The other night in class, we were talking about ways that people are considered “high-class” and someone said that owning a sailboat means you’re ‘high-class’. I had a chuckle because we have a sailboat but we do not fit, nor do we want to fit, into the type of meaning that people associate with ‘high class’. Our boat is not a yacht. It is a place that brings calm and happiness to my husband so it is a treasured item in our lives. My husband shares this experience with whoever, whenever they are available. There is a joy to this item that is hard to explain. To make it a status symbol would take away the deep meaning it has in his life, especially. In my life, it is something that makes him so happy so it makes me happy.
Sailing can be an expensive and an elitist experience, but that is not our experience, or our way of life. It is a great way for young people to learn to be on the water and have some autonomy by using small sailboats. Yesterday on my ride I saw dozens of young people learning to sail in simple rowboats with a sail on it. That is brilliant!
Sleeping on our boat is a communal activity and you cannot have a need for a ton of privacy (or a problem with using a toilet that doesn’t ‘flush’ in the traditional sense). That being said, we can stand up so it is not a claustrophobic experience for me in the least. Last night, for the first time, I slept on the sailboat. For years we had a slip where the halyards “dinged” all night – basically “ping, ping, ping” all night. Now, we have a quieter spot and I slept extremely well (the 50 km. bike ride yesterday may have helped….)
For all the time we spend on the sailboat, I am sadly lacking in photos – or at least photos on a decent camera. The one above is from my Nikon, the one below from my Blackberry.
Happy sailing!
