"Gordon" wrote in message
m...
For those who haven't read it before and for those who didn't heed it,
here are Sterling Hayden's famous lines about the cost of sailing

" 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 yield 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,
preposterous 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?"

G


Ah, but a hardworking, disciplined and intelligent man can have the best of
both worlds.

In my case, for example, I immersed myself in the material world for a long
enough time that I accumulated wealth beyond your wildest imagination. I had
everything I desired - wine, women, song, fast cars and faster motorcycles,
airplanes, a house by the sea and a house in the mountains, the best of
intelligent and stimulating friends - the works. But, that all got old!
It's too burdensome after a while. Like running a business demand all your
time.

So I sold it all, liquidated, consolidated. Cashed out and invested my
wealth offshore. Bought two boats - a Swan 68 for racing and an Allied
Seawind 32 for living aboard and cruising. I'm in the process of divesting
myself of the Swan. It's a great racing boat but not practical for cruising
because of the deep draft and very size and complexity of it. So now I sail
"Sea Isle all over the world and enjoy the simple life with money enough to
last me three or four lifetimes. I enjoy spreading the wealth around to
those who need it in some of the poorer countries. I do Sunday services
aboard my yacht and try to save souls by introducing them to Jesus Christ
their savior.

Life is good. I've done it both ways and I maintain you must do it both ways
in order to become a real sailor and man of the world. You can't expect to
have such a grand life handed to you on a silver platter. You must work for
it in order to enjoy the fruits of your labor - but you must want freedom
more than continued opulence. Therein lies the trap. Too comfortable a life
ashore and wealth enough to maintain the lifestyle will keep you from ever
chucking it all and embracing the simple life. You've got to be motivated
from the start. You've got to remember when you first tried the cruising
life for a short time and on a limited budget. You've got to then know this
is how you want to live forever but you must then forsake it for a while and
re-join the workaday world and make a success out of yourself. You must
become a wage slave for a while with the goal of it being for a limited
time. Then you must, when you reach your financial goals, just say NO to
more of it.

Consolidate and go world cruising with a modest but competent yacht, a good
dog or cat and live happily ever after! Leave the rest of it behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wilbur Hubbard
Allied Seawind 32, "Sea Isle"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~