Sailing For The Soul
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Photo Galleries

Untie The Lines

2/11/2017

3 Comments

 
Picture
The title of this post, and the inspiration behind it, comes from a  solo sailor from Germany who bought a boat in the tropics and took an incredible leap of faith. This is her link on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WhiteSpotPirates


Picture
There will come a time where you just need to untie the lines and go. Though you’ve studied, you aren’t ready. Your provisioning is at best a guess. The ship is your survival with mysteries that can only be answered on the open water. I’m not sure I can explain it to someone who hasn’t been there. I had many false starts in my 4 ton Cal 29. Small steps from the dock, learning how she steered and maneuvered. I needed to know I could count on her systems, like understanding prop walk and how to use it. 
Our new boat Odyssey is closer to 14 tons, full keel and all. Wrap your head around that difference and what it means when docking among half million dollar yachts.  I can read, study and visualize till I’m blue in the face. The fact remains I won’t learn the important stuff until I untie the lines and take her out. Again and again.
In eight weeks, almost to the day, it will be time. Everything will be in place. Time to go, step out, leave for new places, meet new people. Time to sail new waters. 
I work every day to know Odyssey’s systems, understand how they function and then bring them up to my standards. Raise the sails, reef, start the engine, steer. If I know these things, and know I can depend on them, Odyssey will be that magic carpet to take us anywhere.
Solar power, AIS, LED, hydronic heating, all fall far into second place as you slip the dock cleat, shift into reverse, and throttle up. As the boat begins to move your world becomes very focused. Nothing else really matters.
So our time to ‘untie the lines’ is approaching very quickly and I’m not sure we are ready. To be honest I’m not sure we will ever be ready so we might as well step off the precipice and trust our boat, she already knows what to do. Her captain and crew will learn as we go.

3 Comments
Melissa White link
2/27/2017 09:04:28 pm

Thanks for posting on our blog so we could find yours! Beautiful boat you have there. And looks like you are taking off just before we are. Maybe we will see you out there at an anchorage in the near future.

Reply
Heather Zakariassen
3/18/2017 05:24:30 pm

I love this blog! Can't wait to follow along as your adventures continue. Xoxo

Reply
Rik and Jodi
3/31/2017 05:37:23 pm

Proper winds and fair seas

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Odyssey


    Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
    Learn as if you were to live forever.
    -Mahatma Ghandi-

    Find Us

    Archives

    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.