How did I get here?
My friend, Chris Allen maintains yachties can be divided into 2 groups, those that have money and shiny boats and those that are driven by pure passion and scrape together just enough to be able to go sailing.
Sterling Hayden had this to say:
“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like life must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea - “cruising” it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen and wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
“I’ve always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I cannot afford it”
What these men can’t afford, is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security”. And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.
What does man need- really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade.
The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice, which shall be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?”
Wise and true words. But I do believe there is a middle way. I will be forever indebted to a sailor at my yacht club that overheard me talking to a friend over lunch one day. I was trying to convince him to buy into a catamaran with me as I could get it for a reasonable price but could not afford it on my own. After I had paid the bill and my friend left, the sailor leaned over and said that he couldn’t help but overhear our conversation. He had one thing to say and that was; “buy small, buy it on you own, but do it now.”
I never did see the old salt again, I imagine he went back to sailing the seven seas, but I did take on his advice and I’ve never lived to regret it.
The places and experiences that our small sailboat has taken us have been incredible. And the best part is, the sunsets remain the same no matter how much money you have spent on your boat.
Alain Gerbault said; “ I wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea.”
I look forward to sharing some of my sailing experiences with you from time to time, in between some biking and culinary adventures.
