Saturday, October 16, 2021

Chasing the Dream

You get a lot of time to think when you are alone at sea on a small boat, with few distractions but the water rushing by, and the stars at night, standing on deck alone and insignificant on the wide ocean, naked, peeing into the full moon... The downhill run to Papeete is a classic one, sailing right into the southern cross, It took 8 days to sail from the Marquesas to Tahiti, and in that time I experienced every emotion in the rainbow, from sheer terror, to sadness, to un-controllable mirth. I purged every dark corner of my mind, with nowhere to run from the truth, and came away cleansed, lighter, and much much stronger.

I realise now that I have shed almost all my fears. I am not afraid of dying, and I am not afraid of being alone. Actually, my life is wonderfully streamlined when I am left to my own devises. I am not afraid of being judged. I am not afraid of what I do or don't have. My idea of success is not based on money, but rather on the ability to wake up and say "yes, let's go to the waterfall today". The idea that freedom IS the end goal, and that money is just a means to that end, and that if you are not careful to make the distinction, the chasing of money can actually take away from that freedom--the means becomes the end. By that measure, my life so far has been a smashing success, and the only thing that scares me anymore is letting this crazy, beautiful life pass me by. No matter how hard I try, I will only have a fraction of the adventures I would like to. I will only see so many sunsets, I will only hold so many beautiful women in my arms.

Saying yes becomes more urgent as we get older, yet harder and harder to say. Life thunders by, and dreams are crushed beneath the wheels of time. I find that not being afraid is a tremendous freedom in itself. I will remember to say yes, more than just 'whenever possible', for it is at these times when I am most alive.

Who said, our greatest fear is not that we are weak, but that we are powerful beyond measure?' That hits the nail on the head. I don't know where this crazy, stormy, leaky boat of a life is headed, but I sure know that its beautiful out here under these stars with dolphins chasing my stern...

Super Maxi Bonehead Moves

 Heading home from Yucatan to a storm on Sunday.  Sailing should be in the mid twenties and a sailors dream.  Go full screen!



Songs About Sailing - The Definitive List

  • 4 Preps - 26 miles
    "Aaliyah - ""Rock The Boat"" "
    Al Stewart - Life In Dark Water
    Arlo Guthrie - Sailor's Bonnet
    Avalon - Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music
    Basil Poledouris- The Dinghy Race (Senta) .
    Beach Boys - Kokomo
    Beach Boys - Sail On Sailor
    Beach Boys - Sloop John B
    Beca Boys - Sail on Sailor
    Billie Holiday - A Sailboat in the Moonlight
    Blondie - The Tide Is High
    Blue4s Image Ride Captain Ride
    Bob Dylan-  Shelter from the Storm
    Bobbie Darin - Beyond the Sea
    Burl Ives - Away Rio
    Burl Ives- Leave her Johnny leave her
    Burl Ives- What do you do with a drunken sailor
    Buster Poindexter- Hot hot hot
    Carbon Leaf - Home
    Cat Steven - Longer Boats
    Cat Stevens - Angel Sea
    Cat Stevens- The Wind by
    Cecilio and Kapono (from Hawaii) - Sailing
    Chris De Burgh - Sailing Away
    Christie Moore - The Voyage
    Christopher Cross - Chris Cross
    Chubawumba -Tubthumping
    Come Sail Away - Styx
    Commodores - Sail On
    Cowboy Junkies- White Sail
    Craig Toungate-Yo Ho, Ho (and A Bottle of Rum)
    Crash Test Dummies -Swimming in your Ocean
    Cream—Tales of Brave Ulysses
    CSN - Shadow Captain
    CSN - Southern Cross
    CSN&Y - Lee Shore
    CSNY  - Wooden Ships
    David Gray - Sail Away
    Dire Straits - Down To The Waterline
    Dire Straits - Singlehanded Sailor
    Doors - Land Ho
    Doors—Crystal Ship
    Double - Capt. of Her Heart
    Duran Duran - Rio
    Ella Fitzgerald- Smooth Sailing by
    Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding
    Enya - Caribbean Blue
    Enya - Orinoco Flow
    Enya - Sail Away
    Eric Bogel' - Safe in the Harbor
    Eric carmen - Boats Against The Current
    Eric Wakely - Sailing Solo
    Every Mother Son -Come on Down to my Boat Baby
    Frank Sinatra - Summer Wind
    Freddy McGregor - Big Ship Sailing
    Garth Brooks - The River
    Glenn Yarborough - Chanteyman
    Glenn Yarborough - I Could Have Been A Sailor
    Goldfinger - 99 red balloons
    Gordon Bok - Isle a Haut
    Gordon Lightfoot - Ghosts of Cape Horn
    Gordon Lightfoot - In the Lee of Christian Island
    Gordon Lightfoot—Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald
    Grand Funk Railroad - I'm Your Captain / Closer To Home
    Grand Funk Railroad -Closer to my Home
    Grateful Dead - Ship of Fools
    Grateful Dead- Franklins Tower
    Grateful Dead- Lost Sailor
    Great Big Sea - A Boat like Gideon Brown's
    Great Big Sea - Boston & St Johns, Great Big Sea - Wave over Wave
    Great Big Sea - Captain Kidd
    Great Big Sea - Lukey
    Harry Belefonte- Day Oh (Banana Boat song)
    Harry Belefonte- Jamaca Farewell
    Ian Matthews- keep on sailing -
    Jack Johnson-  A Pirate Looks at Forty
    Jack Johnson- The Horizon has been defeated
    James White -Splendid Adventure
    Jeff Beck -Blue Wind
    Jefferson Starship—Santiago, Wooden Ships
    Jerry Jeff Walker - Pissn' in the Wind
    Jim Morris  - Key Wasted
    Jim Morris  - Laid Back
    Jim Morris -The Sailor Race
    Jimi Hendrix -  Drifting
    Jimmy Buffet - Lovely Cruise
    Jimmy Buffet - Take It Back
    Jimmy Buffet - changes in latitudes
    Jimmy Buffet - Fins
    Jimmy Buffet - Landfall
    Jimmy Buffet - Margaritaville
    Jimmy Buffet - mother ocean
    Jimmy Buffet - one particular harbor
    Jimmy Buffet - Pirate
    Jimmy Buffet - Sea of heartbreak
    Jimmy Buffet - Landfall
    Jimmy Buffet -Boats to Build
    Jimmy Buffet Sea of Heartbreak
    Jimmy Buffet- Son of a Son of a Sailor
    Jimmy Buffett - Boats To Build (with Alan Jackson)
    Jimmy Buffett - One Particular Harbor
    Jimmy Buffett - The Captain and the Kid
    Jimmy Buffett- Lovely Cruise
    Jimmy Buffett- Mother Ocean
    Joan Baez—Spanish Boots
    Joe Cocker- Sail Away
    Kalapana - Midnight Sailing
    Kenny Chesney - French Kissin' Life
    Kenny Chesney -Be as you are
    KT Tunstall - Silent Sea
    Leadbelly-Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On
    Lindisfarne - Fog on the Tyne
    Little Feat - Sailin' Shoes
    Little River Band - Cool Change
    Loggins and Messina - Vahevala
  • Loggins and Messina - Sailin' the Wind
    Looking Glass-Brandy
    Loudan Wainwright's III - Good Ship Venus
    Luka Bloom - Sunny Sailor Boy
    Lyle Lovett - If I had a boat
    Maggie reilly- Silver on the tree / angel tears
    Mark Knoppfler and James Taylor - Sailing to Philadelphia
    Mary Black - Columbus
    Men at Work - Down Under
    Michelle Shocked - It must be Luff
    Moon Mulican - I'LL SAIL MY SHIP ALONE
    Morcheeba - The Sea
    Mountain - 'Nantucket Sleighride'
    "Nick Cave -""The Ship Song
    Otis Redding - Dock of the Bay
    Paul Simon - American Tune
    Peter Frampton - sail away
    Peter, Paul & Mary - Big Boat
    Phil Ochs—Scorpion Departs, Thresher
    Queen - Sail Away Sweet Sister
    Randy Newman' - Sail away
    Rod Stewart - Sailing 4x
    Roger & the Goosebumps - 'Gilligan's Island’ to the tune of 'Stairway to Heaven'
    Roger Whittaker - The Last Farewell
    Ry Cooder/Chieftains- Coast of Malabar
    Salty Dick -  A Matlow Told Me
    Salty Dick - Christopher Columbo
    Salty Dick  North Atlantic Squadron
    Salty Dick - Priests and Nuns
    Salty Dick -The Whores of Sailortown
    Sandy denny and the strawbs - sail away to the sea
    Sonia Dada- Sail Away
    Split Enz - Six months in a leaky boat
    Stan Rogers -  Flowers of Bermuda
    Stan Rogers - Fogarty's Cove
    Stan Rogers - The Bluenose
    Stan Rogers - The wreck of the jeanie c
    Stan Rogers - White Squall
    Stan Rogers -Barrett's Privateers
    Stan Rogers -Make and Break Harbor
    Stan Rogers -The Mary Ellen Carter
    Stan Rogers,-  Sailing Down to Ol' Maui
    Sting - Valaparaiso
    Sting - Why Should I Cry for You?
    Sting The Wild Wild Sea
    Styx - Come Sail Away
    Taj Mahal - Fishin Blues
    The beautiful South - I sail this ship alone
    The Doors - Land Ho!
    The King Singers - The Skye  Boat Song
    The Muppets (from Muppet Treasure Island) - Sailing for Adventure
    Toni Childs - Where the Ocean
    Van Halen - Feels So Good
    Van Morrison - Into the Mystic
    Wagner -Ride of the Valkyries Wagner

Borrowed from Messing About in Sailboats

Go to the 8 minute mark for the sailing.

 


Epic Surfing Read

Vacationing down in the Caribbean and am reading a great book about chasing the perfect wave back in the day. Check it out, Barbarian Days. You will not regret it.

Friday, October 08, 2021

Teahupoo Goes Off One Last Time

The surf season in Tahiti is winding down after a very active few months. Here are some amazing rides by some of the top chargers in the South Pacific. Follow the link to Surfline for this amazing vid. https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/exclusive-edit-teahupoos-swan-song/133786

Pics of the Week