I always thought I’d die out here. Not like you’re thinking—more metaphorically. There is nothing that has given me more pleasure or sense of accomplishment than the feats of human endurance I’ve faced at the hands of our favorite mistress.
There are songs about sailing, but not about golf. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Beach Boys, Lyle Lovett, Jimmy Buffet, Phish, and Christopher Cross are amongst those whose song lyrics have imparted important life guidance delivered through sailing (or boating) metaphors. Sailing and golf can each be described as sports, hobbies, or passions and they are, similarly, both significantly impacted by the weather.
As Christian’s sailing story led to the beginning of mine, I have written about him over the years. And, here we are again, perhaps writing a final chapter, which will hopefully lead to a new beginning.
Quick recap. Christian and my father immigrated to the US in 1966, several months before I was born. My father was Swiss, Christian was what was called Yugoslavian in those days.
The Excess 13 is a cruising catamaran, a true sailboat capable of ocean passage-making. The boat’s potential is felt as soon as you leave harbor, giving you a dizzying sense of freedom.
The very direct helm allows you to feel the connection with the sea and fine-tune everything. Sensations are increased exponentially. The forward-facing chart table keeps you in touch with the elements and allows you to navigate with pinpoint accuracy.
We spent the better part of a year designing and planning a “Sea-bbatical”, which for us, was the odd combination of one month sailing the islands of Guadeloupe in The Lesser Antilles, followed up by flying to the other side of the earth for six weeks of exploring Thailand by all modes of transit, including sailing. We have been fortunate enough to sail the Caribbean waters several times, so the piece-de-resistance of this adventure was to be spending the last few weeks sailing the Andaman Sea of Thailand.
In October 2015, I purchased a Richard Woods Elf 26 catamaran in South Africa. But it wasn’t until 2017, after a major refit in Gordon’s Bay, South Africa that she was delivered to Watamu, on Kenya’s Indian Ocean North Coast. That voyage took some three or four months of sailing over a period of almost nine months.
You probably know that 71% of our planet is covered in water, or that an estimated 350 million jobs globally are linked to our oceans.
But lesser known facts about oceans include an estimation that one BILLION people in developing countries depend on fish as their primary source of protein, or that 90% of the world’s fisheries are categorized as either “fully exploited,” “overexploited,” or “depleted”.
Once you’ve got your sights set on playing some seaworthy songs, the right acoustic guitar is the perfect companion for your musical adventure. So, what qualities make for a great boat ax? When Jimmy Buffett released an all-acoustic album in 2020 called Songs You Don’t Know by Heart, I had a chance to ask the ultimate expert.
Once you’ve got your sights set on playing some seaworthy songs, the right acoustic guitar is the perfect companion for your musical adventure. So, what qualities make for a great boat ax? When Jimmy Buffett released an all-acoustic album in 2020 called Songs You Don’t Know by Heart, I had a chance to ask the ultimate expert.
Once you’ve got your sights set on playing some seaworthy songs, the right acoustic guitar is the perfect companion for your musical adventure. So, what qualities make for a great boat ax? When Jimmy Buffett released an all-acoustic album in 2020 called Songs You Don’t Know by Heart, I had a chance to ask the ultimate expert.
