After two days on the move, Lori and I were sitting out in the cockpit and she turned to me and said,
"I don't mind living on a boat, it's moving the boat I don't like". Since I wasn't feeling too well at the moment, I had to give an honest response of "yep, I agree". It may sound like heresy, but the truth is there are many cruisers out there that would agree with us, but wouldn't want to say it out loud for fear of being kicked out of the "Cruisers Club", but we know they are out there. We have seen them every year waiting to cross the Sea of Cortez when there is no wind for a nice comfortable motor rather than a bouncy sail. Since we were stripped of the "Cruiser" label long ago, we don't have anything to lose rather than the myth that we enjoy bouncing and rolling around at sea and sailing Northwest when our destination is West. When we look back at our years of cruise memories, it isn't the slightly over 9000 miles at sea that excites us, but the time we spent at anchor getting to know the area and people. In fact, the most unpleasant time in the last 4 seasons have all been at Sea rather than at anchor!

I've never honestly understood the saying stressing "The Journey" over "The Destination" anyway. What makes the act of getting to where you want to be any better or more valuable a life lesson than when you get there? I'm I to lean more from the act of getting down to Mexico than being here? Being treated like a common criminal by the airport TSA teaches me more than the two week vacation in Rome? Really? Not a chance. The psychobabble touting "The Journey" over "The Destination" is pushed by people that simply haven't gone anywhere or done anything notable! Only in a world where keeping score in a little league game can damage a kid for life, does this even make sense.

If cruising was more about "The Journey" than "The Destination" then count me out! There would also be a lot fewer boats down here in the anchorages and marinas. I've never thrown up or watched a crew member barff over the rail while at "The Destination", it always seems to happen during "The Journey" and for my simple mind, that's all it takes to convince me that the goal of cruising isn't how much you move, how many miles you sail, or the grand Journey. It's all about enjoying and making the most out of your Destinations, which takes time. Maybe not two months in Barra, 5 months in San Blas, or 6 months in La Paz type of time, but hey, I'm a slow learner.