Waikiki Offshore Regatta 2006Yachting is by no means economical, a boat is a hole in the water that one pours money into. That's the truth not to mention the blood, sweat, tears, and hours of time that follows all the cash. A sailing vessel demands constant attention, care, and repair. There's no end to it. For every hour of sailing there's at least 4 hours of maintenance time. So why get mixed up with these monsters?
For some it's purely a romance, to sail around the world, visiting foreign ports and meeting inviting locals that whisk one away to the village. Others it's about details, tactics, and precision as the complexities and dangers of yacht racing require a constant intensity. Attracting those driven individuals with characteristics of focused and motivated entrepreneurs. There are those who have been raised on the sea, what they call home. Some might call them gypsies of the sea, making a nomadic lifestyle in the world's oceans. Then there are the yacht club sailors who always know how to have a good Friday night on and off the water. The comfort of their nearby moored yachts, friends, and club drink specials makes for a guaranteed eventful evening. And finally, though this is by no means a comprehensive list, there are the cruisers. Carefree provided there's wind in their sails and the heading does not lead to any big thump thumps on the hull.
I don't know why I do it. It feels right and is enjoyable, exciting, adventurous, dangerous, technical, relaxing, frightening, peaceful, mechanical, and so much more. I find a little bit of myself in each one of these "sailors" but never toward an absolute. I'd like to conclude with an excerpt from Blue Water by Bob and Nancy Griffith.
"...Now I have two little children, Tenoi'i and Fiona, who have about 15,000 miles of cruising north and south of the equator in their wake. My wife recently ordered correspondence kindergarten for them.
But children are by no means the only ones who learn at sea. Everyone who casts off on a voyage will learn lessons from the sea: what it's like to be free, how to be self-reliant, the value of competence. It may cost a lot, but no price can be put on the satisfaction of a successfully completed voyage.
Sailing the ocean . . . that, my friends, is living."
For some it's purely a romance, to sail around the world, visiting foreign ports and meeting inviting locals that whisk one away to the village. Others it's about details, tactics, and precision as the complexities and dangers of yacht racing require a constant intensity. Attracting those driven individuals with characteristics of focused and motivated entrepreneurs. There are those who have been raised on the sea, what they call home. Some might call them gypsies of the sea, making a nomadic lifestyle in the world's oceans. Then there are the yacht club sailors who always know how to have a good Friday night on and off the water. The comfort of their nearby moored yachts, friends, and club drink specials makes for a guaranteed eventful evening. And finally, though this is by no means a comprehensive list, there are the cruisers. Carefree provided there's wind in their sails and the heading does not lead to any big thump thumps on the hull.
I don't know why I do it. It feels right and is enjoyable, exciting, adventurous, dangerous, technical, relaxing, frightening, peaceful, mechanical, and so much more. I find a little bit of myself in each one of these "sailors" but never toward an absolute. I'd like to conclude with an excerpt from Blue Water by Bob and Nancy Griffith.
"...Now I have two little children, Tenoi'i and Fiona, who have about 15,000 miles of cruising north and south of the equator in their wake. My wife recently ordered correspondence kindergarten for them.
But children are by no means the only ones who learn at sea. Everyone who casts off on a voyage will learn lessons from the sea: what it's like to be free, how to be self-reliant, the value of competence. It may cost a lot, but no price can be put on the satisfaction of a successfully completed voyage.
Sailing the ocean . . . that, my friends, is living."
