n any given Sunday, tens of thousands of small sailboats and yachts take to the waters of safe and sheltered bays around the world. San Francisco Bay, Long Island Sound, the protected bays of New England and the wide harbors of Sydney, Marseille and Portsmouth are filled with the white triangular sails of this fair-weather fleet.

But beyond the safety of harbor and bay, only a small share of these yachts venture out to challenge the rolling ocean swells. Fewer still dare to navigate waterways known for their danger, such as the channels which penetrate the black coral reefs of the lower Bahamas, the storm-tossed passage from the North Sea to the Atlantic, or the treacherous journey through the iceberg-strewn Southern Ocean.

Inexperience with storm conditions and ill-practiced in navigation, most small boat mariners cannot confront the threat of building seas, rising winds or darkening skies. At the helm of their vessels, they dread the thought of losing sight of their last known landfall--the only certain reference to the way home.

There are those, however, among the ranks of yachtsmen who, by mastering both seamanship and navigation, proved equal to Old Man Sea no matter the conditions he offered. Among these, fewer still have overcome the challenge of the sea and then work to improve the lot of their fellow yachtsmen. Such a yachtsman was L. Ron Hubbard.

Welcome to RON Master Mariner Issue 2: Yachtsman -- another in the series of magazines exploring the work, life and contributions of L. Ron Hubbard. Although mainly known for his best-selling fiction works and his philosophical breakthroughs, Ron was also certified, through his yachting exploits, as "Master of Sail Vessels" and licensed to "perform the duties of Master... upon the waters of Any Ocean." And his voyages resulted in a body of information about the sea and the skills of seafaring that today still benefit many.

Throughout the following pages you’ll navigate the same waterways Ron encountered, reading from his ship’s log as he faced seaborne dangers only raw courage and spontaneous ingenuity could surmount.