To "Sail" or Not to "Sail"--That is the question

Yesterday I read a recent blog entry written by a friend and fellow sailor which really STUNG! (and I quote:)

“Yesterday we escaped the Senior Citizen Internment Centre known as Marsh Harbour...an assisted living centre for delusional sailors. Here reside the “retireds,” people who bring their boats here year after year, take the same slip beside the same other boats year after year. And they never leave other than to return home come summer to “sail” the 10 miles it is to Hopetown or Treasure Cay for a day at another marina...[with it’s] Florida quality grocery store and the Florida quality hardware store and the pretty “just like the tropics” bar etc. etc.

Whoa!! No way can I let this one pass! And so here is my rebuttal.

Having “been there--done that” to both passage making (the “bloggers” sailing preference) and an Abaconian Marina/sailing experience (MINE) allow me to make MY case for a season spent in Boat Harbour (aka Marsh Harbour). First off, the undisputed exhilaration of “passage making” must be acknowledged before moving on to a realistic comparison of the merits of each. True, there is absolutely NOTHING to equal the thrill one gets when pitting oneself against the elements. Alone on an endless sea, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of blues, both above and below is awe-inspiring. And when the wind whips up, squalls threaten, waves build in excess of 8 feet, and you begin to wonder what the hell you’re doing out there and saying “please god! let me survive!” becomes your mantra, NOTHING can compare with the sense of happiness and gratitude one feels when once again you drop the hook into a safe anchorage. It’s that same feeling “dirt dwellers” get every time they get off a roller coaster and set foot once again on terra firma. “Wasn’t that a rush?!” But at the amusement park--even though you’re scared shitless--you know it’s only a ride and that there will be a happy ending. Passage makers in foul weather have no such assurance. But leaving all that “fun stuff” behind lets take a closer look at the realities of a season of “Passage Making” versus a “Boat Harbour” existence.

The “Passage maker” awakes each morning to same old, same old--the spouse on the boat rationing out a predictable breakfast followed by endless hours spent sitting on the boat. The “Boat Harbour” sailor awakes each morning to the same old spouse and eats whatever he damn well feels like or goes out to a restaurant to eat. This is followed by endless hours of either sitting on a boat, joining the walking group for either a short or long stroll, playing “pickle ball” on the tennis court, doing water aerobics in the heated pool or joining the Yoga class.

During the day, the passage maker, sitting in the boat either “sails” amid drop-dead gorgeous scenery--water, sky, islands--or fights the elements for survival--occasionally with his spouse retching over the side of the boat. He may also fish or drop a hook off a deserted island to walk/swim in the surf and do some beach combing. More likely than not however, it’s a 6-10 hour sail alone out on an empty sea. During the day, the Boat Harbour sailor either “sails” amid drop-dead gorgeous scenery--water, sky, islands--or stays in his slip when foul weather threatens choosing instead of fighting the elements and retching to play bridge, mahjong, or bocci ball with others, or visit with friends for drinks aboard their boat--or at a “just like the tropics” bar. He may also fish or drop a hook off one of the beautiful nearby islands to walk/swim in the surf, do some beachcombing or enjoy a wonderful Bahamian lunch at one of the may “just like the tropics” restaurants. More likely than not however, it’s a 10 hour day of variation with friends--or not--whatever he feels like doing--biking, sailing, swimming, fishing, shopping, games, cooking classes, lectures--whatever!

At night the Passage Maker endures 3 hour alternating shifts of sleep and keeping watch alone on an empty and sometimes angry sea. The Boat Harbour sailor sleeps comfortably WITH his spouse tied up in a safe slip. When at anchor, the Passage Maker--if he is lucky enough to share the anchorage with another boat--dinghies over to share a drink and conversation with strangers. When at anchor the Boat Harbour sailor does the same thing. But usually he is not at anchor but safely tied up in a slip with electricity which allows him to visit to share drinks and conversation with FRIENDS long into the night.

Most evenings the Passage Making is alone on his boat with his wife and his books.

Most evenings the Boat Harbour sailor is alone on his boat with his wife and his books and his TV or at a Hawaiian Luau or Fish Fry (after the fishing tournament) or dancing to Rake and Scrape at the Bar, or playing Trivial Pursuit at the Jib Room or partying with friends he’s known for years.

When danger threatens--a broken boat or medical emergency--the Passage Maker is on his own or, if he is lucky enough to be sailing in the company of friends, relies upon them for survival--far away from help. (No mechanics, doctors, air craft within reach) When danger threatens the Boat Harbour sailor, he has dozens of other sailors--many of whom are mechanics, doctors etc. within call of his voice. Or he can take a taxi to the doctor, dentist or airport and call in an expert to look at his boat--which is safely tied up--not floundered incapacitated out in the ocean somewhere.

Last but not least are the “creature comforts.” The Passage Maker lugs water, garbage, gas, groceries and laundry to and from his dinghy and then--often a mile or more through choppy seas--back to his boat. In the case of water, this can involve MANY trips to fill his tank. Food, not always available, is rationed. As is water. And he may go for weeks before being able to properly shower off the salt and sweat which accumulates on his body. The Boat Harbour sailor knows NOTHING of these things. He is tied up at a slip with water, laundry facilities and garbage disposal dockside. Food is always available at the “Florida quality” grocery store and never rationed. He showers to his hearts content as often as he likes with plenty of hot water available in a well-appointed restroom--with real WORKING toilets. And he does not have to carry hundreds of pounds of urine and feces wherever he goes in a holding tank built into his boat and which is usually located under his bed.

But the most convincing argument for a Boat Harbour lifestyle over that of the Passage Maker comes from the very pen of the writer of the aforementioned stinging blog itself. In his own words it appears the real HIGHLIGHT of the last two weeks of HIS passage making was his discovery of “EMERALD BAY MARINA” where he waxes poetic about the utter bliss of being there. Indeed, he and his spouse actually seem reluctant to leave the comforts and safety of this place for the open sea. As at Emerald Bay, we at Boat Harbour experience that same reluctance. Enough said! I rest my case.

Linda Weeks, aboard “Fortnight”

currently tied up at “Boat Harbour”