During the economic and real-estate crash of the 2000's, I managed to afford a small home near Annapolis. I was desperate to avoid the plague of the HOA (Home Owners Association), and unwittingly bought a home in an older neighborhood that was designated as "water privileged".
Huh?
Water privileged means that there is a tiny beach and a boat dock at the end of the street. For $500 a year, I get to use the beach and boat dock. The dock belongs to the neighborhood beach club. The beach club doesn't have any say over how you use your home, they only regulate use of the beach and boat dock. This is CHEEEEEAP for the Annapolis area.
Seems a shame to have a stake in a boat slip, but not own a boat. I've had enough of "go-fast" power boats. Sailing is an arcane skill, and a sailboat seems more friendly to my wallet than a power boat, so in November of 2009, I bought a 25 foot sailboat to learn on.
This is where I stepped through the looking glass, into a world of comedic errors, wonder and novelty like nothing I ever expected...
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
From the Swamp to the Sea
Let's get the background out of the way, so that this story has some context. I'll try to keep it brief.
I grew up in southwest Florida, on brackish rivers that led to the Gulf, and kind of in the swamp. I spent my childhood playing in the water, swimming in canals, dodging alligators and canoeing.
As soon as I reached the age of majority, I enlisted in the Navy and served in various capacities for 20 years, always on or near the sea. For my last few years of service, I harbored the illusion that I was sick to death of water, and would move to the mountains.
I took a civilian job in the DC Metro area, and hated it (the area). I wanted to return to Florida, but as my father once said "You can't make a living down here doing anything except being unemployed". Essentially trapped by job security, and a good paycheck, I settled down near Annapolis and discovered that I wasn't sick of the water after all.
What I was tired of, was serving another Master on the water. The Navy, and it's Captains. 20 years made me a competent boat driver. I can navigate, operate radar and properly use radios, I know the rules. I'll be my own master now, no matter how small and pitiful the vessel.
As Milton said in Paradise lost, "Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven".
I grew up in southwest Florida, on brackish rivers that led to the Gulf, and kind of in the swamp. I spent my childhood playing in the water, swimming in canals, dodging alligators and canoeing.
As soon as I reached the age of majority, I enlisted in the Navy and served in various capacities for 20 years, always on or near the sea. For my last few years of service, I harbored the illusion that I was sick to death of water, and would move to the mountains.
I took a civilian job in the DC Metro area, and hated it (the area). I wanted to return to Florida, but as my father once said "You can't make a living down here doing anything except being unemployed". Essentially trapped by job security, and a good paycheck, I settled down near Annapolis and discovered that I wasn't sick of the water after all.
What I was tired of, was serving another Master on the water. The Navy, and it's Captains. 20 years made me a competent boat driver. I can navigate, operate radar and properly use radios, I know the rules. I'll be my own master now, no matter how small and pitiful the vessel.
As Milton said in Paradise lost, "Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven".
To Blog, or not to Blog...
I've thought long and hard about starting this blog. There are so many blogs to read, so many of them overlap, so many of them are basically the same, that I have difficulty understanding why mine would be of any interest. There are an awful lot of sail boat, sailing, and cruising blogs out there, but just maybe mine will be different enough to be of interest to someone, or serve as a cautionary tale.
So what's it all about? I'll tell you what it's not about:
It's not about a handsome, rich, white couple cruising to exotic locations, spending gobs of cash, making you feel bad about yourself for not being them.
It's not about a professional yacht racing rockstar, writing his own paycheck as he races a Volvo 70 around the world.
It's not a sailboat restoration blog, a DIY, or a "how-to".
Mostly I guess, it's about a guy of limited means who has barely learned how to sail, who gets bitten by the racing bug. It's meant to be light-hearted, with plenty of self-deprecation. It's about doing something that a lot of people in the U.S. really don't think about doing, making a mess of it, and laughing your ass off about it.
So what's it all about? I'll tell you what it's not about:
It's not about a handsome, rich, white couple cruising to exotic locations, spending gobs of cash, making you feel bad about yourself for not being them.
It's not about a professional yacht racing rockstar, writing his own paycheck as he races a Volvo 70 around the world.
It's not a sailboat restoration blog, a DIY, or a "how-to".
Mostly I guess, it's about a guy of limited means who has barely learned how to sail, who gets bitten by the racing bug. It's meant to be light-hearted, with plenty of self-deprecation. It's about doing something that a lot of people in the U.S. really don't think about doing, making a mess of it, and laughing your ass off about it.
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