In an age where society has nearly rendered the qualities of individual courage and independent thought obsolete, the ocean remains as a vast, uncluttered & beautiful temptation, awaiting those who (for a time) can break free. 
Cruising is not done to escape life...but rather, so that life does not escape you.

" Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails."
Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain



"It is part of the nature of man to start with romance and build to a reality."
- Ray Bradbury

"If everything's under control, you're going too slow."
- Mario Andretti



"Life is not about the number of breaths you take, it's about the number of events that take your breath away"

The sea is dangerous, and its storms are terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficiant reason to remain ashore. - Fredinand Magellan.

"It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and you think you have the stock market beat. But the man who's worthwile is the man that can smile when his shorts are to tight in the seat. - Rodney Dangerfield.



If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endevors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a sucess unexpected in common hours. - Henry David Thoreau.



He who puts his head to the ground to listen for too long, is liable to have his head stepped upon. - Confucius.



You don't stop laughing when you get old, you get old when you stop laughing.



"Well begun is half finished" - Korean proverb



Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely, pretty & well preseved, but instead should be a skid in broadside, when thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and able to loudly proclaim... WOW....What a ride !!!



"The winner of a Rat Race is always a Rat, & so the only thing I can really to do about it, is to haul up the anchor." - Ken Gill.



The money spent on a boat, is deducted from the admission price into heaven.



Time is the ultimate currency. We may talk in terms of dollars but ultimately we trade in hours.
By that measure, life is better. Much better. Anonymous



For the truth is that I already know as much about my fate as I need to know. The day will come when I will die. So, the only matter of consequence before me is what I will do with my allotted time. I can remain on shore, paralyzed with fear, or I can raise my sails and dip and soar in the breeze. Richard Bode



"I do not find it worth my while to convince other men in the value of buying my baskets. Rather, I will expend my energy in eliminating the necessity of selling them." Thoreau



The traditional Navy toast...Here's to the wind that blows, the ship that goes, and the Lass that loves a sailor" (Or the fun version)..."Here's to the wind that loves a ship that goes, and the Lass that blows a sailor"



"The weather is always perfect for the sailor with lots of time" Anonymous



"Dreams attract dreambashers. This doesn't mean that your dream is faulty; it means that you're being tested.
Don't defend your dreams to a dreambasher. Just silently repeat your mantra, consider the source, and let the negative energy pass on."



"It's not about the boat, its rigging, sails or hull...It's about the freedom."



"Not everything that counts, can be counted, & not everything that can be counted, counts."  Einstein



“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”  Helen Keller



"The best things in life, aren't things."

While there are some people who enjoy living their lives on the edge of uncertainty, most of us prefer to have a healthy dose of familiar expectation in our lives. We make plans based on the best information available, in an effort to avoid unpleasant surprises. Unfortunately, life is rarely as simple or predictable as we would like it, and when you're out cruising, the possibilities of your plans derailing often multiply.

There is perhaps no other activity that can equal cruising for the ability to shatter your delusions of personal efficiency, because (as you quickly learn) in the big picture, a sailboat is a very insignificant speck floating around on an endless expanse of ocean, buffeted by whatever Mother Nature serves up...and coming to terms with this can be a humbling experience.

To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea...cruising, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.

There are those who say “I’ve always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can’t afford it.” What these men can’t afford is "not" to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security...and in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine...and before we know it, our lives are gone.

Sterling Hayden



With this in mind, cruisers should always plan for the unforeseen, as all too often due to circumstances, it may be necessary to change direction mid-course, due to a healthy sense of self-preservation.   Eileen Quinn

Boat buoy at Rodney Bay

Sailing...is like a bad relationship where the sex is great.
The cost is high in terms of money, time and energy...but once she's wet and you're riding her, it’s all worth it.

"The art of sailing comes from experience. Someone without experience who buys a boat & then thinks of himself as a Captain, is like a fellow who goes to McDonalds for a Big Mac & then thinks of himself as Mayor McCheese".