How It Began

From the very beginning I knew that conventional therapy was not going to work. It's just not conducive for the complicated minds of combat veterans. The office visit, the waiting room, the chair or the couch, my feelings, the civilians...The list goes on and on. What I did find out is that when I was with my peers, in a comfortable and safe setting, we opened up as if we were in a confession booth. All it took was my first trip on a sailboat in the Mediterranean for me to realize what I discovered! The responsibilities of sharing duties on the boat mixed with the serenity of the ocean, put our minds in a place that was somewhere it has never been. Then you add others with my background on the boat, the massive group communication was happening immediately. Throughout the day, particularly during our down-time, we engaged in deep conversations about everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly. I was so relieved in what I discovered...SAILING!

Now it's time to share this life altering experience together!

Vance Smith

I was born in 1981 from a small town in the Texas hill country. Served in the Air Force and Army with multiple deployments. After leaving the military, my first sailing adventure changed my life. The physical demands of sailing left little room for the intrusive thoughts that had plagued me for almost twenty years. The ocean became my vast, undulating therapist, its rhythm soothing my troubled mind. Upon returning home, the change in me was immediately apparent to my children, other family members, and friends. I had found a new drive and focus in life. I realized I have uncovered something special for my fellow veterans.

Sails of Valor's future