Skippy has been absent for several weeks, now. One of the last times he
posted was when he said his dad was quite ill and probably didn't have
but a couple of weeks left. Sad news indeed, especially for somebody
like Skippy who seems to be overly dependent upon family relationships.

While it is not necessarily a bad thing to be over-involved in family
matters and relationships with all the commitments and burdens those
entail, it is mostly anathema for a sailor to succumb to such lubberly
conventions. No sir! Sailors must be an independent lot. There is just
no way one can merge lubberly family and friends affairs with the
pursuit of cruising. The sailing end of the bargain will be the end that
suffers or becomes dormant altogether.

I've seen it over and over again and it's quite a monument to failed
dreams that weddings, funerals, graduations, birthday celebrations and
the like yank sailors off the seven seas over and over until one finally
hears they've given up sailing altogether because of its impact their
shore side obligations.

Friends, you've got to put your collective feet down. You've got to just
say NO to lubberly, family and friends rituals. Why? Because any and all
of them interfere with the cruising life. It's a case of you can't have
your cake and eat it too.

Are you a sailor or are you a lubber?


Wilbur Hubbard