Living the Dreams
16 December 2008 | Pacific
Wiskun
Sailing is not really all wine and roses. But I am not one to complain. The minute I made the decision to do this, I knew it is not the "sailing-into-the-sunset" romantic notion that one envisions. For starters, I stand pat with whatever I have decided, and take responsibility for whatever comes my way. Some choose to complain on everything and find all the negatives of each place visited. What for? I don't undertand it at all. It is like you are doomed to be miserable your whole life. In this article, I will lay out some of the "negatives" if you want to choose that word, but for me, I will call them experiences, part and parcel of sailing.
First, the fear factor. I admit, there are some instances I feared for our lives. I have even prayed that we will get out safe and alive. Whenever I see a line of gray, low lying clouds in the horizon, my heart starts to pump faster. I actually have a name for this - I call it the GATES OF HELL. Usually there is no way around it, but to enter the zone. We prepare in advance, but this is not a fun feeling once you are in.
Wiskun has no roof over the helm. We face the elements that come our way, we just have to dress up accordingly. Sometimes, with so many layers, it is a chore for me to go to the washroom. Taking off the layers one by one while doing the balancing act takes some skills, I would think.
Very wet. Very cold. Very Hot.
Sometimes, it is quite boring and there is nothing to do. We just have to find anything to pass the time away.
Lots of work. At times you feel that boat repairs and maintenance will never end. Wiskun, after only one year in the tropics, looked very tired. Rust stains, leaks, worn varnish, chipped paint, you name it.
Sail repairs; cooking and preserving food for long term storage; etc.
Courtesy flags are very expensive so I make our own. I have an inventory of different colored materials to work with, and I use hand stitching plus some fabric paints. I don't have to be very particular on the design. When it is high up there, no one will really notice I drew the emblem wrong.
I don't really drink beer, but I also brew our own beer in the boat. I learned all this from our German friends, and I still have to try making our own wine. Another thing which fell into my lap, is washing clothes. I do it by hand, on deck. Sometimes, when I get tired, I just stomp on it using my feet. Eventually one learns the "techniques" to make it more efficient, fast and easy.
I also do all the provisioning, navigation work, the logbook and communication. Kjartan takes care of all the rest - the difficult ones are his. During passages, we take turns doing "watches" so the other can sleep. Some couples take this seriously, for example, 3 hour watches. For us, we are easy. Kjartan is very kind to me, and takes most of it. Normally, we each take 5 hours in the evenings and naps during the day. We found that 3 hours is just not enough rest. It takes a few minutes to try and fall asleep, a few minutes to try and wake up and a few more minutes to dress up, prepare coffee and get ready. With 3 hours, it just doesn't leave enough time for a real rest. Of course, when there is bad weather, both of us are on deck the whole time.
I hope I am able to give a clearer picture of our way of life. It is not all hunky-dory, but if we were living on land, we still face similar situations. The important thing is to look at it as part of life. Do them and enjoy the rest of your time - not sulk over them.
I have posted more pictures in my website: http://sailsamal.com/blog/default.aspx