You *can* get there from here...

[CapnK]

...if you have a boat, imagination, and desire! Our boats are our dream machines, a hard shell to carry our souls and our bodies across oceans under wind power. The world is, quite literally, just 4 cast-off docklines away from where I sit, and that is a blessing I find hard to describe.

I liveaboard, on a dock on a Bay as the song goes, about 12 miles upstream from the ocean proper. When I drink my coffee in the morning, I'm usually looking out the companionway down-Bay, south, towards the ocean. Eastward of the marina, there are usually some ICW transients bound south, early-movers who will be in Charleston well before days end. For now, I am here, and can only go south with them in my mind. But they serve as a reminder that folks do this all the time, that The Dream is not that far from Reality, for people willing to do what it takes to live it. I think about my Trip, looking the same direction as these folks who are traveling...

If I could see far over the horizon, near as I can tell I'd be looking at south Florida, towards Miami and it's teeming masses. Blech. If I could see that far, though, I could see farther, and what I'd do is turn my gaze just a bit, and check out Cuba. Man, that's a place I want to experience! I'll have to stop in there on my way outbound, once I start The Trip.

Looking past Cuba a ways, there's Jamaica. Maybe I'll stop in there eventually, but that would be on the way back, because once I get headed that way, I'll be thinking more about the Canal, Gateway to the South Pacific for me, where I really want to go. I have my trepidations about taking such a small boat through the Canal, but others have done it on even smaller boats, so I'm sure I'll be able to pull it off. After that - wow! There'll be a whole ocean ahead of me!

Out there past the American continents, I see the Galapago's, a must-visit, since I'm going to be "in the neighborhood". I don't know what the beauracratic attitude towards tourists there will be then, but if at all possible I want to stop in and see this bit of the Earth where the "Taker" society has had so little impact, ultimately. Maybe not Nature Primeval, but surely Nature Relatively Untouched. After the Galapago's, I'll be bound for where the islands and lagoons have warm waters around them.

So many islands in the South Pacific to visit, the names crowd my head. I want to see the places that everyone sees, of course, and I want to see some places that few have ever seen. I'd like to visit some of the areas and islands where the great battles of WWII I've read about were fought, to honor the memory of those who would give their all so that 70 years later I can sail there in my own boat, to see how Ma Nature has covered over the ravages and destruction of war-making man, to see the healing powers of Time. Maybe to venture as far as Truk Lagoon, and dive on the sunken fleet there, experience how the ocean has taken death-machines and made them into habitat for the creatures in her bosom.

It would be easy to spend several years, or maybe several lifetimes, wandering around the Pacific islands. Eventually, though, I imagine I'll wind up on the western side of that ocean, somewhere down by New Zealand and Australia, another couple of "must visits" on my list.

On the sphere of the Earth, west of Australia, lies a point in the Indian Ocean, a point that is exactly opposite this point where I now sit. I'll be traveling by a ways north of that spot, but as I pass it's longitude I'm sure I'll think back to writing this, and though it seems odd from this viewpoint, I'll be remembering the person I am now as someone from my far past, being glad that he had The Dream, and kept to it.

There are some places I'd like to visit in the Indian Ocean before heading on to the Dark Continent. Cocos Keeling, the Seychelles, more - the Indian Ocean is not without her treats, her attractions, but eventually I will cross her, too, and find myself at Africa, a continent just across the pond from here. I'll have to bash my way around her southern tip against the prevailing wind, waves, and currents, but I'll do so forewarned, aware of the dangers inherent in traveling around the southern tip of one of the great continents. A challenge to be sure, but once around, I'll have the South Atlantic ahead of me.

I hope that, like so many who have gone before me, crossing the South Atlantic will feel a bit like a downhill ride to home. I'm looking forward to seeing if I get one of those two-week-long, near-effortless rides on the southerly trades. I'll stop in at St Helena. Will have to cross the doldrums for at least the second time. Eventually I'll fetch the Carribean islands, which as well as being relatively close to home, will, I'd bet, seem a lot more like being home than most of the other places I'll have seen on the way around. Who knows what it will be like then, so far from now in the future of our fast-changing world? My boat and gear will be travel weary, I'm sure, as will I, maybe, although hopefully I'll also be a little wiser, and will have a different look in my eyes, having lived one of my Dreams, and seen the world from the deck of my own vessel.

Maybe one morning in that distant future, a future a whole world away, I'll come sailing up the same channel I gaze down now, and someone else aboard their own small boat will be looking out from their companionway with coffee in hand, wondering where it was I came from...

[The Edge]

It is much easier to cast off and live your dream on a smaller boat.

GO!  I have

[CapnK]

Sarah -

I will be! :D First, I have to:

1) Get the boat set up right and make her ready.

2) Pay off debts, and make everything like that ready for casting off.

3) Get the cruising kitty built up to a point so that I can go for 3-5 years.

In the meanwhile, I'll be doing coastwise journeys, a trip or two down to the 'hamas, or even out to Bermuda and back for a serious shakedown.

The last thing I'll have to do will be to find a loving home for the CrewDogs, which will be a VERY sad time for me - those 2 mutts have been my constant companions for the last several years, it'll be harder saying goodbye to them than to most of the people I know. :) lol

So it'll be a while before I leave, but that "meanwhile" is as much a part of the trip as the sailing itself. I'm already living the Dream. ;D

You are right - its easier to be able to Go on a small boat. The bigger boats here in the marina, they stay tied up all the time, while I'm out galavantin' around the Bay on a whim aboard Katie. :)

[Oldguy52]

I hope you make it Cap'n K. I kind of have the same aspirations .... well, maybe not ALL the way around. I think it'd be better to make it TO the ocean first though, before I decide I can make it across :) There's still a heck of a lot of places I haven't seen from the water on this side yet. All in the not too distant future I hope.

If you look down the bay one of these days and see a Flicka coming up, wave and smile .... that'll be me and I'll be bringing the rum ;D

[The Edge]

CapnK,

     You are so inspiring.  I have the money, the boat, the health and The Edge is just sitting here in my driveway.   ::)

     I'll fly down to Honduras for a month or four, sail The Edge more off the B.C. coast this summer, then make THE decision.  I am running out of the most important thing - TIME.

     Thanks for sharing your dream.

     

[djn]

Hey Capnk, we are thinking about giving up the house live and get a boat we can live on.  The one question I have is, how is the internet service in most marinas.   Obviously you can manage this forum from your boat.  Any tips you can give?  Cheers.

[CapnK]

djn -

I haven't traveled to a lot of other marinas, but I do talk to most of the transients who come in here looking to get some 'net access. As the resident "Geek", I wind up helping folks who are having trouble accessing our wireless (usually due to their not understanding how to connect to a wireless network which has encryption). Whenever I do, I ask them about their experiences up and down the ICW as far as getting online.

I think that this topic probably deserves its own thread in the Boat Bits section. I'll post a link here to it when I get something up, or just keep an eye out for it over there. :)

[s/v Faith]

Kurt,

  Last night, sailing in the dark in about 2-5knots of wind I closed my eyes and drifted in my imagination to far off points on the map. 

  When I opened my eyes the boat felt exactly the same, but the stars were brighter somehow.

[AdriftAtSea]

This year and the beginning of the next are really for me to get to know the the Pretty Gee and to get her rigged and outfitted.  Towards that end, I did a check of the solar panel and the solar panel charging system I've setup.  Only one problem...they put out a lot more amperage than I had initially guessed.  Blew a 10 amp fuse, then a 15-amp fuse, and was able to get a 20-amp fuse that worked.  That's just for one of the two panels I have installed.

I hope to be leaving for about a two-year trip, at least to start with, sometime next fall. Next year, I'll be turning 40, and I intend to be far from the civilized shores when I do.   

I learned that time is precious, and that we can never be sure how much time we'll have remaining.  Gee and I thought we had plenty of time, when we met seven years ago, and she's been gone for over five years now.   

I've paid off most of the things I owe, and am in the final stages of prepping the boat and getting familiar with how she handles, and how I deal with her. 

[Frank]

 Adrift at sea wrote .. "I hope to be leaving for about a two-year trip, at least to start with, sometime next fall. Next year, I'll be turning 40, and I intend to be far from the civilized shores when I do."   
..........easy now...some of us here would LOVE to be turning 40.  You will love your 40's...it all seems to come together a bit better...you get more selfconfident and care less what others think than when younger. I'll be 50 in a couple of months.I do have a little advice for turning 50 when ya get there...DON"T USE A CLOSE-UP MIRROR TO SHAVE..... WAY TOO MUCH DETAIL !!!!!  And on the "50" subject and all this talk about '6 packs'....well ..I used to have one of those '6 packs'...but the last few years it's turned into a jug !!   All joking aside...live life fully ,chase your dreams and have a great cruise when it all comes together for you.  

[AdriftAtSea]

LOL, yes, I know that some might want to be on the low side of forty again.... Given all that has happened in my life thus far, I sometimes feel like I'm a lot older than just 38.   

Small boats, long distances... that's the right idea...

As for the close-up mirror...what's wrong with that...I get better looking every year... Really, I do...

[CharlieJ]

 ;D ;D

You guys really make me laugh. Wait'll you get to be 65 like me, staring at 66 real soon.

The years go by faster and faster and faster, the older you get. I had thought we'd be doing a lot more sailing than we are but it isn't happening. I can't really say how it turned around that we are working more now than ever before, but we are.

I'm thinking that NEXT year, for sure, we're gonna do some cruising. God I hope so- I don't want Laura to go cruising with someone else to get to go finally.

When I was 41 I crawled aboard a 35 foot trimaran and went sailing for a few years. NEVER did I think that 24 years later I would still be waiting to do it again.

Folks- DON'T wait too long. Time doesn't.

[Frank]

Time does seem to go by faster.Another fact is I am now spending more time trimming the hair on my ears,nose and eyebrows than the hair on my head.( I know,I know...too much detail)

[AdriftAtSea]

That's why I'm getting everything ready now... Sold the house, paid off my bills... put money away for a sailing kitty... getting the boat ready and getting familiar with her is the plan for this year and the beginneing of next.

When I'm 65, I don't want to be saying that I should have gone when I was younger.  Besides, you never know if you're going to make it to 65, until one day, there you are.

[oded kishony]

>now spending more time trimming the hair on my ears,nose and eyebrows than the hair on my head.( I know,I know...too much detail)<

:D :D :D :D :D

~OK

[CapnK]

Last night, sailing in the dark in about 2-5knots of wind I closed my eyes and drifted in my imagination to far off points on the map. 

  When I opened my eyes the boat felt exactly the same, but the stars were brighter somehow.

Sheer poetry - awesome. :)

Time does seem to go by faster.Another fact is I am now spending more time trimming the hair on my ears,nose and eyebrows than the hair on my head.( I know,I know...too much detail)

LMAO, Frank! ;D (We laugh hardest at that which we can most associate with... ;))

Dan - I experienced something similar to you, though not quite as heart-rending I'm sure, when my best friend died just after I started college. That led to the same realization as you express - why do what isn't fun, when life is so short and so unpredictable? For better or for worse, many of my life decisions have been made with that in mind. I've friends who are much wealthier than I, but none who have experienced the same kind of 'richness' and experiences that I have. Maybe someday soon I'll have a good balance between the two, and will head out of port not too long after you do. :)

CJ - Y'all have done a bit of cruising in the past couple years, maybe not a complete "chuck it all and go" scenario, but a lot more time than 90%+ of the folks you know, so don't disparage what you *have* done! :) Other than that - chuck it, and git goin' man! ;D

One thing I really dig about sailFar.net - getting to know all of y'all, folks who are all at different stages of similar journeys. How cool is that? Gives us some idea of what progress we've made realizing our Dream, allows us to help others along, and also gives us an impetus to move a little closer towards untying those docklines for the last time...

I can't wait. :D

Last - since I originally authored this thread, my plans have perhaps changed a bit. For years I have been planning to go west Canal-wise and into the SoPac first, but now I am starting to think I will go the other way, through the Carib and around Africa. No firm decision on that, yet - I have the luxury of thinking about it for a while before having to make a decision. :)

[s/v Faith]

Kurt,

  Just came across this thread while looking for something else.... you said

I have the luxury of thinking about it for a while before having to make a decision.

  Funny, I posted this on another forum just a few minutes ago....

We don't know if we are going to do that trip, or go back to the Islands yet. We will see, half the fun is planning / looking forward to it.....

  Maybe, it IS a little more like being underway then I have given it credit for all these years....  :)













(or maybe it is just my evening ration of grog...)   ;D

[CapnK]

It's a darned sight closer than when I was land-bound, that's fer sure. ;D

I lucked out, the other day. Someone, some unidentified transient who'd obviously come TransAt to get here, left behind a HUGE stack of charts in our 'take/leave a book' "library" here at the marina. Basically, most the Northern Atlantic basin, + parts of the Med, and Atlantic and Carribean Islands, some of the NE and SE US. A couple of cruising guides to the Wind/Leewards.

So now I have a bag full of dream fuel, a resource to use to get into a bit more of the nitty-gritty of planning my route.

Perhaps even a Hint from Someone Somewhere, a Reminder that the time is drawing nearer, a propitious Gift that'll help things keep moving along...  8) 8) 8)

[s/v Faith]

Bump......  ;)

[Travelnik]

Thanks for bumping this Craig. I really needed to read it right now.  :)