Hello, Sailor.
Let me tell you about Provisioning a Sailboat.
If you’re new here, fear not. You are among bookish but adventurous souls. If you’ve sailed with me before: you know the drill, now hoist the sails.
I started Provisioning a Sailboat in the winter of 2023, wrapping books in pretty paper at my coffee table. There was some terrible streaming TV playing and much rain falling. Several things inspired this new endeavour. I had recently experienced my first blind date with a book, an event that sparked a feeling of pure joy and excitement. The book turned out to be The Zoo by Christopher Wilson, one of the best blind dates I’ve ever been on. The selection, unwrapping and pleasure I had in reading that mystery book stayed with me, and, over a few months, merged with the second inspiration: a deep despair at the waste, and environmental degradation of our planet. Together they birthed a desire to save a book from landfill, and by extension, save the planet.
Provisioning a Sailboat was born.
The name comes from a partial sentence in The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I read this novel somewhere around 2010 and though I have never revisited it, have always included it on my shelf of ‘Favourite Books by Women’ (I have a separate shelf for ‘Favourite Books by Men’). I don’t even remember the immediate context of these words, but have carried their spirit of preparation, journey, and adventure with me ever since. For a long time, the words were scrawled on a Post-it and stuck to the fridge. When I started putting blind dates with books together, I wanted to inspire that same feeling in potential readers. A blind date with a book and a small pouch of tea is a very well provisioned sailboat, ready to embark on a literary journey.
Eco-friendly gifts
Provisioning a Sailboat’s blind dates with books make beautiful eco-friendly gifts for readers and dreamers. Curated in the Margaret River Region of Western Australia.
According to some very brief research (Googling), around 320 million books are sent to landfill every year. Devastating. So, when I started wrapping, I started with pre-loved books. This continues. All the books at Provisioning a Sailboat are pre-loved, but in good condition. Unless it’s an excellent book, then I forgive a little wear and tear in order for the story to live on. The condition is always noted in the clues, so you can make your own decision.
In addition to pre-loved books, all the wrapping paper, fabric, ribbons, string, and cards are also pre-loved, recycled, re-used or already in my collection from previous crafty projects. I make bookmarks from the teaspoons I collected as a child or hand-crochet them from left-over wool. The teacups and trinkets are fossicked from local op shops, markets and auctions. The tea is sourced from small businesses, here in the Margaret River Region of Western Australia. If a thing is a good read, or cute, or tasty, and is second-hand then it will find a home at Provisioning a Sailboat.
If you have made it this far, bravo! I reward you by wrapping things up. There are many more ideas and plans I have for Sailboat, but I shall work on them a little more behind the scenes before I share.
Happy sailing,
Katie xx
P.S. If you would like to close the loop and return your book after you’ve read it, drop me an Ahoy. If you would like to donate books, wrappings or trinkets, or have other questions, please feel free to do the same.