http://www.sailblogs.com/member/yachtmaya/maya_029.htm Whitby 42 sailboat Maya world travel site Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:38:10 GMT Web Easy by Avanquest Software Many people consider traveling in a small boat the culmination of a dream. Too many issues of Cruising World or Latitudes and Attitudes can fill ones mind with an idellic vision of a care free life wandering from one tropical paradise to another. Happy friendly natives greeting you with a smile and inviting you to join in the joy of their simple life styles devoid of the pressures and stress of western civilaziation. Some of these visions do happen, but we can't leave behind who and what we are. Western civilization is its own unique culture and colors our perceptions of others. The dream of cruising rarely involves clawing off a lee shore in weather conditions that make you question your sanity. The dream never involves petty, arbitrary, and sometimes plain mean government officials (ours and theirs) who wield power over you through their ability to proceed with your dream. The dream dosen't consider hitting a reef, tearing an expensive sail, engine maintenance, seasickness, money problems, medical problems, and the miraid of things we call yucky life stuff. An ocean passage in a small boat is neither easy nor comfortable, not only must one take care of oneself (eating, sleeping, using the head, keeping cleaning) but you need to operate the boat (navigate, watchkeep, sailtrim) safely no matter how you feel or whatever conditions you find yourself in. There is no calling in sick. So why would anyone want to live this "dream". Many people catch the dream and then awake to the reality only to realize that what they really wanted was just a dream. I think the difference for us is this isn't a dream, its just the way we live. We have chosen to trade a comfortable, stable existance for a life that frequently challenges our comfort zones, and allows us to observe our world from a different perspective than the one our parents handed us. This pattern of existance has been with us most of our adult lives. We have chosen to live in arctic Alaska in a native village, in rural India, we have also chosen diverse occupations that sent us to distant places on the planet and allowed us to live with unique cultures. For us, in many ways, this is not that different than many other things we have done. At times we get frustrated, angry, tired, bored, scared, even terrified but there isn't much we would change about what we are doing. For us this is life. Don't misunderstand what I'm trying to say. It's a wonderful life, it's just not for everybody. http://www.sailblogs.com/member/yachtmaya/maya_029.htm Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:38:10 GMT Shad Dusseau http://www.sailblogs.com/member/yachtmaya/maya_029.htm#1