Michael L. Martel has lived in coastal Rhode Island all of his life, and is an avid sailor who enjoys writing about marine subjects. A former Coast Guardsman, newspaperman, and industrial journalist, he has authored and published a number of papers and articles on subjects ranging from electronics manufacturing and marketing techniques to the voyages of Captain Joshua Slocum and Rhode Island's early history, which have appeared in publications that include Smithsonian, Points East, The Providence Journal, WoodenBoat, Martha's Vineyard Magazine, Old Rhode Island, Blue Water Sailing, R.I. Boating, Offshore, and others. In 2006-2007 he wrote and published his first book, From Vacuum Tubes to Nanotubes: An Amazing Half Century, The Emergence of Electronic Circuit Technology 1957-2007. He and his family live in Bristol, Rhode Island, where they sail their Gulfstar 45 sloop Rag Bagger in local waters.