I can’t remember facing a decision which would have such a major effect on the rest of my life. It seemed settled and I’ve even spoken of it as such but I find myself going back and forth realizing that the first choice was somewhat of a knee jerk and it deserves more thought. I’m going to become a woman.
No, just kidding but it seems like almost as big a deal in our current world. One thing is decided, barring the unexpected. I’m going to get on the boat in June and start cruising. For how long people ask? My joking answer actually has a lot of truth in it, “Until I have to be carried off the boat.” Given my health and family history, that shouldn’t be for about another quarter century.
I’ll certainly be visiting family and friends and making all kinds of side trips but I plan to spend as much time living and cruising on Strider as I can, for as long as I can. The burning question is whether I go off the grid and disappear to just live life in the moment focusing just on my surroundings and the people I meet. That has a huge appeal. The alternative is to outfit the boat with Internet and stay plugged into the cyber community that has been such a large part of my life.
For over two decades of working alone, forums like this have been my substitute for co-workers and water cooler talk. Leaving it would be as momentous as leaving home when I was young. However, I’m ready for such a change. A major part of my enjoyment of the shorter cruises I’ve gone on in the past few years has been being out of touch and insulated from the torrent of news, little of which is ever conducive to peace and contemplation of what I go cruising to see.
OTOH, and this is one of those conundrums where each side is compelling, the Internet is now a great cruising resource. Resources like Active Captain and updated charts can make it easier and safer while, like GPS, taking some of the adventure out of it. I’ll probably have more friends joining me if I can stay in touch and the intellectual part of life will certainly be richer.
I also have an arrangement to serve as a consultant to a company on any research vessel projects that may come up. Since I intend to cruise freely and flexibly, I figure I’ll just sail to their waterfront office and live in the marina or store the boat and relocate there temporarily if projects come up. Internet connectivity might let me stay right where I am at the time.
One thing I am sure off, once Internet is on the boat, it is there to stay and will dominate life. It’s like GPS, no matter how much you may tell yourself that you won’t use it and will continue navigating the old fashioned way to keep the skills sharp, hey, this is real life. Starting out with just cell phone and relying on occasional WiFi is a reversible decision. Outfitting with anywhere (almost) Internet is not.
My fear is that, if I stay plugged in, I’ll find myself spending huge amounts of time in beautiful places hunkered in the cabin typing away at a keyboard, just as I have spent most of my time for the last quarter century. I’m sure I will do less walking, meet fewer people, and experience less of what is the whole object of my retirement.
There would be compensations though. As you know, I enjoy writing about my boat projects and cruises. It is nice to be part of a large community like the sailing cyber world. I’ll be going some interesting places. I’m attracted much more to the cold and wild lands north and east than south. I plan to circumnavigate Newfoundland and see a bit of Labrador before I’m done. However, I’m also committed to never shrink wrapping the boat or winterizing the engine again so I’ll see a lot of the east coasts and, at least, the Bahamas. Writing about things like flying and cruising has enriched both of them for me. It certainly would continue to do so but all things have their price.
Economic price also figures into it. I have an income that I can count on as long as I can keep air going in and out but it’s very modest for living and cruising on a boat. The cost of setting up and maintaining Internet may answer the question for me. I expect I’ll be going back and forth on this question for some time. Come summer, I’ll either be pretty much disappearing or you’ll be treated (or bombarded depending on your point of view) to a running account of my cruising and boat repairing adventures.
No, just kidding but it seems like almost as big a deal in our current world. One thing is decided, barring the unexpected. I’m going to get on the boat in June and start cruising. For how long people ask? My joking answer actually has a lot of truth in it, “Until I have to be carried off the boat.” Given my health and family history, that shouldn’t be for about another quarter century.
I’ll certainly be visiting family and friends and making all kinds of side trips but I plan to spend as much time living and cruising on Strider as I can, for as long as I can. The burning question is whether I go off the grid and disappear to just live life in the moment focusing just on my surroundings and the people I meet. That has a huge appeal. The alternative is to outfit the boat with Internet and stay plugged into the cyber community that has been such a large part of my life.
For over two decades of working alone, forums like this have been my substitute for co-workers and water cooler talk. Leaving it would be as momentous as leaving home when I was young. However, I’m ready for such a change. A major part of my enjoyment of the shorter cruises I’ve gone on in the past few years has been being out of touch and insulated from the torrent of news, little of which is ever conducive to peace and contemplation of what I go cruising to see.
OTOH, and this is one of those conundrums where each side is compelling, the Internet is now a great cruising resource. Resources like Active Captain and updated charts can make it easier and safer while, like GPS, taking some of the adventure out of it. I’ll probably have more friends joining me if I can stay in touch and the intellectual part of life will certainly be richer.
I also have an arrangement to serve as a consultant to a company on any research vessel projects that may come up. Since I intend to cruise freely and flexibly, I figure I’ll just sail to their waterfront office and live in the marina or store the boat and relocate there temporarily if projects come up. Internet connectivity might let me stay right where I am at the time.
One thing I am sure off, once Internet is on the boat, it is there to stay and will dominate life. It’s like GPS, no matter how much you may tell yourself that you won’t use it and will continue navigating the old fashioned way to keep the skills sharp, hey, this is real life. Starting out with just cell phone and relying on occasional WiFi is a reversible decision. Outfitting with anywhere (almost) Internet is not.
My fear is that, if I stay plugged in, I’ll find myself spending huge amounts of time in beautiful places hunkered in the cabin typing away at a keyboard, just as I have spent most of my time for the last quarter century. I’m sure I will do less walking, meet fewer people, and experience less of what is the whole object of my retirement.
There would be compensations though. As you know, I enjoy writing about my boat projects and cruises. It is nice to be part of a large community like the sailing cyber world. I’ll be going some interesting places. I’m attracted much more to the cold and wild lands north and east than south. I plan to circumnavigate Newfoundland and see a bit of Labrador before I’m done. However, I’m also committed to never shrink wrapping the boat or winterizing the engine again so I’ll see a lot of the east coasts and, at least, the Bahamas. Writing about things like flying and cruising has enriched both of them for me. It certainly would continue to do so but all things have their price.
Economic price also figures into it. I have an income that I can count on as long as I can keep air going in and out but it’s very modest for living and cruising on a boat. The cost of setting up and maintaining Internet may answer the question for me. I expect I’ll be going back and forth on this question for some time. Come summer, I’ll either be pretty much disappearing or you’ll be treated (or bombarded depending on your point of view) to a running account of my cruising and boat repairing adventures.
