Mission Statement

Remove from prop before engaging engine

As if the sailing world needs another pontificating harbor pilot. As if the Internet needs another merry blogster. But stand down there sailor, until you get the whole poop.

See, my agent (Note to self: acquire agent), no, my therapist (never had, never will), would you believe my primary care physician, yeah, that’s it, he prescribed a blog for the treatment of my high LDL reading. So I’m doing this on doctor’s orders, okay? My wife, well she obviously would prefer that I seek gainful employment.

I will never be accomplished at anything. It is not in my nature. I flit about life’s offerings, passing on anything that requires too much practice, like chess, classical guitar, omlette-making.

On the other end of the spectrum, anything too easy to master will sap one’s interest quickly, such as step aerobics or motion picture production. I have on occasion dabbled in the latter. It’s a ridiculously simple formula: boy meets girl, girl disrobes, trailer inter-cuts promising shots of nude scene with footage of car chase and munitions detonation. Roll 'em, vroom, ooh baby, kaboom, cut. Cha-ching.

I think sailing fits somewhere in between. Now before you hardcore enthusiasts unclip from your hiking straps to fire up your comment windows, let me just say there is a vast range of skill sets that separate the casual daysailor from say, an off-shore racer or circumnavigator. Oh, who cares what I say. The site has three hundred eighty-seven hits so far, and I’m pretty sure I account for three hundred eighty-four of them. Clearly I’m writing for myself. Like cruisers, though, if you happen to find yourself on the same course, I welcome good-natured company.

A great inspiration to me has been the writings of paleontologist and educator, Stephen Jay Gould. In years of articles printed in Natural History Magazine, he explicated many of life’s mysteries by starting with a simple observation, and expanding to broader human themes. I think that’s what I’ll be doing here. I don’t expect to teach anybody anything in these posts. The most I hope to do is entertain. Laughter is truly the best medicine, and I’ll try to push as much of it down your gullets as I can muster. It’s cherry flavored. You like cherry flavored, don't you? Everybody likes cherry flavored.

I may not always stick to sailing themes. I may set off from the plotted course now and again, because that’s where a lot of life’s little intrigues are hiding. Sailors call this gunkholing. Sounds attractive, doesn't it?

Obviously if you don’t like where I’m taking you, you’re free to fill your own prescription. But this here’s my vessel, and I’m tossing off the bowline, so watch your toes.

I’ll now commandeer an old joke to get the ball rolling. What do you call one more blogger lying at the bottom of the sea? A drop in the bucket.

This is what we like to see: a happy passenger.