Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A Thought From Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Another Day On The Water

Saturday, February 23

Iffy weather kept us from sailing to Newport Harbor for a couple of days on the hook. Instead we packed a lunch and went for a day sail. The winds were light to non-existant, the air was cool and the water was 57 degrees. Every day is different on the water and it's always good to be there.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Words by Dickie Walker

"Days spent on my boat are not subtracted from the sumtotal of my life."

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

From Stirling Hayden's Autobiography 'Wanderer'

"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a 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 to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are comtemplating a voyage, and 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 can't 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 a 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 yeild 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, preposperous 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 it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"

Monday, February 18, 2008

A Day With The Emersons



Matt and Laura joined us Saturday for a sail up the coast toward Newport. We reached up and back with a consistent 5-7 knots SOG (speed over ground). The wind was chilly, the water was 58 degrees but the visability was very good. It was perfectly timed for a champaigne toast as the sun set behind Catalina Island. Another great day on the water with good friends.