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| Photo session before the sail-off. Photo: Magnus Claren. |
Frankly, I had never sailed before this, and generally always considered the sailing sport to be a posh money-spending spree for brats with too much dough.
A friend had been telling me of the long-sailing plans he’d had for 5 or 6 years, but never got to fulfill. I tried to inspire him to actually do something about the plans. What is keeping you from doing it? He said that he needed at least one more crew. We shook hands. Does not matter that I had never sailed before - how difficult could it be? Nothing is so hard that a human being cannot learn to do it.
Long-distance sailing is not hard. But making a decision to do it, to give up everything you have and go to sea, is most probably the hardest thing you will ever do. As soon as you make that decision, you burn all the bridges. It's like jumping of a cliff; there is no turning back. Inside your mind, you leave all you have behind, kill your darlings and set off. All the practical stuff is easy when you have committed to the decision; the decision is the hardest part.
My friend bought an Albin Vega fom 1969, a sturdy little boat of a model that had circumnavigated hundreds of times since the 70’s, and we planned to head off in the early summer of 2010. No detailed plans, just a lot of books about sailing, a curiosity, and a strong will.
There we are lot of ups and downs. My friend gave up in the middle of things. Then he changed his mind again. For me, the decision meant breaking up with near and dear, quitting my job, selling everything I had, and leaving it all behind. It also meant saving money, working extra, living uncomfortably and counting every penny.
What kept me going? A dream, a vision. Only sea, sun, and complete freedom to do whatever I want. A summer that doesn't end until I want it to. An adventure others just dream of.
A lifestyle where my route is dependent on myself, and the nature's way. A job where all consequences are direct and straightforward to my own deeds. A choice of my own.
...Have you ever noticed that so many great songs, tales and movies tell stories of people giving up their everything to chase their dreams?
The plan was to cross from Western Sweden to Norway, then to Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Canary Islands. From there, to cross the Atlantic, sail the Caribbean, then go through the Panama Canal to the Pacific, and continue. This was what I did. Most of this trip is described here, in this blog.
I never knew this was the beginning of something bigger. Now, I have sailed much more than I ever had been dreaming of from the start, see the sailing log here.
Here is the full chronological post list for the circumnavigation.
I never knew this was the beginning of something bigger. Now, I have sailed much more than I ever had been dreaming of from the start, see the sailing log here.
Here is the full chronological post list for the circumnavigation.