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unbusted67 · 10-05-2007, 23:21

I live in an area that has a very strong art/alternative living scene mixed with a privileged college kids, mixed with inner city townies. There is always that tension in my town and that is one of the fun things about living here. I walk to and from work. There is a very bad intersection on my way to work and recently a young girl was hit and killed on a bike. This girl was a bike messenger and had some friends that made this beautiful shrine for her with flowers posters, photographs, notes, and a banner that said "We love you and miss you". On my walk home from work I saw some guy ripping down the banner, tearing off the photographs and kicking the flower pots. He was wasted drunk. I followed him some ways and confronted him and said, "Yo man do you have any clue what you just did?" at which point he pulled a knife on me and said he would stab me.

My question is this: Does life get any less ugly aboard a sailboat? Is the cruising life any less soul sucking than the one I have just described? Cause I am banking on it. And by banking on it I mean eggs in one basket, banking on it. Sailing for me is escapism plain and simple. I simply can't watch one more news story about Iraq or Darfur and continue to ignore the fact that I feel like our society is a total loss. I need out and I need it in the form of solipsism. Sometimes it seems like I'm the only person I can deal with. And sometimes that is a bit of a pain in the ass too

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dana-tenacity · 10-05-2007, 23:23

Thank god I'm not alone (and I'm an atheist).

unbusted67 · 10-05-2007, 23:28

I'll take that as a hopefully.

5user5 · 10-05-2007, 23:35

I lived in Austin Texas and that has a bit of the same crowd. I believe most people there are good but i still have my bike stolen sometimes. Don't let one drunk ruin a town for you (I am sorry about your friend). If your getting on a boat to leave the soulsucking drunks and generaly pissed off people then i am with you. I cant say for sure it will work because i have not done it but i figure i dont have much else to try. Boats are great fun regardless.

unbusted67 · 10-05-2007, 23:44

Austin is exactly like Boston in it's demographic except you guys get drunk tourists during SXSW to stir everybody up. If I lived in Austin I might be even more anxious to sail away than I am living here.

bigwhyte · 10-05-2007, 23:49

I recemend reading (the voyage of the northern magic) its a true store that will give u a new faith in mankind . it did for me .i have read it 3 times and still brings tear to my eye

5user5 · 10-05-2007, 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by unbusted67

Austin is exactly like Boston in it's demographic except you guys get drunk tourists during SXSW to stir everybody up. If I lived in Austin I might be even more anxious to sail away than I am living here.

HAHAHAA!!!! I go to dallas during SXSW. That is saying a lot. The shows are crowded and way over the five dollars i usually spend.

dana-tenacity · 10-05-2007, 23:59

I have spent the majority of my adult life living on a boat and offshore cruising and it is better (but sadly deteriorating).
Unfortunately life dictates I live ashore for at least another 5 years, then I'll be able to escape again, if I make some money between now and then. I endure by building a strange little craft in my garage.

unbusted67 · 11-05-2007, 00:00

Yeah I gave up last year, to hell with that. What we need is a cruisers version of SXSW, that would be a blast.

**GordMay** · 11-05-2007, 01:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigwhyte

I recemend reading (the voyage of the northern magic) its a true store that will give u a new faith in mankind . it did for me .i have read it 3 times and still brings tear to my eye

Diane Stuemer had her first brush with cancer that persuaded her and her husband Herbert it was time to follow their dream. Their sailing experience had consisted of six afternoon sails on the Ottawa River.

The family of five acquired a 40-year-old steel sailboat Northern Magic and, in 1997, set out to sail around the world.

In 1997, Diane and her husband Herbert and their 3 (under-12 y/o) sons set off on the trip of a lifetime - travelling around the world in a sailboat called "Northern Magic" to 34 countries and 65,000 kilometres.

After the family returned to Ottawa, Ontario, Diane wrote a book about their adventures, ”The Voyage of the Northern Magic: A Family Odyssey” and died of melanoma (at 43) not long after.

See the very interesting family site:
intro
main

**GordMay** · 11-05-2007, 02:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by unbusted67

... Does life get any less ugly aboard a sailboat? Is the cruising life any less soul sucking than the one I have just described? ...
... I need out and I need it in the form of solipsism ...

Obviously, the answer would depend upon the mind-set you bring to cruising.

If you spend your energy:
- worrying about which firearm with which to ward off the attacks of those blood-thirsty native & pirates, and how to secret it from the authorities
- how to fend off the boat boys advances
- how stringently the local fishing regulations will be applied to you
- how little swinging room you have to leave your anchorage neighbour
and the like ...

You may not find much “escape”. You will be bringing the ugly, soul sucking baggage with you, and projecting it upon the world around you.

If you truly believe that people & things, outside of yourself, are actually just projections of your own mind - then only your mind can shape those experiences.

Remember:
The optimist sees the glass as half full.
The pessimist sees the glass as half empty.
The realist sees the glass as simply too large.