Mindset
September 1, 2011
Ok, so now Why Knot has another log book entry involving a named hurricane. I noticed yesterday that a fellow posted that his boat has now been through eight named storms. I am not sure the crew of Why Knot has the life force to deal with that number over time. He posted that his boat had various levels of damage each time but he kept repairing her. Now, that’s dedication. Some manage to keep their boats in near perfect condition while others, ourselves included, attain that condition mechanically and do not repair every little ding in the toe rail. My mindset is that each and every ding has a story and it sort of follows the saying that the idea is to arrive at the final port fully spent and loudly proclaiming “Wow, what a ride”. Only the owner and crew can determine when and where the final port is. The exception is when Mother Ocean or other factors combine to hasten the trip. So far, Why Knot is gathering dings both inside and out but she has many sea miles to go, many ports to visit and much to deliver to her crew if they are up to the challenge. It is the mission of the crew to report aboard and give her sea room to do just that.
I have always said that I do not sail without Bear. As an engineer, I know that one never used the terms never and always. Our near term idea is to move Why Knot to the Keys for the winter and to allow Bear to recover and then look to sea next spring. In the meantime, we will leave Why Knot laced into the harbor at Wilmington to await whatever Mother Ocean chooses to throw at her. We are hoping for minimal dings with just enough “spooky nights” to run our troll away. Who knows what evil he has wrought aboard in our absence? The bounty on his has now gone from a half dozen tots to a full dozen tots of rum. Anyone game for the hunt?