The latest cruising news from the Northern Hemisphere and the world.
|
19 May 2017 |
|
|
Seeing the fleet for the boats
| Enjoying the good times - that's certainly seeing the fleet for the boats! © John Curnow | Must be getting older. Got to pondering how it is all well and good to be talking about boats, but in the end, what we're really on about are people. Yes, for sure it is the way boats do get to bring people together, but it was the whole celebration of all things nautical that got me going along this vein.
Those celebrations are both afloat and ashore, and can be for all, terribly personal, vocal or completely introspective. That's pretty encompassing, and then I got to thinking that inside all of that is the very point. In so many ways, our nautical pastimes are a microcosm of life.
| Sailor relaxes and enjoys the whole experience. © John Curnow |
By way of example, I got to enjoy a Beneteau Regatta on the utterly delightful Pittwater, just North of Sydney. Now whilst the idea of a ‘race' per se might be distasteful to some cruising sailors, it is a relaxed affair, with a separate start, and a course designed for passage making. You can even choose whether you would like to do it with or without specials. When the weather then combines to offer up a dolly of a day, and the Catering Officer has got all the accoutrement sorted just so, well you're kind of obliged to have a great time. And they did!..
Virtually at the other end of the cruising spectrum is Lyndy Atkinson. Funnily enough, their Lagoon cat is presently moored in Pittwater as well, but it was their status as liveaboards that piqued my curiosity the most. Having shared similar experiences in their previous lives in the superyacht industry, I was thrilled to see how they have moved on to be homeschooling their children, where islands join with their boat as the classroom, and their stopovers become their backyard.
| The liveaboard life Lagoon style - Homeschool Ahoy Lyndy Atkinson |
Ultimately the whole thing shows that just like the boats have been changing over the last decade to 15 years, so too have the cruising sailors out there. So it is not just that there are more sailors cruising around, there are so many different types as well. To see all coming together, enjoying themselves immensely, and sharing tales is pretty excellent, really!
So I am happy that I was not seeing the woods for the trees, and that is why I reckon I pretty much got to see the fleet for the boats, and that hopefully means I got to see all of you, whether literally or just metaphorically. Either way, please ensue you say in person, or via email. Please to meet you, if I do not already know you.
| The Ocean Cleanup computer rendering, close-up © Erwin Zwart / The Ocean Cleanup |
OK. In this newsletter you will find that we have tales for you about kids and boats, the Coastguard returning with a cocaine haul, life jackets, phones and boating, leaving your job and going yachting, the ARC, practical boat checks, ridding the ocean of plastic, getting back in the water, really large boats, Jon Sanders and that 10th circumnavigation, crossing the Atlantic under kite, training and courses, rescues, as well as much more.
So you see, there are tales, lessons, inspirations and history to regale yourself with. Please do enjoy... We're really enjoying bringing you the best stories from all over the globe. Remember too, if you want to see what is happening in the other Hemisphere, go to the top and the drag down menu, select the other half of the globe and, voila, it's all there for you.
Now then, are you out there plying the seas and got something to say? We'd love to hear from you via editor@sail-world.com – In the meantime, do you love being on the ocean? Well remember to love them back too. They need our help. Now more than ever! Until next time...
John Curnow, Editor Sail-World Cruising
|
|
|
|
|