GRIT & GRACE:

The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul

By Deborah Rudell

Grit & Grace is my story of rebuilding a fifty-foot schooner in Kauai—without any prior experience—and setting sail across the Pacific. Along the way, I faced storms, setbacks, and deep personal transformation. Watch the trailer to glimpse this journey of faith, grit, and the grace that carried me through.

If this story resonates with you, share the trailer with others. Every share helps bring Grit & Grace to more hearts and hands. Thank you for being part of the journey.

About Grit & Grace


There are many stories about people trapped in their material existence, who go through a transformative experience and discover their soul and connection to the Divine.

In Grit & Grace: The Transformation of a Ship and a Soul, I write about knowing my soul as a child, and spending my life striving to integrate and embrace my spiritual awareness while being fully human and part of life on Earth.

We follow my story through teen years and reading metaphysical literature and into adulthood where real life collides with the constructs of self-identity from book learning. 

Blog

Glimpses: Behind the Scenes


Step behind the scenes of Elixir's restoration! In Glimpses: Behind the Scenes, I share the hands-on process of rebuilding my wooden boat—every challenge, triumph, and lesson learned along the way. From craftsmanship to problem-solving, get an inside look at what it took to bring Elixir back to life.

About Deborah


I grew up in a small town in British Columbia, the eldest of four children. Typical of the 60’s and 70’s, there were many children in the neighborhood and plenty of independence and autonomy.

As a teen, my coping mechanism for the pain I saw and felt in the world was a reading list that included Max Heindel’s The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception, Gina Cerminara’s Many Mansions, Levi Dowling’s The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ and books about Atlantis.

Currently, I am a registered dental hygienist and work in clinical practice as well as teach dental hygiene in a community college in San Diego. I enjoy swimming, dancing and the beach. The tiny house I share with a black cat was built by a retired sea captain in 1906 and has a tall ship carved into the front door.

What People Are Saying…

  • “Grit & Grace: The Transformation of a Ship and a Soul is a bold, well-written tale exploring the stark duality between dream and reality. A story of bravery and of learning to ignore the doubt and negativity of your cowardly inner voice if you want to achieve your goal."

  • "Having just finished your book, "Grit & Grace: The Transformation of a Ship and a Soul", I want to offer you my congratulations immediately… what a rip roaring, interesting tale!  I admire your extraordinary courage and perseverance, despite years of tears and toil. "

    Jody Cleary — co-producer with her husband Ted Henry, of Souljourns

  • “Great book … The story holds from the first to last page. Your adventure … on the open seas is … understated … The whole crew had such scant experience … And knowing how the “captain” was likely to become seriously ill …

    Ted Henry — Former Television News Anchor and Producer of Souljourns

  • Enjoy the Ride!

    A riveting, page turner! The author takes you along on her spiritual adventure, as she navigates her life. Conciously chosing the path less traveled, she shares insight into a life few souls are free enough, let alone brave enough to ponder. From her years in a commune to a boat yard and then, sailing across the Pacific Ocean, she shares the good, the bad, the ugly & the nuggets of wisdom gained through her journey. Enjoy the ride!

    Kim- Amazon 5 Star Review

  • Brava!

    Deb Rudell’s journey and transformation from commune to the high seas was hard to put down. Her world was torn apart more than once, yet she managed to pick herself up again and again. Her every emotion leapt off the page through this wild story.
    Even though I am a complete landlubber, her descriptions of rebuilding large wooden schooner were fascinating. But the fierce waves and gale force winds of the seas had me biting my lip.

    David Reed- Amazon 5 Star Review

  • Couldn't put it down!

    From the first page I was taken by the unexpected emotions I felt by reading this very personal memoir. It is vulnerable, exhilarating, terrifying and exciting wrapped in a cocoon of doubt and self exploration.
    It is the author’s journey from a small town in British Columbia to the disillusionment of cult life in Oregon and then re-assimilation into mainstream life. A transformation occurs while learning to rebuild a derelict sailboat in Kauai and with virtually no open water experience, sailing across the raging Pacific Ocean. The reader is taken on a real life adventure that gives a glimps into the search for a spiritual truth and lessons in perseverance and determination. It is a story of discovery of self and the unearthing of a soul.

    Val- Amazon 5 Star Review

  • Very interesting life story - well written and enjoyable to read

    This book was very enjoyable to read. It was hard to believe this was a true story for all characters involved. I will have to read it a second time at a later date. The last chapter dealing with The Crossing where they sailed from Hawaii to Washington State on the Pacific Ocean was very riveting to read. I liked the sentences at the beginning of every chapter. I have read books regarding the commune at Rajneeshpuram by people who lived there and also people who lived in communes in Europe (My Life In Orange by Tim Guest). I found this particularly interesting. This book was very well written. Congratulations, Debbie!

    Janice Raczki - Amazon 5 Star Review


AVAILABLE FROM THE FOLLOWING BOOKSELLERS:

Contact Deborah

deborahrudellauthor@gmail.com
10601 Tierrasanta Blvd. #138
San Diego, CA 92124