"Gregory Hall" wrote in message
...
: How do you tell when you have become a real sailor?
:
: 1) When you tell somebody you want to go home you're thinking about your
: boat.
:
: 2) When you wouldn't even consider joining a raft-up because it is a
: lubberly thing to do and your boat could get damaged not to mention the
: crowds offend you and you feel violated when strangers walk across your
: deck.
:
: 3) When you pass by a marina you think, "Look at all the loser boats tied
up
: in that floating trailer park."
:
: 4) When you start noticing some dinghies don't have adequate rub rails and
: you don't want them coming alongside even if there is a bikini babe
sitting
: in it because they scrape your topsides.
:
: 5) When you can't sleep well at night ashore because the air is stale and
: the bed doesn't move.
:
: 6) When underway offshore and another boat comes closer than about half a
: mile you feel like your territory is being invaded.
:
: 7) When the telephone doesn't ring for a week and you don't even care.
:
: 8) When you start using short wave radio because all the AM and FM
stations
: are out of range and you find you can easily do without the 25 minutes of
: adverts every hour.
:
: 9) When you'd rather sit in the cockpit and watch the scenery and wildlife
: in the evenings than watch your favorite DVD for probably the tenth time.
:
: 10) When you start throwing overboard electronic gadgets that give up the
: ghost while thinking "Good riddance it wasn't worth what it weighed
anyway."
:
: 11) When you snorkel frequently around and under your boat to scrub the
: growth off the bottom because you know full well that even a little slime
: can knock a knot off your speed especially in light winds.
:
: 12) When you start spending more time looking at the sails and the
: tell-tales than the wind instrument at the masthead's readout.
:
: 13) When you anchor out every day for a year and don't drag a single time.
:
: 14) When you can come and go from an anchorage with very few people even
: noticing your arrival or departure.
:
: 15) When you come to understand that mosquitoes and no-see-ums are just a
: cost of doing business.
:
: 16) When you turn off the VHF because it is just so much distracting
noise.
:
: 17) When you can read the depth of shallow water by its color and texture
so
: you rarely even look at the depth sounder because it's better to keep your
: eyes on the water.
:
: 18) When you provide your kitty several good hidey holes it feels safe in
: when times get rough.
:
: 19) When sleeping on clammy sheets no longer bothers you
:
: 20) When you look at yourself in the mirror after about a year or two of
: sailing and you're actually thin for the first time in your adult life
: because you're not eating junk food all the time.
:
: 21) When you thank God for providing that fish you caught and when you
thank
: the fish for giving up its life so you can eat.
:
: Wilbur Hubbard


At it again, are we, Greg? Actually, it's pretty good - for a lubber.

Wilbur Hubbard - the real one.