"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote in
ews.com:


"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"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your story seems similar to thi one by Heinrich Böll:

An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal
Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside
the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American
complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

“How long it took you to catch them?” The American asked.

“Only a little while.” The Mexican replied.

“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The American then
asked.

“I have enough to support my family’s immediate needs.” The Mexican said.

“But,” The American then asked, “What do you do with the rest of your
time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my
children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each
evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and
busy life, senor.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should
spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and
with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats,
eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”

“Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to
the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control
the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this
small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and
eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then, senor?”

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is
right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your
company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make
millions.”

“Millions, senor? Then what?”

The American said slowly, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal
fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your
kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings
where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”