Thoughts on Sailing

Sailing is unlike any other way of living. Time takes on a new meaning. Sometimes you’re asleep, sometimes you’re awake. Sometimes its light out, sometimes its dark. It is a continuous way of living in which there are no days, but only moments.

You are at the complete mercy of the wind, the weather and the waves. You travel where the wind wants you to. You get wet when it rains. You hold on for dear life when it storms, never completely sure that you are going to make it. You travel great distances painfully slowly. It is like packing up an RV and driving at five miles per hour, except the road moves beneath you and the steering axle is made of jelly.

But for each moment of discomfort, you are rewarded. You sail beneath fiery sunrises, you navigate into shimmering light given off by waxing crescents with every wave from the bow glowing green with phosphorescence. Your thirty six foot world is but a speck in the expanse around you, as you travel under a dome of timeless galaxies and ancient constellations. The Milky Way is a normal sight, and your hopes turn towards the green flash.

Unlike so many, those who sail put as much value into the journey as they do the destination. The destination is simply there, but the glory, the struggle, the pain, the pleasure and the victory are molded by the journey.

In the ultimate journey, the journey of life, the destination will forever be. So pack up the RV, sit back, relax, set cruise control to five miles per hour and enjoy the ride.