I was impressed by your writing style and narrative. You covered an area of boating rarely asked about. I was equally mesmerized as I learned of the peculiarities of the different sailboat models and forms for an ocean passage.
It's my thought, (or maybe just my hope?) that folks like this form a large part of our more experienced small boat shipmates. Understanding their boats and accepting the trade offs, so that time on the water yields the best of satisfying experiences. I have yet to find many of these sailors in circumstances that need of lot of outside assistance if something very unusual has not interfered with them and when found in an anchorage they are usually a welcome addition. Even the stories they present or comments on most any small boat subject is an inspiration to me to try harder to be that kind of on the water neighbor.
Dave, I submit that most sailors who are not getting paid to do it, are out there for the sheer pleasure, ambience, and mind bending zen of it. If you're on a schedule, needing to be somewhere by some point in time, you may want to pass on "sailboat", especially if engineless. And when engineless, a sailor's first priority should be keeping the deck on the sunny side. The rest is just joy, or at least trying not get in the way of it.
Dear Dave Zeiger,
I was impressed by your writing style and narrative. You covered an area of boating rarely asked about. I was equally mesmerized as I learned of the peculiarities of the different sailboat models and forms for an ocean passage.
It's my thought, (or maybe just my hope?) that folks like this form a large part of our more experienced small boat shipmates. Understanding their boats and accepting the trade offs, so that time on the water yields the best of satisfying experiences. I have yet to find many of these sailors in circumstances that need of lot of outside assistance if something very unusual has not interfered with them and when found in an anchorage they are usually a welcome addition. Even the stories they present or comments on most any small boat subject is an inspiration to me to try harder to be that kind of on the water neighbor.
Dave, I submit that most sailors who are not getting paid to do it, are out there for the sheer pleasure, ambience, and mind bending zen of it. If you're on a schedule, needing to be somewhere by some point in time, you may want to pass on "sailboat", especially if engineless. And when engineless, a sailor's first priority should be keeping the deck on the sunny side. The rest is just joy, or at least trying not get in the way of it.