
Herman Melville, in Moby Dick, spoke for wanderers in all epochs and meridians. He said: “I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas…”
Carl Sagan
It Started As A Kid
It did not start at sea. It did not start with a boat either. It grew with the physical opposite of oceans and moving vessels. I grew with streets, streetlamps, land and hikes.
I started with an urge to explore the woods behind the house, with attempts to stay outside after the time that was motherly prescribed, and to climb trees so as to see beyond. It evolved in a need to explore nearby hills, villages and towns. It eventually turned into hikes and treks.
Hiking makes you learn the trade-offs involved with gear. It forces you to think about where you go, how to get there and plan exit strategies. You learn how nature works, as it provides much for makeshift solutions. Spirit-wise, long hikes gives you a lot of time to think. You discover about yourself and learn the value of a socially apt hiking team. An experienced sailor will recognize in hiking the fundamental traits peculiar to a voyage. In manners of thinking, I was a sailor before I knew anything about sailboats.
But as Christian Williams states it, this is not why we sail. Sailing is the continuation of this evelasting itch for exploration. It is also a lesson about life. Carl Sagan felt what he elegantly describes as our « soft call » for wanderings. Sailing is what comes next.