Current:Home > BackMy wife and I quit our jobs to sail the Caribbean-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
My wife and I quit our jobs to sail the Caribbean
View Date:2024-12-24 09:02:25
There's another universe not far from land.
It is devoid of buildings, trees, cars, cellphones and the internet. Seemingly limitless water extends uninterrupted in all directions.
You don't have to travel a great distance to discover this other cosmos. At 10 miles offshore, you're already there. At 100 miles, on a course away from shipping lanes (about a full day's sail in a small boat), the effect is complete: Civilization recedes, along with any sign of humanity.
It's the closest most of us will ever come to the isolation of outer space. And it is why I'm really into sailing.
I grew up around boats. My father liked to build them. The pride of his flotilla was not a sailboat but a small "power cruiser," Talisman, that he designed and built before I was born. My older sister and I were bundled into a car nearly every summer weekend until my late teens to make the trip from northeast Indiana to the south shore of Lake Erie in Ohio, where Talisman waited patiently through the week, tugging gently at the dock lines.
I was always more intrigued, though, by wind-driven vessels than any relying primarily on mechanical propulsion. As a kid, I devoured the adventures of Robin Lee Graham, the teenage solo circumnavigator, in the pages of National Geographic and, later, in Graham's book, Dove. However, it wasn't until about 20 years ago, well into my adulthood, that I took up sailing in a serious way.
I quickly learned (and am still mastering) the art and physics of "trimming" the sails, which often involves tiny adjustments yielding minute gains in speed that nonetheless can save hours or even days over longer passages.
I've made voyages in fair weather and foul, on my own boats and those of friends, and ranging from nearshore day sails to blue-water passages.
Eventually, I became a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain.
Still, I've made plenty of mistakes. While living in Asia, a sailing buddy and I set off across the South China Sea destined for Thailand, only to be slammed by a late-season typhoon that forced us to make landfall in Vietnam, shaken, without a mast and glad to be alive.
Along the way, however, I also learned the essentials — navigation and how to maintain a cruising boat's complex systems, such as rigging, electrics, plumbing and, yes, engine.
Years later, my wife and I lived aboard our 37-foot cutter, Symbiosis, while we saved enough to take a two-year sabbatical from our jobs to journey down the U.S. Atlantic coast and through the Bahamas and the Caribbean. We visited many places that never see cruise ships or airplanes and that are nearly impossible to reach any way other than at the helm of a small boat.
Far from shore, it is the sole responsibility of the skipper and crew to keep the water out, the people in, the boat on course and everything working. The corollary of self-reliance makes the isolation that much more splendid.
As much as that appeals to me, so does the company of fellow cruising sailors. We remain close to many we met in our travels, particularly in the Caribbean, and to many who helped us along the way and whom we, in turn, helped too. Regardless of our backgrounds, we understand the same triumphs and perils and share many common experiences — the perfect sail, the rough passage, the close call with a rocky shore, the pod of frolicking dolphins.
But boats are expensive and time-consuming. After returning from the Caribbean a few years ago, we decided to sell Symbiosis, resolving instead to sail only "other people's boats."
It didn't last. A few months ago, we found a good deal on a smaller boat — easier to maintain but still capable of some offshore excursions.
I think we'll name her Talisman.
Scott Neuman is a reporter for NPR's digital news team. What are you really into? Fill out this form or leave us a voice note at 1-800-329-4273, and part of your submission may be featured online or on the radio.
veryGood! (114)
Related
- Dwayne Johnson Admits to Peeing in Bottles on Set After Behavior Controversy
- Germany is having a budget crisis. With the economy struggling, it’s not the best time
- Holiday scams aren't so easy to spot anymore. How online shoppers can avoid swindlers.
- LeBron James sets all-time minutes played record in worst loss of his 21-year career
- Is the stock market open on Veterans Day? What to know ahead of the federal holiday
- Reba McEntire gets emotional on 'The Voice' with Super Save singer Ms. Monét: 'I just love ya'
- Miley Cyrus Returns to the Stage With Rare Performance for This Special Reason
- Niger’s junta revokes key law that slowed migration for Africans desperate to reach Europe
- Wisconsin authorities believe kayaker staged his disappearance and fled to Europe
- Greek officials angry and puzzled after UK’s Sunak scraps leaders’ meeting over Parthenon Marbles
Ranking
- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke earlier this month, is expected to make full recovery
- Honda, Jeep, and Volvo among 337,000 vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- Argentina’s right-wing president-elect to meet with a top Biden adviser
- 127 Malaysians, suspected to be victims of job scams, rescued from Myanmar fighting
- Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street’s mixed finish as dollar surges
- With suspension over, struggling Warriors badly need Draymond Green to stay on the court
- 1 student killed, 1 injured in stabbing at Southeast High School, 14-year-old charged
- Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich until end of January
Recommendation
-
12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
-
2 men, 1 woman dead after shooting at NJ residence, authorities say
-
The family of an infant hostage pleads for his release as Israel-Hamas truce winds down
-
Three-star QB recruit Danny O’Neil decommits from Colorado; second decommitment in 2 days
-
Why Outer Banks Fans Think Costars Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey Used Stunt Doubles Amid Rumored Rift
-
NHL's first-quarter winners and losers include Rangers, Connor Bedard and Wild
-
Abigail Mor Edan, the 4-year-old American held hostage by Hamas, is now free. Here's what to know.
-
Hurry! These Extended Cyber Monday Sales Won't Last Forever: Free People, Walmart, Wayfair, & More