Our Origin Story

Juan, a theoretical physicist and mathematician, and Jessica, a creative writer and writing professor, conceived of Navigrafia after a day of sailing. Inspired by the beauty of nature and the endlessly-evolving nature of waves, they began to talk about how the worlds of sailing and writing could be joined. Jessica, a veteran of the creative writing conference circuit, began to reflect on that current state of conferences and retreats available for writers. After some investigation, it appeared that while there were writing experiences by the sea and at sea, there were no writing experiences on sailboats. Juan, the author of hundreds of academic publications on topics ranging from the ocean and climate to plants and medicine, saw the benefit of writing in an inspiring and invigorating environment. He began to look at the logistics of setting up a writing retreat on a sailboat.

For Navigrafia’s maiden voyage, Juan and Jessica settled on the San Juan Islands as the ideal location for a writing and sailing retreat. The unparalleled beauty of the Pacific Northwest archipelago, its pristine waters, its richly diverse flora and fauna and its variety of quaint villages to explore, create the perfect experience for sailors of all levels of ability. The San Juan Islands offer opportunities for both solitude and adventure that are sure to generate ideas, inspiration and productivity.

Once Juan and Jessica decided on the San Juan Islands as Navigrafia’s first adventure, they knew the only captain for the job was Sean “Captain Viento” Maloney. Captain Viento was the instructor for Juan’s advanced sailing certification course, a four-day trip along the coast of Washington state. As a student, Juan was impressed with Captain Viento’s depth-of-knowledge and calming presence as well as his extensive knowledge of sailing the Pacific Northwest and San Juan Islands. With Captain Viento aboard, Navigrafia was fully conceived and the first journey was set for July 2025.

As Navigrafia moves forward, we remain focused on creating inspiration and lasting memories. We would love to see you join us on an adventure. To become part of the Navigrafia story, contact us at juan.m.restrepo@gmail.com.