Thursday morning and I am still pining for the sea...

Hope I didn't depress everyone with the last post, it was not meant to be maudlin.

The temps are in the low 40's today and I am wishing I was out in the ocean again.

Hmmmph, like that is some mysterious revelation... I am avoiding my chores and looking at some pictures from the various cruises. Click to embiggen...

January 2000

August 2010 with ten years of extra tonnage! Still wearing safety gear...

I like infinity pools, how about you?

Sept 2010 inshore, so no safety gear.

Sept 2010

August 2010 Clear, warm water!

Yesterday, I passed on some info on a Seidleman 37 sailboat in Lauderdale to a friend. The listing is for 34K but I think it could be acquired for a lot less than the asking price. I suppose I am really wishing to get the boat for myself, take off across the Atlantic and head to Portugal for next Summer.

Alas, can't happen. Or should I say A Lass...? I wouldn't want to go without SWWBO, there is no real fun without the better half who makes long journeys tolerable and even fun. But it is nice to remember the motion of the ocean, the warm rays of the sun on your skin while looking to keep the boat trimmed properly. All the while wondering what new treats will come out of the galley for the next meal.

I've been re-reading an old book, "Blown Away", by Herb Payson. Very inspiring story about a 40ish couple who get rid of everything to sail a wooden boat across the Pacific. I sent an email to Herb asking for an autographed copy of a couple of his books. Hope I hear back soon.

Instant communication has been a neat thing over the past 15 or 16 years, I have emailed famous sailors with boating questions and received personal replies from all of them. Nigel Calder has corresponded with us on issues with our Wind Hunter debacle,  and we have communicated with Reese Palley on a couple other occasions. I am forgetting a bunch of other sailing notables, but you get the drift. (Oh, puns...) The sailing community is a friendly one, overall, and very available to those of us that they've inspired. Plus we all buy how-to books, right?

Now, to get other people to pay for my boating aspirations; That's the art and talent I need more of, getting others to help me sail along. (It's all about me, that's for sure!) The biggies never use their own money to sail or travel. Why, they use the strength of the name/reputation to get others to chip in. Especially the sponsors who make marine products, the Brand Names want to be associated with successful sailors like Chay Blythe and Robin Knox-Johnston. The prices for quality marine parts are not cheap because of those sponsorships of America's Cup Sailing, and various regattas like the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, better known as the ARC and other such sailing events. The coordinators of those events make all the loot and have all the fun, at no real expense to themselves.

Great work if you can get it!!!

I wonder if I could set up a Regular Guy/Gal Rally for those of us on a real budget. Those big events cost the individual participants some real dosh, and I think I might be able to do it cheaper. I think the ARC runs a couple thousand for the boat and a certain minimum per person onboard your boat. This is to cover parties, inspections and other expenses. To be fair, there are some expenses that I am not thinking about like lawyers, insurance for the event and so forth. It's all a good value if you have never crossed an ocean before and would like expert advice and follow up during the journey. Helps to get those jitters down to a minimum, and believe me, I have had some of those jitters.

The Wildebeest/ Barco crew is way too cheap to pay that much money and we feel that we miss out on learning the cruising business the hard way. Thriftiness aside, I think my reluctance is also a real dislike to submit to anybody's authoritay.

Some people over think and over plan the sailing journey and don't realize that there is a real "paralysis by analysis" problem in boating. Which is why Florida is a graveyard for sailing dreams and sailboats. The organized sailing events help people through the fear and unknown of cruising.

Back in '99, The World Cruising Club had a round the world rally in which the club would make all the arrangements for entry in ports around the world and throw parties for the cruisers on arrival. The cost was about $40K. At first, I thought of how that was not such a bad value. All the palms get greased wherever corrupt officials lurk and all you have to do is comply with the where and when your boat should be.

Just too many rules for my liking. Here's an idea; If you want to sail around the world and give me $40K each, I will gladly take two or three of you aboard and you can enjoy the journey without having to worry about the World Cruising Club's requirements for sailing experience or education. I guarantee it!

Let's pile up a crew of our readers and get out on the ocean!

Or not. It's fun to plan and envision possible trips and it doesn't really matter if we do it or not.

Have a nice Thursday!

****UPDATE****

The sailing author I mentioned above, keeps crazy hours like I do. Herb Payson was kind enough to respond to my request for three of his books. It must have been about 0630, his time.

Sailing people arise with the chickens, it's just what you do on a boat and the habit is hard to break!

Now go buy some of his books. Maybe he will give me pointers on how to get published in the tough world of sailing literature...