wrote in message
...
On May 29, 2:12 pm, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:
"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"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

\ Its clear you are the cruising type
\
\ To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm
\ foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine
\ traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at
\ sea... "cruising" it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the
\ wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are
\ contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture
\ until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is
\ all about.

Voyaging under sail and cruising under sail are one in the same. The only
difference is cruising is more dangerous and more challenging because it
consists of multiple short voyages close inshore where traffic and hazards
abound while voyaging consists of one or more long voyages upon the open
seas where there is far less danger. Voyaging is for the lazy and
anti-social type. Cruising is for those who are sociable and energetic and
prefer varied daily challenges.

Either pursuit requires one to be financially self-sufficient or have the
ability to earn money as one goes. The longer the voyage the more money must
be spent fitting out and stocking the vessel. This means voyagers must have
the greater initial financial means at hand to do this before weighing
anchor.

It seems to me to be more conducive to extended cruising or voyaging to be a
man on some wealth or one might get stuck for months at some undesirable
destination working to obtain the funds necessary to carry on to the next
port. Bruce at the Bangkok dock is one good example of this. He got stuck in
Bangkok because he had to stop and work. He's gone nowhere since. Had he the
necessary funds on hand he probably would have completed a circumnavigation
by now. But, instead, he's just another failure because of lack of finances.

Cruisers are generally thought to be making shorter passages but their costs
are generally greater than their voyaging brethren. This is due to the fact
that they are in a position to spend more on luxuries such as sight seeing,
laundries, grocery stores, restaurants, marinas, etc. So, a cruiser's life
is more varied and more costly or it becomes less enjoyable. So, in this
respect, it is even more important for a cruiser to be a man of means.

Ocean going vagabonds and social misfits are in their preferred element when
at sea but cruisers are more sociable and more human. However, the fact
remains both groups need money to carry on indefinitely. It's better to have
earned enough money and wait before embarking on a cruising or voyaging life
to attain an age where accumulated funds allow sailing into old age with
money left over for a secure and comfortable retirement when one becomes too
old or infirm to abide the rigors of sailing and has to become a lubber -
old Thom Stewart is a good example of this.

--
Wilbur Hubbard