Call of the sea?

Question

has anyone been kept awake at night by this? Did it disrupt your life. What is your story. How obsessed are you.

I'm reading this book right now by a guy named Pidgeon. He made a 30' yawl from wood. In the 1920's and sailed around the world. From Iowa with no sailing experience. real balls to the wall. I'm convinced that the "call of the sea" is real. your opinion?

Answer 1

You know, I was a scientist in one of the most prestigious biological labs in the US, but cashed in my 401k for a down payment on a commercial fishing boat after a couple of years. Never looked back. After fishing lost its allure, I became a merchant seaman. These days, I'm chief mate on a cruise ship... the best thing about a career at sea is that no one starts out as a sailor, so advancing oneself is merely a matter of drive.

    I know about the obsession. I average 300 days a year on the water, usually manage to get around the world at least once a year, and when I'm home, all I want to do is walk along the beach. When I'm at sea, of course, all I think about is being at home, like all sailors.

"Green Hand'" by Lillian Beckwith is probably the best story of its kind- it's all about starting a new life after being bitten by the bug. It was written about 50 years ago, and is a perfect story of its' kind.

Answer 2

son, you got it bad..but that's OK>there's hundreds if not thousands of us out here.....some more out here than others......with the same dream/goal/lifestyle.I bypassed a shot at law school to get involved in a bizarre no-reality-quotient-involved deal to buy a big schooner and sail around the world...with lots of experience sailing 21 foot boats I found myself at 22,  Master After God of a 100 foot schooner in the Caribbean in the late 70's.........you could do stuff like that down here back then.  

license? papers? we don't need no stinking papers.....

find a copy of Sterling Hayden's "Wanderer"...

So yeah, keep reading and working and foolin' around with boats and keep doing something anything to move you forward...none of us were born knowing how to sail/live/dream afloat.we all picked it up.with physical, financial and psychic bruises.as we went along.

www.caribbeancompass.com has a lot of stories from down here about people doing it....

see you soon......

Answer 3

Start small and work your way up - then you will realize how much you are into the sea for, or how much the sea is into you.

We ARE mostly water after all...

Answer 4

yes I have it I also saved years to buy my boat however after I got the thing sea worthy I was broke and now she sits high and dry like my finances so now I work two jobs and still can barely make headway towards saving enough money to sail from LA to Hawaii to the marshalls and on down the phoenix islands to the phillipines the on to australia after that will depend on trhe worlds political situation. even now with my spirits at my lowest I still feel it calling me i need to be out there sooo bad i guess I am like a addict during detox unfortunately I don't think there is any cure for this drug as I have had it since I was  a child. woe to those who get addicted to this drug but don't have the money to keep up with the costs!

Answer 5

Naw...I'm guessing he had an ugly wife and no job prospects.

Talented though to build the boat.

Also read about Joshua Slocum and maybe Tanea Abei.

Been sailin for 38 years...never had the urge to cheat death on the Ocean alone. It takes a rare breed.