.  There are other articles on the equipment needed for world cruising in You Can Take it With You, Electronic Navigation, and Boat Design Alternatives.  Issues pertaining to crew are presented in Crew- Help or Hindrance?  Finally, there is an analysis of Cruising Risks and Ways to Minimize Them.  I hope you find these articles useful and informative. 

Erick has published a book titled Sail the World, Everything You Need to Know to Circumnavigate the Globe.  It is available at Amazon.com.  It is really a how to guide for anyone considering sailing the world’s oceans.