“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
— Mark Twain, Great American Writer
I have never, not once, regretted my decision to join the Navy. Yes, I complained at the time as anyone and everyone did. But living on board a ship for a year, formed who I was and that formation has stayed with me through my entire life. I have a restlessness and an energy for movement and adventure. I love change.. and I love that some things appear to stay the same within that change. I am sometimes sad that I retired .. sad that I am the age I am and cannot go back and start it all over again… and yet… I am fine with where I am!
“It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.”
— Sir Francis Drake, Sea Captain
I love the sea, waves, boats, birds, blue skies, endless sun, ocean and surf! I love the smell of the water, the sound of it lapping up against a boat. The idea of taking off from one shore and landing on another sends chills down my spine and sets my mind to dreaming of the various adventures I could (again) find. I love compasses, sails, ropes, and the stories that have been made from this topic. It was how all lands and new worlds have been discovered!
“There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.”
— Joseph Conrad, Writer
I was invited to Baltimore for some seafood and of course I had to stop at the piers to take in the boats! So beautiful! Every time I find a port, I devour it.. I take tons of photos.. I relive my favorite and most life changing job. I do not know a single sailor who does not do this.
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”
— William Arthur Ward, Writer
Even when we were complaining, we were dreaming. I am lucky enough to still be in touch with many of my sailing friends and though most would not go back at this stage of their lives.. there are so many great memories shared.
“What she really loved was to hang over the edge and watch the bow of the ship slice through the waves. She loved it especially when the waves were high and the ship rose and fell, or when it was snowing and the flakes stung her face.”
― Graceling
“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.”
— Vincent Van Gogh, Painter
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“There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
— Kenneth Grahame, Writer
“There is nothing like lying flat on your back on the deck, alone except for the helmsman aft at the wheel, silence except for the lapping of the sea against the side of the ship. At that time you can be equal to Ulysses and brother to him.”
— Errol Flynn, Actor
“The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat.”
— Francis Herreshoff, Boat Designer
rfljenksy - Practicing Simplicity 