Yesterday afternoon I looked out my office window and saw hints of spring. Broad daylight at 4 o’clock, later on a little warmth in the amber gloaming. … Soon there will be yard work without a coat, the sweet smell of warming earth, birdsong and tender buds. Feeling the natural world as it wakes from a deep winter nap has got to rouse the optimist in even the stingiest soul.
And has there ever been an adventure that didn’t begin in optimism? Embarking on an undertaking that involves unknown risks, for an exciting or remarkable experience (to paraphrase the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) is inconceivable without the glimmer of belief that it can be done and I can do it.
Maybe that’s why I get so excited about the adventure issue we create each year. This month, we give you 10 passagemakers, real people who had dreams of seeing the world aboard their own boats and made it happen. Their vessels range from 42 to 88 feet; some of our voyagers are retired, and some are taking a break from careers. They have braved fierce storms and been enchanted by far-flung anchorages; not a one of them has regrets.
“A traveler is really not someone who crosses ground so much as
someone who is always
hungry for the next
challenge and adventure.”
— Pico Iyer
We asked these world-cruisers to answer a series of questions, and then we put together the 12-page feature that begins on Page 36. Our adventurers gave us so much wonderful material that we have decided to share their complete Q&As at SoundingsOnline.com, where you’ll find even more information on how they got started, what kind of refitting they did in preparation for their voyaging and how it changed their lives.
Are you hankering for adventure but feel it’s something that will have to wait until the kids are grown? Not necessarily. If you’re not ready to change your life, don’t read the excerpt from Caspar Craven’s book Where The Magic Happens on Page 48. He and his wife (and kids)not only did it, but they have written a book that provides specific advice on how you can plan it out and do it, too.
And if you don’t have a boat that’s fit for circumnavigating or you’d like an adventure with a potentially shorter commitment, the legendary square- rigger Picton Castle may be just the ticket. You can read all about the ship and her marvelous captain on Page 54.
Last week I had my own — albeit wee — adventure, bringing hull No. 1 of the Krogen 50 Open from Stuart to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with new owners Janet and Larry Polster. (Polster is also a principal partner of Kadey-Krogen Yachts.) It was Together’s first offshore run, as she made her way to the Miami boat show, and the weather was lovely: a sunny 70 degrees, seas 2 to 3 feet, light winds from the east. There will be a full feature in an upcoming issue on this bright, open trawler. Its single level, open-concept arrangement and rugged go-anywhere sea manners are going to appeal to a lot of people who may not have had the trawler-bug before.
For now, let me just admit that I spent most of the day, especially when I had the helm, watching the coast slip by, smelling the salt air, enjoying the occasional dolphin sighting and thinking about where I’d go if she were mine.
Bora Bora would be sweet.
This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue.
