Elsie Hulsizer, Photographer and Writer

Elsie Hulsizer, Photographer and Writer

Writer, photographer, sailor, oceanographer -- in her writing Elsie Hulsizer shares her fascination with natural and human history. Whether you journey in your own boat or by cruise ship or armchair, having one of her books along is like having a biologist, geologist, anthropologist and historian aboard.

Harbour Publishing, 2005

An exquisitely crafted story of a quarter-century of discovery that will delight sailors and nonsailors alike. By choosing the difficult windward route, up Vancouver Island’s rugged outer coast, the author and her husband encountered wild weather, interesting characters, and stories of fascinating history. Beautifully illustrated with color photographs.

Biography

Elsie Hulsizer acquired her fascination with the sea growing up on the shores of Puget Sound and learning to sail on an 18ft wooden sloop. That fascination took her to the University of Washington where she earned a master’s degree in biological oceanography, and then to a career in environmental management in Rhode Island, Philadelphia and Seattle. Retired now, she lives in Seattle, cruises every summer and writes in the winter. Her early interest in the sea grew to a fascination with the cultural, geological and historical factors that shape a region.

In 1978-79 Elsie and her husband Steve sailed their Chesapeake 32ft sloop, Velella, from Boston to Seattle via the Panama Canal and Hawaii. In Seattle they traded Velella for Osprey, an Annapolis 44 sloop which they have sailed extensively in northwest waters. Their journeys have included over twenty visits to the West Coast of Vancouver Island, two visits to Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) and four visits to Southeast Alaska (the most recent in 2011).

Between sailing adventures on the Osprey, Elsie serves on the Washington State Board of Pilotage Commissioners, which licenses the pilots who guide ships into Puget Sound, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Seattle’s Center for Wooden Boats.

In addition to her books, Elsie’s articles have appeared in local and national boating magazines in the U.S. and Canada. Her writing is augemented by her photography.

Pillar Point Article

Don't believe we really anchor there? In settled weather it's the best anchorage between Port Angeles and Neah Bay on the American side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Read more in the 48 degrees North magazine article by clicking on the photo.

Pillar Point in Strait of Juan de Fuca

Click cover to order from Harbour Publishing, B.C.

Harbour Publishing (2010). Honorable Mention, Foreword Reviews, Travel Essays category

A captivating tale of adventure illustrated with beautiful black and white and color photographs. The author takes us off the beaten path to find the “real” Southeast Alaska -- in stories of calving glaciers, bears feeding along the shoreline, small coastal fishing villages and vibrant Native communities.

Blog

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/ospreyvoyages/

Realtime stories of our trips to Queen Charlotte Islands (2009), West Coast of Vancouver Island (2008, 2008, 2012), SE Alaska (2011) and Northern BC (2010, 2012). Includes essays on practical aspects of cruising.

The Windward Route: http://www.sailblogs.com/member/ospreyvoyages/?xjMsgID=207041

Which Way Around Vancouver Island? http://www.sailblogs.com/member/ospreyvoyages/?xjMsgID=256754

Photography

A graduate of the Photographic Center Northwest (PCNW) in Seattle, Elsie has displayed her photographs at cafes and galleries in the Seattle area including a major exhibit at the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center. See the navigation bar at the left.

Where to find Elsie Hulsizer's books

Click on the book cover to order Glaciers, Bears and Totems directly from Harbour Publishing in Madeira Park, British Columbia. Voyages to Windward recently went out of print and is not available from Harbour. You can still find copies of it at many local bookstores. The distributor Partners West has copies of the book and your bookstore can order from them.

If you are a Ballard resident, click here to order either book from the Secret Garden Bookstore.

I've included this link to my local bookstore because they still have copies of Voyages to Windward and I want to support them. But if you want to support your local bookstore, you may be able to also order from them. Many local bookstores have websites connected to book distributors. Some of the proceeds from the sales go to the bookstore, just as if you'd bought them from the store.

Of course you can always order my books from that online retailer whose name begins with an"A", but why do that when you can support your local bookstore?

In the Seattle area, both of my books are also available from marine bookstores and suppliers, including Captain's Nautical Supplies and Fisheries Supplies. Call before going to any of them for a copy of Voyages to Windward.

Practical tips for cruising SE Alaska