Stonehenge

While in England last week, I was able to make it to Stonehenge.

The structure is a collection of massive stones sitting out in the middle of no where with no rock quarry near by. It is believed to have been assembled around 2500 B.C. There are about as many theories regarding its purpose and origin as their are people.

The people vibe, in the area, is much like Sedona Arizona. There is wonder and amazement in the eyes of people as they circle the structure. There is a feeling of magic in the air.

But these are just rocks. The power of these "just rocks" lies in them sitting in an unexpected location. The power of these "just rocks" lies in them arranged in an unexplainable way. The power of these "just rocks" lies in the people whom look at them and wonder.

The lesson for me is that even if someone is just a "rock", if they are in the right arrangement, in the right place, and viewed by the right people, they can be magical.

HMS Victory

HMS Victory in Portsmouth, England

For the past 9 days, I've been in England on a business trip with Winchester (South England) as a base. Fortunately, there were no meetings over the weekend and that allowed for a bit of touring. A group of colleagues rented a car and off we went. One of the most interesting stops was in Portsmouth, right on the English Channel. There is a fantastic Navel museum there with the pride and joy artifact being the HMS Victory.

The HMS Victory is an amazing sailing vessel with many navel victories under her belt. As I walked from deck to deck (there were about 7 of them), I was struck by how low the ceilings were; the deeper I descended, the more hunched over I had to be. About 800 sailors were aboard at any one time, and the thoughts of them moving about in the confined spaces makes one almost feel squished. With oceans wave action, cannons firing, commands being shouted, no doubt those seamen had one hell of a job. According to the tour guide, the cannons (over 100 of them) could be heard for over 50 miles when fired so I'm sure those on board had no hearing by the time they completed their duty. It is also worth sharing that it was aboard HMS Victory that Vice Admiral Nelson was shot and killed. Their are plaques aboard the boat marking the exact spot of each (he was shot while on top deck but he died on the lowest deck).

Seeing the massive scale of all the ships components and the rudimentary system sure does give a different perspective into todays modern boats. The HMS Victory is quite different than our little Ariel!

More Island Time Time

When Ariel was first moved to Savannah, Island Time was experienced ... that slow pace everyone on the island has that you have to adjust to otherwise frustration can be easily had. This past 4th of July weekend, we not only acknowledged Island Time, but we began to understand from where it stems.

When we set out for the 4 days of boating, we had a grandiose list of things to be done. We would sail from this point to that point by this time, we would eat this particular food at that particular time, we would be regimented and go forth with our boating at our pace for the short 4 days. We learned, in short order, that isn't the way Island Time works and when we did try to work on our schedule, versus that of the surroundings, we got over tired and made mistakes.

The ocean, the sun, the tides, the winds, the waves, and natures tempo dictates what we would do and when. By the 4th of July, 2 days in, we were in tune with the rhythms. As we began to flow with the surroundings, moving to accomplish only what was needed to be done and when, more was done and we didn't get as tired. Watermelon was consumed at the right ocean time. Engines were started at the right tide times. Sails were raised at the right wind times. Work was done at the right Island Time. It brought home again the whole concept of Island Time, except with a knowledge of its source.

In the end, we learned that Island Time isn't a choice by those who live the life of the ocean. Rather, it is forced upon them just as it was us.

Back in Atlanta, I'm still on Island Time. Everything seems to be moving around at a frenzied, unnecessary pace. However, this is Atlanta Time and every place has its Time. Just go to New York City! :)

Sail Versus Power Boats: The Great Boat Debate

Over the past 3 years, as we've initiated ourselves into the world of boating, we've learned of a few battles that are as contentious as religion and politics. Some we've explored on our blog, such as anchoring and build -vs- buy. Others, such as power versus sail, we haven't yet. Well, today I'm going to poke into another one.... sailboats versus powerboats. :)

Sailboats are superior. Oh, now thems fightin words! But that is my opinion, based on our needs and desires, sailboats are simply superior. Within the previous sentence is the key, “based on our needs and desires.”

For us, being solo agents and completely self reliant, having redundancy is critical. A sailboat has 2 sources of propulsion. In addition to sails, a sailboat typically has a redundant propulsion source by way of an outboard engine. Powerboats are limited to, well, their combustion engine.

Unlike others who rail against having an engine, I think it is great to have one (heck, we have 2 on our boat now, one for Ariel and one for the dinghy). I, however, think having propulsion limited only to petroleum is too risky for our adventure. 1 engine, 2 engines, 3 … doesn't matter …. we are after different options and wind plus petroleum is the way to go.

Beyond this point, you have all the other “arguments.” Speed, noise, range, electrical power creation, hull shapes for suitability of conditions, and more. These are all valid issues from someones perspective, and based on the someones weighting of each, the scales could be tipped in favor of power over sail or vice versa.

At this point in our journey, powerboats simply are too limited for our tastes. In our weighting system, the value in propulsion source options is such that with all the other factors combined, a sailboat is definitely the way to go for us.

Time to put the sails up and slowly make our way back to the marina, with only the sound of fish jumping, wind though the sails, and the waves lapping up along the boat. Ultimate peace. Well, that and KJ and Dy screaming “Look! Look!” as the dolphins swim along side.

Living or Surviving

Waking up on the boat this morning, I wondered about the fish below. Are they living life? Or are they surviving life? Are they enjoying the ocean and all it offers? Or are they merely avoiding being eaten? Thinking about the whole cycle of life going on below, I couldn't help but draw parallels to us humans and our life above.

It seems to me many people are surviving life. They are just trying to avoid being eaten. A fish, I get. They are operating purely on instincts and they have legitimate, life threatening predators hunting them. But how many legitimate predators do we humans have hunting us? For people, almost every predator is imaginary. Heck, most of those don't even cause physical, mortal, harm. Instead, nearly every predator for a human attacks a sensibility of some sort.

Life is a wonderful gift and it is hard to imagine spending it surviving life, especially when we are in the fortunate position to not have a life threatening predator around every piece of coral. The only restraint we have is our mind. As FDR said, “The only thing we have to fear is, fear itself.” It is fear that puts us into survival mode, and for a vast majority of us, that fear is based on some false foundation.

Today, I chose to live life. I chose to enjoy every amazing offering that is before me. I chose to not put myself into a protective place for fear of an imaginary monster. I chose to take advantage of this incredible experience of being alive. I chose to live life.

Time to take swim and enjoy the ocean.

Life Modes With A Boat

This past weekend, the entire family enjoyed 3 days on the boat. With each moment aboard, we feel more of life, the life. The life of enjoying each moment on its own merit, the life of an unhurried pace, the life of caring for ones place of residence not just for sleep but for physical safety, the life of being so close to nature, the life of flowing with the tides, and the life of being. The shift in attitude between being a professional, modern world denizen, with many parts of life abstracted away to one of a water dweller whose focus is on simplicity is quite profound and it has taken me a few days just to reconcile.

The responsibilities are still present in both worlds, but the hurdle of what constitutes importance changes: on the boat, fewer of life's tasks are deemed as “important.” When one tries to artificially inflate the importance of an effort, the effort pushes back and slows everything down. There is a pace to boat life, and it will not be altered. The consequence is that those tasks marked as important get more of the present moment focus and each one is more fully enjoyed.

After the 3 days, we drove back to Atlanta and that evening I boarded a plane for a work trip to Orlando. There was no grace or warming up period. I jumped from one extreme to the other and this made the contrast between the 2 types of life, and how it manifests within me, clear. My mood, my thoughts, my food, and my drink all are complex and wrapped in artificial (read: man made) importance in the non-boat world. Given societies machinery, non-natural stimulus for importance is intrinsic to its functioning and has its place. The bigger question for me is, do I have a place within it? At times yes, and other times no. Today, I am straddling both worlds.

State Of Perfection

The journey towards our new life has solidified a number of new perspectives for me. One of them is around "perfection", "a state of perfection", and "ideal" versus a "goal state."

There is a subtle distinction between internally identifying something as an "ideal" and identifying something as a "goal." I'm defining an "ideal state" or "state of perfection" as some ultimate, correct, form. A "goal state" is just a form that you would like to turn into.

For many years, I measured myself against some ideal. An ideal that I had concocted in my head. Some of the attributes of ideal were consciously added, others unconsciously. For example, an ideal that latched itself onto my psyche somewhere along the line is that the ideal state, or perfect state, of earning a living is entering the corporate workforce and becoming an executive. This, I believed, is perfection. This, I believed, is the ultimate state as it relates to working. This, I believed, is what every other working path should be measured against. I was wrong. Being in the corporate workforce, and becoming an executive, is an electable goal, but isn't a state of perfection in the vein of work. It may be a goal state, but it isn't the gold standard.

Another way to view this is by looking at a tree. What does the ideal form of a tree look like? Short of thinking "there isn't an ideal" (the point I'm trying to convey), for any ideal image you mentally create for a tree, I would ask "says who?" Is there some ideal state that every tree is measured against? Who concocted the definition of the perfect tree?

Every person is on their own path, and one must be very careful to not put a state of perfection before themselves. One mustn't have more of this, less of that. One may chose to have a goal state that possesses less of this and less of that. The two views are very different. In my world, there is no state of perfection, only goal states.

Time to return to working on the radar.

Should We Sail Away Today?

We spent Friday night on the boat. It was glorious! The sounds, the smells, the relaxation, the new life. Ariel is getting closer and closer to being ready.

With our sailboat on the Atlantic ocean, the big question, “Should We Sail Away Today?”, gets more action. Each morning, Val and I look each other in the eye and make a conscious choice that day about sailing off in the sunset.

When we started the journey back in 2007, we thought it wouldn't be until 2016 that we could go. Over the past 3 years, however, we've learned that in actuality we can go at any time. One by one, a myriad of false assumptions have been stripped away (amount of money, type of boat, age of kids, etc.).

Many mornings, when we talk of the big question, I ask myself, “in one year from today, if I found out I was going to die within a week, would I rather have spent the previous year working a bit longer or embarking on this journey to sail around the world?” Easy answer. This mental exercise helps set the stage for the bigger question.

So, Should We Sail Away Today? Not today. There are a few more modifications to the sailboat that we want to make before we go. But once those are done, then the probability of answering “YES!” on any given morning goes up a lot. … and the blog post of that day, the “YES!” day, will be quite spectacular to say the least!

Happy Sunday everyone. We're working on "YESifying" Ariel.

Abby Sunderland and Back to Savannah GA to work on the Sailboat

This morning we were grateful to learn that Abby Sunderland has been found and that she is fine. Her sailboat, Wild Eyes, is upright but her mast has been knocked down.

We have been tracking Abby and her quest since its start so when we learned of her being feared as "lost at sea", our hearts and best thoughts went to her. Val and I had it in the back of our minds that Abby would be found, but we couldn't tell if that was hope or intuition. Fortunately, Abby has been found and she is safe. Yay Abby!

We commend those taking bold quests. Bold quests stretch the soul of the individual and of mankind. We know the fervor of "she is too young" is about to whip up (and probably already is), and we know the fervor of "sailing around the world is too dangerous for kids" is about to be stoked. Life, itself, is an adventure. Those whom don't get this are already dead.

Young people have been taking adventures since they could venture past the cave hole. Adventurous young people serve as inspiration for so many others, both young and old. Was Abby in danger? Yes. She was in a danger of her, and her parents, choosing. She was well equipped and well prepared. I don't know too many 16 year olds that can have the same thing said about them and their daily lives.

With Ariel in the water, it is doubly hard to resist seeing her on the weekends; we want to spend every extra moment we can on her getting her prepared. The sooner she is ready, the sooner we would be able to go on the sailing trip. To this end, I've taken today off from work and we are on our way to Savannah to make some progress on the boat. This weekends tasks include putting the boom back on, getting the sails back up, install the new splash well plates, get the engine running (it hasn't been started in over a month), and begin installing the radar system.

Of course, the draw of the beach will be strong. Tybee island is only about 20 minutes from the boat so KJ, Dy, and I may make our way over for a few hours. This will allow Val some quality uninterrupted time on the boat.

Interestingly, with the news reports of the BP oil spill in the gulf, there seems to be a push by vacationers to make their way to the Atlantic for their summer holiday and Savannah/Tybee island seems to be one of the more popular destinations. We may see lots of folks in the area!

Oh yeah, Yeah Abby! Go Abby!

Memorial Day - Remembering Sailors

Today is Memorial Day; a day to remember the American service members whom died in the service of the United States of America. This day is a no work day for many American's, including all federal workers.

Sitting here, sipping my coffee, visions of an American cemetery in the Philippines floods my mind. Back in 2006, my job had me visit Manila and Cebu. While in Manila, I went to pay my respects to the fallen American military members buried there. I was unprepared for what I experienced.

What hit me was the magnitude of the number of crosses that marked each American entombed within the soil. There are over 17,000 of them, most sailors, whom lost their lives during World War II in and around the Philippines. When you see row after row after row of white crosses, you are struck by the savagery of war and the appreciation for how much is given for a cause.

Thank you to all service members, and their families, whom gave all to help secure the freedoms I now enjoy. I will not disrespect what you've given up by wasting a single moment of my freedom.

Living On Purpose

I have a purpose, a reason for being, a goal and aim in life. It is a purpose that helps guide my every action.

My formal purpose statement is: To Remain Awake, and to Awaken The Remaining.

This statement summarizes how I feel about life.

Too many things in society are hypnotic and we become entranced by it, forgetting that we own our lives and can live it on our terms. Thus, I must remain awake.

There are not only parts of myself that still need to be awakened, but I receive tremendous joy in awakening others, and watching how their "awakenedness" manifests and cascades back through all of life. Thus, I will awaken the remaining ... not only in my self, but in all those I can touch.

This living with a purpose has manifested into the public sharing of SailboatFamily. This site keeps me awake, and allows me to awaken the remaining.

Thank you to everyone whom reads this blog; you allow me to live my purpose.

Build a Boat or Buy a Boat? The Plans

The recent Living Abroad forum discussions on the topic of build vs buy, along with Tony's email, has prompted me to post my views on SailboatFamily for completeness.

The question at hand is, should you buy a boat or should you build a boat?

In the end it all depends on your goal. Is your goal to get on a boat and go? Or is your goal to build a boat? Sure, the latter can feed the former, but you are better off focusing on your numero uno priority.

The subtlety lies on the desire to build. Is your life transformation contingent upon building the boat?

If the building part isn't your goal, don't be seduced into building your boat. Don't let it creep in unless you're damn sure that is what you really what.

When we first entered into the lifestyle, Val and I talked long and hard about the building it ourselves approach. We reviewed lots of boat plans, talked about which ones to buy, which materials suited our needs, how the various layouts supported a family, how we would lease space to allow us to build the boat, how we would spend our weekends as a family working on it together, how we might have friends help out too, and then the glorious parade of the conveyance to the ocean once complete.

I have no doubt we could have done it, but then we would have missed 30 months of being on a boat. [This is assuming we could have put in 20 hours a week working on the boats construction, and completing the boat in about 2400 actual hours. This number, 2400 hours, is based on the build of a 50 foot catamaran by someone whom had done such things before. Actually, at 2400 hours, this example boat wasn't fully done. The boat still needed a few months more of work.]

Reflecting on what drove our thoughts around building, we imagined that by building we could feel the dream as it went along. We could feel it as we got our other life items in order. It would be the physical connection to the dream that would continue to pull us forward. It also appeared financially easier. We would pay as we go. If we needed timber, we would buy that piece of timber. If we couldn't afford to, then that piece of work would wait until we could.

From spending almost 3 years studying how best to enter into boating, it is our opinion that you are better off buying a used boat versus building one. Even if the boat isn't your perfect end state boat, getting a decent used one will get you on the water faster than building the equivalently sized boat. You can go out and learn, learn about you, boating, as well as the key features you will need for your style of boating.

We also surmise that the on ramp is cheaper with a used boat. When building your own, it isn't just the time you spend swinging the hammer, but the time spent in scouring materials and the cost of all the materials that must be factored in. When you buy a used boat, all the materials are there, and in place.

While it isn't as tangible, nor maybe as fun, we believe you are better off working some side part time job (in a boat yard if at all possible), collecting money for buying your boat rather than using your spare time to build a boat.

So unless your dream is building, don't do it. Friends don't let friends build.

1 Yr Old Blog!

WOW! It is hard to believe that it was 1 year ago today that this blog was born.

While our journey towards this life has been posted publicly on the Internet since November 2007, it wasn't until we started to receive a fairly continuous stream of emails asking for more gory details that we decided we should jump in with both feet and do a daily blog. So last year Val and I said, "What the heck!" Since then, we've not missed a single day of posting about our transformation.

We've met so many wonderful folks through this mechanism, and we've learned a ton. Thank you to everyone whom reads, comments, and sends us emails. We appreciate all the support.

Here are a few of my favorite posts over the first year:

• Over Stuffed
• Walk King
• Full On Orange
• Billy Bumbleebee and the Magic Nickel Machine
• Keeping up with Senior Jones
• Where we found 118 coins in May!
• Thank You Naysayers
• Anchoring Self Sabotage
• Busting Your Ass Is Stupid
• What is really major anyway?
• Killing Time - Don't Waste Yours
• Carrying Culture is Expensive
• Are You Living Senseless?
• Bad Mojo Is Sticky
• Goal Granularity
• Bubble Sorting Boat Modifications
• Does It Really Matter?
• Island Time
• Life Is Full Of Donut Choices

Happy Birthday Little Blog!

199!!!!

Holy Smokes!!! Today is 199! 199 days until we hit what we call Gold Zone. It is the zone wherein a number of life's tethers, like the apartment lease, naturally dissolve. 199 days until we can very easily step aboard Ariel and sail away.

It is remarkable how fast time is dripping away. It seems like it wasn't long ago that we were at 1,000 days until we hit the Gold Zone, and being less than 200 days away is almost surreal.

Next stop, 99 days! A double digit midget!

Wow.

Oh, and at the moment we are discussing a quick drive to Savannah to see Ariel ... to celebrate 199!

Gulf Coast Preparation for Oil Spill

The Deepwater Horizon's oil spill about 2 weeks ago almost caused my class to be postponed. There was talk from local officials about closing off the water ways to all but essential needs. Fortunately, the class went forward and the timing afforded me an interesting opportunity. I was able to observe, first hand, how folks prepare for such disasters as a floating oil slick.

In Pensacola, FL area, I observed the place ment of floating booms to help keep the oil from touching the shore. In the photo, you will see all the yellow booms all strung together.

I saw floating booms put into place at both ends of Big Lagoon, along the Gulf Island National Seashore, wetlands on Johnson Beach, and around various oyster beds in the immediate area.

In the second photo, you can see what these booms look like when placed in the water.

There is a lot of concern about the potential environmental effects this oil spill will have on the area and the Gulf. When talking with local folks, local small business people shared with me that they are already feeling the economic effects of the disaster. Most immediately impacted were the commercial and sport fishing businesses. The marinas, charter companies, and marine rental businesses are keeping a close eye on the oil spill too, not only in terms of revenue impact, but they are also watching the oil because it is extremely damaging to boats and equipment.

Our thoughts and well wishes go out to everyone and everything effected by this oil spill.

Tune Ups For The Trip and The Ironman Triathlon

Today we are in South Carolina, near Newberry. I'm competing in a Sprint triathlon, the shortest distance of all the triathlon races. I'm using this race as a tune up for the Ironman race I'm competing in, in July. Races like these are great for working on the mechanics of transitions (from swim to bike, and from bike to run).

Such races are analogous to the weekends we will begin taking in Savannah to practice for sailing around the world. The Sprint triathlon provides a way to experience all the same actions as the Ironman race, but compressed into a 2 hour period. This is exactly how our weekends in Savannah will become. 3 days out on the boat will micro tastes of the trip to come. As August rolls around, we will start taking week long trips on the boat, adding even more to the tune up experiences.

Going for the full distance, even if one has done them before as I have with my past Ironman races, without some tune ups increases the odds of encountering problems. Lower the odds, practice in small containable periods. Plus, you get all the joy of doing what you love.

Life Is Full Of Donut Choices

Val is due back today. Yeah! It has been one heck of a week without her; she is truly the energy of our family. How does this daddy celebrate her return? By taking his daughters out for one final "mommy's away at sailing class" food outing .... to our local donut shop!

As I watched KJ point out the donuts to her sister, and listened to KJ provide an assessment of each donut in the case ("That one has blue sprinkles and tastes really good", "But that one has pink sprinkles and it is really good"), my mind took a step back and focused on the choices Val and I face today.

Each day, Val and I make a conscious choice about me continuing to work. From a financial perspective, we now have the option of sailing away any day we want. However, I have an amazing job, I work with amazing people, and there is still some professional growth to be had. Plus, more money in the sailing kitty is always good.

When we go sail, I will have a blue sprinklely donut. While working in my current job, I have a pink sprinklely donut. It is true win win scenario.

The trick is to enjoy the pink donut just long enough to still enjoy the flavor while not letting the blue donut get moldy before eating it too. That is the balance point Val and I find ourselves on right now ... judging how best to have both donuts.

This reflects the wonderful position we are in. We are not picking from a trash can full of rotten apples, we are picking from fresh donuts in the bakers case.

In life, there is far more control about where you eat from than most will admit. If they did admit it, then they would have no one to blame but themselves for the crap they eat.

You are the baker of your life. Pick your ingredients and get to work. It is time to make the donuts.

Oh, KJ and Dy both ended up with the pink sprinklely donut.

Statue Of Liberty

This week was a business travel week for me. I spent 3 days in Manhattan. One of the business meetings I had was in an office that looked out to the Statue Of Liberty. All through the meeting I watched ships go by. About every 8th vessel was a private boat making its way towards the Hudson river. Ahh, how nice it would be to sail past the Statue Of Liberty on our own boat. It is because of all the statue represents that our family has the opportunity to take this trip of a life time. Thank you Statue Of Liberty, and all you represent.

Does It Really Matter?

With the sailing date less than a year away, every decision is couched in the question "Does it really matter?" This is a wonderful question that without this trip, I never would have asked myself. It applies to all sorts of matters across the spectrum of life. The most recent example involves my car.

3 years ago, the speedometer in my car stopped working. I took the car to our mechanic and it would have cost $400 to fix (the entire dashboard was going to have to come out). I drove without the speedometer for about a month. I couldn't imagine plunking down $400 knowing that in just a few years I would be leaving on this trip. Does the speedo really matter? Yes, but there was another solution. I realized I could buy a car navigation system. For $150, I got a speedo + maps! Win Win!

4 months ago, the oil pressure gauge in my car stopped working. I love knowing that the oil pressure is working fine, but does it really matter? At this point I was a mere year away from selling my car and sailing around the world. No, it really doesn't matter. The car has never ever indicated it has a problem with oil pressure. The likelihood of it becoming a problem is very low. Heck, the first 3 cars I owned didn't have an oil pressure gauge, only an idiot light. So, no fixing the oil pressure gauge. I will keep the gauge fixing money in the bank.

Last week, my passenger headlight went out. Does this really matter? I thought about this carefully and critically. I could try and only drive during the day. But what happens if it rains? What happens if I really need to drive the car at night? This one does really matter. So this week, I will be getting the head light fixed.

Before this trip, I would have had everything fixed. I would have focused not on "Does it really matter?", but instead on maintaining a thing, not on the actual need.

Watch carefully ... you may find that you too have things that don't operate fully to their capability, but work just fine for your need. If it meets the need, then that is good enough.

Island Time

While pushing through last weekends tasks of settling Ariel into her new home, a big red HALT sign flashed in my face. Val and I faced "Island Time." You know Island Time, it is that more relaxed, it will get done in time, attitude.

The contrast was made even more clear by the simple fact that it was Friday and I will still in professional Bill mode.... pushing pushing pushing .... moving to the next task. Well, those on Wilmington island (where Ariel is berthed) don't care how fast your professional life moves, things will get done in their own good time.

This became clear to me while I waited to have a sub-sandwich made. I was typing up an SMS to Val with the following text "Sorry it is taking so long ..... everyone everywhere on this island is moving slow" Just as I was about to press send, it dawned on me: they weren't moving slow, I was moving too fast. I needed to operate at the pace of those around me. I needed to slow down, and enjoy the Island Time pace.

Val and I had experienced this before, while on vacation on some remote islands a few years ago. It took a couple of days then to realize this.

Here I was again, carrying my hurried pace baggage to this wonderful place. It was time to drop the luggage. So, I deleted my SMS text and sent instead, "This is wonderful place. It is so relaxed. We are operating on Island Time. Will be out when the sandwiches are ready." In flight course correction. Ahh, it felt good.

Now when we head down, we will be dropping the hustle bustle attitude the moment we make it over the causeway. We will be on Island Time. I can't wait to get back!!