Standing Room Only for Liz Clark

"Get vulnerable." That was the parting advice from surfer, singlehanded sailor and now author Liz Clark last night at St. Francis Yacht Club. "When you’re vulnerable, you learn a lot about yourself." It was an exceptionally packed house, with a waiting list reportedly 60 people deep to see Clark speak on her national book tour which started in Hawaii and will end on the East Coast. Clark showed slides and read passages from her photo book Swell: A Sailing Surfer’s Voyage of Awakening. Among the droves in attendance were a number of young women.

At the beginning of the lecture, Clark and surfer Anna Santoro promoted the burgeoning Changing Tides Foundation, an environmental advocacy group started by a group of waterwomen and adventurers who have teamed up "with local organizations globally to raise awareness and address social, environmental, health and safety concerns" around the world. Clark, who calls herself an environmental and spiritual activist, told the crowd last night, "Don’t give up on your dreams, whatever they are."