“He who possesseth little is so much the less possessed”
Let this be your departure date mantra!
What does it take to slip those dock lines and sail off into the sunset? There are countless blogs, articles and books from sailors and cruisers who have finally managed to give up the life ashore which describe the particulars of their own experience. However, details not withstanding, the most common thread that ties them all together was that they chose a date to set sail and made it happen.
There are million reasons not go. Most commonly heard along the docks is “I’ll go as soon as I have….” Insert any excuse needed in there and you’ll find that it fits any would-be world traveler’s situation. Having read all of the fabulous books from Lin and Larry Pardey, and countless other discussions from sailors who have made the leap – one lesion can be learned with respect to getting away from the, dock – pick a date and go, even if “everything” is not ready.
That being said, what does it take to leave the life of an academic position in the natural sciences and take a position as master of a tall ship? Again, for me, it was a date and a deadline. Like so many things in life, if it needs to get done, often it gets done last minute. For high output academics, it’s always the case. The grant gets submitted the night before, the papers marked the day before they’re handed back, grades submitted at 3:58 when they’re due at 4:00 – with a sigh of relief and a pat on the back at having a whole 2 minutes to spare! Getting everything ready to leave life in the grind for life at sea, mostly happened last minute – or at least in about two months time with a very hectic last few weeks!
Another common thread is the ever present “check list”. In the months before heading off, no less than 200+ items needed to be check off the list! Big things, little things and even the minutia – need to get done. A sample of which might include: Sell vehicles, fix the kitchen faucet and other endless renovations, get typhoid, twinrex and other shots, make a new website for your adventure, visas applications, print off copies of captains license, submit your resignation letters (personal favorite), marine medical, going away party, email autoreply setups, STCW training update, cancel insurance and netflix and cellphone (second favourite) and and and… As overwhelming as it seems, it all gets done if there is a date to do it by.
The reward? A grand sense of accomplishment and a life as you have dreamed – living the vision on the high seas.
Comments