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Robin Lee Graham inspired me do to my own circumnavigation. The National Geographic articles implanted the dream in my mind, and there was no escape.
It's interesting how, every once in a while, people pop up out of nowhere and influence thousands of lives around the world. Joshua Slocum, Harry Pidgeon, and Robin Lee Graham are good examples.
We live in a day of extreme sports and well-financed adventures. The high performance extreme sportsmen of today discourage me rather than inspire me, because most of what they do are stunts (often highly risky). I don't aspire to follow in their footsteps, and I have no desire to emulate what they do.
This age of brinksmanship is at the opposite end of the spectrum from people like Slocum, Pidgeon, and Graham. They went about their business in average boats with minimal resources, and they had an excellent adventure. Most of all, they inspired me because what they were doing wasn't extreme. Their dreams were in the realm of possiblity in my own life.
One of my favorite quotes from singlehanded circumnavigator, Harry Pidgeon is: "I avoided adventure as much as possible. Just the same, any landsman who builds his own vessel and sails alone around the world will certainly meet with some adventures, so I shall offer no apology for my voyage. Those days were the freest and happiest of my life."
Long live those sailors who inspire ordinary people to live their dreams. |