What Made You Decide to Sail ?

[Cheapwine]

i Love the sea. I really do, I'm 24 and long to sail all around this world. Few years back I grabbed my guitar and walked and hitched from Yucaipa California to Stillwater Oklahoma to feel free and chase after that wind. Now I'm working 6 days a week to support me, Niko, and my dog. I have a house in Calimesa. When do I say enough and finally cross some ocean? I sit with Niko on my front porch, we have our wine, cigarettes, coffee, and our heads full of dreams. I hope to take my girl and dog to live out at sea with me. How did you guys do it? What sacrifices did you have to make?

[Anzo]

I decided to sail mostly because i wanted to get out of the life I thought I wanted. Also, I'd risen enough to make more money than I thought I'd ever see. You can say "enough" at any time. But you have to mean it, desperately. BTW, someone's dream is to sit on the porch w/wine, smokes and not have to worry about getting enough to eat this month. I wish you success, truly, but it just doesn't mean enough to you....yet

[sprague]

There is something about being alone on a large body of water in sturdy boat with nothing but the wind and a set of sails. I can't explain it. It started when I was in my early twenties with a 10 foot topper. That was 35 years ago. Somewhere in between I stopped sailing raised a family and watched them leave home to start lives of their own. Suddenly you wake up and say: " today is the day" and you out and buy that sailboat and head out to the open water... and remember. It's just you, your boat and the elements. No excuses, no one to blame if things go wrong. No office politics, no boss, no schedule, and no blackberry. Nothing but the joy of sailing.

[zeehag]

my uncle's boat and wanting to find amelia earhart and sunsets in faraway places.....

[barnakiel]

I always wanted to join the CF. So I sold the van and started sailing.

b.

[Me-and-Boo]

Boating is just part of my genes. I grew up with boating, sail, power, and self propelled, so it is just natural to me to enjoy sailing.
And, I am so happy I did not end up with the genes to want to farm.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Me-and-Boo

Boating is just part of my genes. (...)

Bang on, mate!

Things that cannot be explained and cannot be disputed. Same here.

I remember being young, sitting on the shore looking at sailing boats. Meanwhile my friends had girlfriends, jobs and mortgages. Today, it is still the same, except I am sailing the boats.

Cheers,
b.

[Cheapwine]

I hear you, it's true. I guess the ocean has been calling for me for a while now. I dream alot you know, but if it doesn't become reality then it's not worth much.

[capn_billl]

I remember while the other kids in my wood shop class in high school were building various knick knacks, (carved lamps, lawn ornaments etc..), I built a 8ft wooden dinghy. It survived almost 20 years. I used to have a toy sailboat I terrorised various small ponds with. Someday I hoped to live on a full sized one.

[Target9000]

Women.

[sprague]

Originally Posted by Cheapwine

i Love the sea. I really do, I'm 24 and long to sail all around this world. Few years back I grabbed my guitar and walked and hitched from Yucaipa California to Stillwater Oklahoma to feel free and chase after that wind. Now I'm working 6 days a week to support me, Niko, and my dog. I have a house in Calimesa. When do I say enough and finally cross some ocean? I sit with Niko on my front porch, we have our wine, cigarettes, coffee, and our heads full of dreams. I hope to take my girl and dog to live out at sea with me. How did you guys do it? What sacrifices did you have to make?

The thing is to just do it. Worry about it later. Today is the best day of your life and it doesn't matter if you are 24 or 64. If you don't do it now you won't have any great stories to tell your grand kids or the other people at the seniors home.

[sailorboy1]

I just wanted to travel more later and thought that sailing would be the way. But sometimes now adays I wonder ;-)

[spostamento nobile]

I wanted to end homelessness.

[SabreKai]

@ Nobleshift, thats certainly one of the better ways to get a home.

As for myself, we had boats in our family since I was a baby. My dad was an ex-Kriegsmarine officer, who had learned to sail at the academy, and later ended up as 3rd watch officer on a Uboat. Towards the end of the war and afterwards he served as a deck officer on a minesweeper, clearing the harbours. So the sea was in his blood and he started building small power boats when he got to Canada.

The odd thing was that we always had power boats. Inboards, outboards but never a sailboat til he bought my brother and I a folding kayak with mast, leeboards and sails. Thats where I learned to sail, and a few years later I got into it with both feet. My first decent sailboat was bought in April 1979 and I lived aboard for a year and a half. Since then I've had only sailboats.

I suspect it was mostly due to my reading. I read all the classic sailing books, Hiscock, Tangvald, Montessier, Slocum and others. I guess it took and this is why I still love the older style boats more than the newer designs.

[Scituate Sailor]

I love the journey, the destination is just another reason for a new journey.