Sailing and Philosophy

[Serenity on Hudson]

I sail, therefore I am! This was written on my sailing hat before the wind tore it off my head and onto a mermaid's somewhere on the Hudson. The boat is named Serenity because it is where I alone move her to where the wind is going and I am along for the ride. Sailing solo is a philosophic experience where the act of sailing, the views of the water and shore and the silence of sailing meld into a thinking experience. Serenity!

 

[sailme88]

A bad day sailing is still better than a good day at work....

 

[TomY]

I sail, therefore I am! This was written on my sailing hat before the wind tore it off my head and onto a mermaid's somewhere on the Hudson. The boat is named Serenity because it is where I alone move her to where the wind is going and I am along for the ride. Sailing solo is a philosophic experience where the act of sailing, the views of the water and shore and the silence of sailing meld into a thinking experience. Serenity!

The quote above is from a natural sailor.

" With me, I cannot not sail." is another quote from a natural sailor. Who?

 

[Will Gilmore]

The quote above is from a natural sailor.

" With me, I cannot not sail." is another quote from a natural sailor. Who?

I found the quote. It's by E. B. White.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Hunter216]

A little philosophical humour. I would add “time on the water” as the base layer.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Sailing can tell you a lot about the relative nature of the Universe. It has inspired more than one great theory.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Hunter216]

Sailing can tell you a lot about the relative nature of the Universe. It has inspired more than one great theory.

-Will (Dragonfly)

Who is the lady in the boat with you?

 

[jssailem]

@Hunter216 I think your chart was missing a level... I did the edit...

 

[Hunter216]

@Hunter216 I think your chart was missing a level... I did the edit...
View attachment 172064

Awesome!

 

[Will Gilmore]

We are taught in school that Marlow's Hierarchy of Needs means one must complete a lower level before working on the next level. That to achieve self-actualization, one must first satisfy all the lower level goals. I have always felt it is possible, and more likely, that multiple levels can be worked upon at once.
For example: when sailing in a storm, a sailor is typically struggling with air, shelter, water, food(keeping it down), safety and security (and the fact that there isn't any), friends, family and/or crew, self-esteem, confidence, achievement (getting through the storm alive), creativity and problem solving as well as spontaneity. Authenticity? Oh, believe me, it gets real,
all at the same time.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Marlow's

Maslow’s? (maybe Marlow was related).

 

[Will Gilmore]

Maslow’s? (maybe Marlow was related).

I blame the 'swipe' feature on my phone. It doesn't know who Maslow was, but, apparently, it knows who Marlow was.
Ha ha ha ha! As I typed this response, my phone, again got Maslow wrong, but when I swiped Marlow, it replaced it with Maslow. Sometimes, I think my phone finds it funny to spite me. I think my Alexa is telling it what to do.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[TomY]

Another natural sailor. I spotted this one a few years ago sailing into a harbor in a small schooner. Few boats enter this harbor under sail.

Later I would meet this interesting man in town. He gave me a book he wrote on the history of these Tancook Whalers, a fishing boat design over a century old.

I'm afraid he might not fit into the 'real sailor' category for some. A natural sailor and real boat, for sure.

 

[Hunter216]

I'm afraid he might not fit into the 'real sailor' category for some.

It looks like he is the only one aboard.

I sometimes get stressed about a handling a much smaller boat, furling headsail etc.

Anyone that can handle all that gear is a real sailor in my book!

 

[TomY]

It looks like he is the only one aboard.

I sometimes get stressed about a handling a much smaller boat, furling headsail etc.

Anyone that can handle all that gear is a real sailor in my book!

He is solo yet amazingly at ease in the photo. When he saw these photos later, he said he wished he knew I was taking photos. "I would have worn my better hat", he said, with a dead straight face.

 

[jssailem]

Great story Tom.
I like your differentiation of Natural and Real.

Real, in my thinking, denotes a person who is capable of taking a boat out on the water navigating from place to place and returning safely to his home port. He may accomplish this task with bare bones or elaborate equipment as aides to his skill. A real sailor is comfortable at sea, yet at times he may fight it to accomplish his task. The real sailor usually wins the battle thru perseverance, strength and preparedness.

Natural identifies a person who is also capable of navigation, but his method appears more in concert with the sea. He feels the wind, he reads the seas signs and he adjusts his boat to accommodate the challenges the sea gives him. There is a sense of calm in his/her actions. A grace, timing and fluidity in managing his boat. It is not a fight but an acceptance of what is happening and choosing a path that works in concert with the sea.

I liked the response "If I had known you were taking pictures I would have worn a better hat." It provides insight into a Natural Sailor. Not concerned about observation as he deals with the tasks at hand. Only when he learns about being watched does if consider his reaction. A better hat.

I would like to consider myself a Natural sailor. Perhaps it is what slows down my adding boat electronics in my refit. I sense it is a force that influences my refit actions on my boat. Maybe why I cringe when I think about putting a hole through the hull.

 

[BobbyFunn]

It looks like he is the only one aboard.

I sometimes get stressed about a handling a much smaller boat, furling headsail etc.

Anyone that can handle all that gear is a real sailor in my book!

1. He doesn't know he is beautiful.
2. You are one with the boat when you can't tell where the sail ends and the sailor starts.
3. Everyone on shore is looking at that sailboat. Stopped in their tracks to soak in the view.

 

[Kermit]

In a recent thread about some new design features appearing more and more on sailboats, some comments were made regarding what real sailors vs people who aren't "real" sailors are looking for in a sailboat. This, of course, also leads to ideas on what is a "real" sailboat, as opposed to a push button power boat with sail pretending to be a sailboat. The concept is that there are "posers" who want to live the "mystique" of the sailor, but want the comfort and automatic features of powerboats.
I thought of starting this as a thread of its own, but then I thought, this is really a philosophical question.
What is a "real" sailor in contrast to a bogus sailor? We have, on this forum, sailboat owners who sail everyday, who sail weekends, for a few vacations during the season, who make their living on boats, who drink cocktails in their cockpits, day sailors, ocean cruisers, who work on their boats and who race, as well as those of us who own a driveway sailor and just dream about the day they get to sail. Is there a criteria that can be universally, or near universally agreed upon, about what makes a legitimate, bona fide, real sailor?

-Will (Dragonfly)

I no longer own a keelboat. I still own the Aquacat 12.5 but can't sail it due to its condition. I still own sailboat cufflinks and studs that I may or may not wear to debutante balls next month. Am I still a sailor? I like to think I am. But I don't sail now. So maybe I'm no longer a sailor. I think I'll have a beer. Wait! That makes me a sailor!!!!

 

[JamesG161]

That makes me a sailor!!!!

But be careful not to burp CO2...

 

[tfox2069]

Oh to be sailing
On a sea of dollar bills
They pass so quickly