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Uncharted: A Couple's Epic Empty-Nest Adventure Sailing from One Life to Another
A couple facing the dreaded empty nest realize they need to rediscover who they are. This is an adventure story about a voyage from one life chapter to another that involves a too-big sailboat, a narrow and unknown sea, and an appetite to witness a mythical blonde bear that inhabits a remote rainforest.
Kim Brown Seely and her husband had been damn good parents for more than 20 years. That was coming to an end as their youngest son was about to move across the country. The economy was in freefall and their jobs stagnant, so they impulsively decided to buy a big broken sailboat, learn how to sail it, and head up through the Salish Sea and the Inside Passage to an expanse of untamed wilderness in search of the elusive blonde Kermode bear that only lives in a secluded Northwest forest. Theirs was a voyage of discovery into who they were as individuals and as a couple at an axial moment in their lives. Wise and lyrical, this heartfelt memoir unfolds amid the stunningly wild archipelago on the far edge of the continent.
Kim Brown Seely and her husband had been damn good parents for more than 20 years. That was coming to an end as their youngest son was about to move across the country. The economy was in freefall and their jobs stagnant, so they impulsively decided to buy a big broken sailboat, learn how to sail it, and head up through the Salish Sea and the Inside Passage to an expanse of untamed wilderness in search of the elusive blonde Kermode bear that only lives in a secluded Northwest forest. Theirs was a voyage of discovery into who they were as individuals and as a couple at an axial moment in their lives. Wise and lyrical, this heartfelt memoir unfolds amid the stunningly wild archipelago on the far edge of the continent.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2019
54 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Kim Brown Seely
1 book6 followersKim Brown Seely is the author of UNCHARTED: A Couple's Epic Empty-Nest Adventure Sailing from One Life to Another.
A 2016 Lowell Thomas Journalist of the Year, she has worked in publishing on both coasts, including as senior editor at Travel & Leisure magazine, contributing editor at National Geographic Adventure, and travel editor at Microsoft and Amazon. She has traveled to more than thirty countries for Virtuoso Life magazine, where she is a contributing editor and has won nearly a dozen writing awards for her work.
She lives near Seattle with her husband, Jeff. UNCHARTED is her first book.
A 2016 Lowell Thomas Journalist of the Year, she has worked in publishing on both coasts, including as senior editor at Travel & Leisure magazine, contributing editor at National Geographic Adventure, and travel editor at Microsoft and Amazon. She has traveled to more than thirty countries for Virtuoso Life magazine, where she is a contributing editor and has won nearly a dozen writing awards for her work.
She lives near Seattle with her husband, Jeff. UNCHARTED is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 24, 2019
This book came to me at the most appropriate time, as I'm on the cusp of an empty nest and have been waist-deep in the waters of grief. I read this book with deep appreciation of the author's honesty, and her use of descriptive words like "unmoored," "adrift," and "unanchored" to describe the condition of her heart after her boys launched.
This book is everything I find attractive about a memoir- the overcoming of a trial; all the ugly bits where a person is weak or frail and still must navigate the hard things of life; broken hearts, relationship struggles; learning, growing, becoming so much more.
And though this story spoke to me on a personal level, aside from that, it was filled with beautiful descriptions of nature. I learned something about sailboats and all the details that go into actually sailing a boat. I felt I went on this adventure, and when I was finished I quickly looked up YouTube videos of the places about which I'd just read. So beautiful!
The best part is, the author was brave enough to put her story out there for others to experience. We need to know we're not alone in life, and that others have walked the roads we are navigating. What good are our life experiences if we don't share them for the sake of others?
This book is everything I find attractive about a memoir- the overcoming of a trial; all the ugly bits where a person is weak or frail and still must navigate the hard things of life; broken hearts, relationship struggles; learning, growing, becoming so much more.
And though this story spoke to me on a personal level, aside from that, it was filled with beautiful descriptions of nature. I learned something about sailboats and all the details that go into actually sailing a boat. I felt I went on this adventure, and when I was finished I quickly looked up YouTube videos of the places about which I'd just read. So beautiful!
The best part is, the author was brave enough to put her story out there for others to experience. We need to know we're not alone in life, and that others have walked the roads we are navigating. What good are our life experiences if we don't share them for the sake of others?
October 6, 2019
On the surface, this is a story of a sailing adventure—one of a big crowd in the memoir marketplace. And on that level alone, it's a good read. Kim Brown Seely is a highly accomplished writer, attuned to the nuances of rhythm in sentences, smart word choices, and vivid images. There are no terrifying storms or other close encounters with disaster here; what we get is a detailed story of everyday life on a boat, navigating both routine mechanical difficulties and the vicissitudes in the relationship of the married couple on board—coping with each other in a very small space under often stressful conditions.
It's in these "relationship" waters that this book breaks from the pack. The author probes deeply and with sometimes startling openness into her relationship with her husband, exploring the ways they have to change, as individuals and a couple, in the new and raw empty-nest phase of their family. Many (in fact, I think most) memoir writers hold back when it's time to dig right into the heart of a personal issue; the "why" of something. But Seely is fiercely inquisitive and intelligent. She keeps digging, deeper and deeper, and in the end we understand.
It's in these "relationship" waters that this book breaks from the pack. The author probes deeply and with sometimes startling openness into her relationship with her husband, exploring the ways they have to change, as individuals and a couple, in the new and raw empty-nest phase of their family. Many (in fact, I think most) memoir writers hold back when it's time to dig right into the heart of a personal issue; the "why" of something. But Seely is fiercely inquisitive and intelligent. She keeps digging, deeper and deeper, and in the end we understand.
September 23, 2019
Terrific read! This is a story about the journey of a couple after the kids move out and was highly relevant (as mine did so a few years ago). I found this to be a beautiful story of their relationship, their adventures sailing through challenging waters and a luminous telling of what northern British Columbia is like. The underlying quest to find this "Spirit Bear" parallels their quest to figure out what comes next. Highly recommend for anyone becoming an empty nester or who just likes adventure travel!
September 24, 2019
This memoir transported me to the northwest and put in me the desire for my own adventure. The author's writing paints a vivid picture of the islands and inlets in which the book takes place—I could hear that famous pacific rain patter against my window. But there's more to this book than beautiful exposition. It is a book about finding something in nature. With her own search, the author drives forward her story with a brisk pace, while still giving her reader time to discover what's around that next bend of wilderness. By her journey's end, she makes it clear that it's not so much what you're looking for, but having something to look for in the first place that makes the journey worth it.
I loved this book.
I loved this book.
January 4, 2023
The best book I’ve read this year, by far. Maybe because it came to me at the time I needed it most… but in any case, Kim Brown-Seely knows how to transport and immerse you into the wilderness of BC’s West Coast.
October 3, 2019
At our most fulfilling times, when we catch a fleeting glimpse of other worlds and other lives that might have been, it makes perfect sense that we cannot recall what day of the week it might be. A great journey to places few will ever go will, of course, but also it takes us to places unexplored within our souls. Kim Brown Seely gives us frigid salty spray across the bow and wraps us also in the warmth of real family love. Within her search for the spirit bear is a relatable quest for all of us who want every new chapter in our lives to be daring and scary and vital to the core. Read this book. Bravo!
January 3, 2020
What a bittersweet, and hopeful, narrative. I am not one who generally reads stage-of-life books (in this case, the onset of a couple's empty nest, as their youngest son goes off to college), so initially I was most interested in the book's adventure-travel angle. But quickly enough, the personal angle became the most compelling attraction. As the author and her husband set off in their sailboat on a distant journey--funny, touching, a little frightening--we find that the connections in life are puzzlingly entwined. It's a fun read, a first-rate travel book, and an exquisite introspection about a sad but often uplifting scenario that, if they're lucky, every parent will one day face.
November 9, 2019
A successful memoir takes the reader on a journey and inspires the reader on their own journey through life. By these standards, KBS has created the perfect memoir. She shares her journey through deeply personal stories and beautifully captures the essence of the wild Pacific Northwest. I am at a "particular life juncture" now. I'm probably not going to be as bad ass as KBS but, reading Uncharted has excited me to create and fulfill new hopes and dreams.
January 3, 2020
I can't recommend this book enough. The author's thoughtful reflections devoid of self-congratulations. The opportunity to use her experience to examine our own actions and choices. Whether an empty nester or someone just considering how to stretch themselves into unknown territory, this book offers inspiration and opportunities for self-reflection. I find so many memoirs that function as a kind of humble brag - not Kim Brown Seely's. She's real and vulnerable and strong.
January 6, 2020
Outstanding memoir suitable for multiple audiences: those facing or who already have experienced the transition to empty-nesting, those who love adventure, sailors (experienced or . . . not so much), and lovers of the Pacific Northwest. Also good for anyone who just loves a beautifully written exploration of a normal person navigating (pun intended) a challenging time in her life, and discovering wonder as she enters her next phase.
October 3, 2019
A lovely story written in a voice you can relate to. The topic of empty nesting is not a very common theme, and when it is spoken about you generally hear cheers! However, not everyone feels that way. It's an end of something huge...and then what? What's left? How do you turn in? This is a wonderful memoir of just how one couple did that -- they turned in AND had a wonderful adventure.
December 19, 2019
I ended up liking the idea of this book (a couple’s tale of a sailing adventure after their kids leave home) but getting irritated by the privileged voice of the writer. Yes, it’s amazing to sail up the inside passage with your husband, but you did not ‘discover’ the native villages there. And I felt like she viewed the stops and the experiences as trophies.
November 6, 2019
The ordinary observations of a most extraordinary journey, told with the grace and wisdom the soul of a pioneer woman. Honest, painful, tender, and all the while brave and love. A modern venture into the unknown is beautifully written and a riveting read. Highly recommend.
October 2, 2019
This book is awesome....couldn't put it down! I felt like Kim Brown Seely was at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee telling me her story. The writing is eloquent! And a great love story!
October 28, 2019
Started off a little slow for me but soon had me following their journey, struggles and insights. Great adventure read!
May 2, 2020
I think my main problem with this book is that it constantly felt like essays with thesis and conclusions. I really wished I could be in the moment there with the author and her husband because the event is exciting but I never felt that. I think Cheryl Strayed in Wild does a better job bringing the reader along in the story.
October 2, 2020
I picked up this book based on a review on the Cruising World. From a professional writer, the book is well written. But seems more about two well off Seattleites facing a first world problem.
November 9, 2020
A fun tale of reinvention for those of us who are soon to be empty-nesters. Definitely captures the atmosphere and the ethos of the Pacific Northwest.
December 2, 2020
Entertaining
June 26, 2021
Couldn't finish it - too cutesy with all the pet names
October 12, 2022
my kind of book. real life adventure/challenges faced head on!
January 2, 2023
Beautifully written.
May 12, 2024
A sweet little memoir. Though on the surface (and the book synopsis) it's a story about weathering challenges (and actual weather) in a relationship, the main message I got was "call your mom."
December 31, 2025
Best book of the 24 I read in 2025! This is a fantastic story, written with grace and detail, but simplicity and humility at the same time.
What a great way to end 2025. If you are looking here, READ THIS BOOK!
What a great way to end 2025. If you are looking here, READ THIS BOOK!
January 8, 2026
Beautiful descriptions and an epic adventure!
August 17, 2023
I enjoyed a lot about this book and was intrigued by the search for the bear in the far north. There were some beautiful descriptions of the sailing and the places they visited. I tired a bit of the many reflections on what they were going to do with their lives now that their sons were on their own and how their relationship with each other was going to survive this change in their lives.
February 3, 2020
Great description of the Nortwest waters... book started out great but staged and went off on tangents.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews