This morning, skimming the recent posts here while sipping coffee on my wee little boat, feeling slightly sore from a day of "rig wrangling" yesterday, I just had to stop, sit back, look around, and smile. :)
The boat is moving ever so gently, and the chuckle of wavelets slapping against the hull provide background music for a most-beautiful dawn breaking over Hobcaw Point to the east. Sunrise silhouettes transient boats on the outer face dock against a golden filigree of high broken clouds. Occasionally a seagull flies by as another screeches out some gull-talk over by the Coast Guard dock. The Walker Bay dinghy taps against the hull once in a while, alive in her own right and not wanting to be forgotten, and I hear a CrewDogs muffled dream-bark from out in the cockpit. In a bit, after coffee, I have to go spread some bedding compound underneath some deck gear I installed this week, and then it's officially a Holiday for me after that.
Uniquely "boaty" I guess, and a small vignette of my daily life aboard, looking at it with appreciative eyes to write about it made me reflect on the many, many things that I have to be thankful for, and that I AM Thankful for.
Today is that uniquely American holiday of "Thanksgiving", and although it takes flack from various groups for various reasons, I personally feel that setting aside at least one day out of the year to sit back and actively celebrate our Life, to express appreciation for Friends and Family (and, if you choose, a Deity), it seems to me that there isn't any harm in that.
Au contraire! Too many days slip by in the hustle and bustle when we are just too busy to smile a bit after taking stock of all the good - and even some of the 'bad' - in our lives. Making time on one day of the year to change that can give us a dose of perspective, and perhaps even teach us that we should have more days of Thanksgiving as we move through our altogether too-short lives.
So, to all you sailFarers scattered far and wide around the planet, on boats and not, cruising Far, working towards it, or still just dreaming about it - You're one of the things in my life that I want to say "Thanks" about. :)
The friendships I have made through here, the things I have read and learned through here, and the inspiration I have gotten from seeing several of our member get out there and start 'Doin' The Dream', all of these things hold value to me that can't be measured in dollars, and can't be quantified. I can't even express my appreciation enough using words of my own choosing, so I'll just have to hope that you can understand with what I've been able to put down in this post.
I hope that all of y'all, everywhere, in every country and by or on every sea, have a great life full of many things that you can be Thankful for. Fair Winds to you all, and Happy Thanksgiving! :)
Happy Turkey day to all the people at Sailfar.net...and a special thanks to CapnK for putting up with all of us. :D
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Mindful each moment
Each a present
Make everyday
Thanksgiving
Best wishes from the Zen crew
Thanks Kurt.
Laura and I are having dinner down at the marina with all the folks from there. Should be a great day.
I'm really thankful to just be here and able to post. And of course for my famiily- even heard from my oldest son today, for the first time in months.
I went to the St. Marys, Georgia Thanksgiving Day Celebration for cruisers yesterday. It was incredible. I counted 80 boats at anchor and there were others tied at the marina. I was told 200 or more cruisers ate lunch. I did not know cruisers could cook so well. There were multiple long tables of food of every description and several nationalities. The 4 tables of desserts were observed very carefully as I made my selections. Seven years ago there was just a hand full of people. After lunch many individuals strolled the water front park, rode bicycles around the historic town or just sat with both new and old friends sharing stories and information. The tide changed and the wind picked up and there was the occasional excitement of a dragging anchor and the scurrying owners to the rescue. I met an individual who had retired more than 10 years ago and has been an active cruiser/live aboard for that time on his 25 Catalina. He has made numerous changes and upgrades to his boat to accomidate his needs. He was not aware of Sail Far and plans to "check it out." If any of you have the time to make the cruise to St. Marys for next years Thanksgiving I would strongly recommend it. I want to mention the St. Patricks Day sail in to my dock and the Marina on the Ogeechee River South of Savannah, GA. The parade will be Friday March 14 so if you plan to attend arrive by Thursday. Please let me know when you plan to arrive and how many so I can try to arrange transportation fto the parade and other events in Savannah. We are planning a pot luck diner Saturday on the bluff at my house and maybe other events as time nears. My dock is about 10 miles up the Ogeechee River from the Intracoastal Waterway. There is a well marked deep easily navigated channel from off shore at Ossabaw Sound at the North end of Ossabaw Ialand. This connects with the ICW. I know mid March is not a time when cruisers are usually cruising the Intracoastal Waterway but I could not get them to change the St. Pat events. We may have another sail in in mid October for the Richmond Hill, GA Sea Food Festival. Dan
Here's a pic lifted from the CSBB of the gathering at St Mary's
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Looks like a great group!!
This was posted by Kate Munson by the way, who was also in attendance.