Why sail offshore? often it\u2019s To magnify your life. The bigger question is, will you like what you see?Photo: James MitchellAhoy there, from halfway to the Caribbean! This is my third attempt at writing this column. The first go was interrupted by a squall. We underestimated its strength, surfed down a wave at 19 knots and then spent the rest of the watch slightly overly vigilant, as if that would make up for our previous 35-knot misjudgement.
\nAttempt No2 was on my 0300-0600 watch. After a coffee, several snacks, meandering down the B&G settings menu with no purpose, and two log entries made exactly to the minute on the hour, I conceded that writing was not a sufficiently \u2018staying-awake\u2019 activity \u2013 and stepped outside to stargaze.
\nWith Starlink I quickly realised I could log in every day \u2013 and yes, write an article about sailing, for sailors, while sailing \u2013 but I could also follow the Vend\u00e9e Globe tracker, and see the solo racers thrashing about in the Southern Ocean, hitting speed records, and sleeping in 20-minute intervals. Their concerns are in a different league to mine, moaning about 35 knots or struggling to write a column on a 3am watch. So, having put my \u2018struggle\u2019 into perspective (in other words, comparative luxury) I\u2019m knuckling down.
\nOffshore sailing has a way of putting your life, and your \u2018problems\u2019, into perspective. A sailing friend of mine, Sophie, once told me that offshore sailing is a magnifier for your romantic relationship. It exposes the cracks and blows them up, like it does for the boat itself. You don\u2019t go to sea to save your relationship, you go to sea to find out what needs work!
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Going to sea magnifies your reality. My crewmate, George, and I were comparing sailing to his previous life in the US marine core. Just as on the front line, at sea problems aren\u2019t self-manufactured, they\u2019re real. The watermaker breaking and the risk of running out of water is real. Big winds, ferocious seas, broken sails and a broken boat are risks that require real management every day. And, as we were reminded by the tragic news from this year\u2019s ARC, going overboard and being lost at sea is a real possibility too.
\nThat realness pulls us into the present. The lack of convenience, security and comfort and the focus this \u2018real\u2019 life requires, the less time we have to spend worrying about all the things we normally worry about. Being caught up in being \u2018busy\u2019, social expectations, how we look, what car we drive\u2026 Once we\u2019re separated from all of that we cannot help but ask ourselves: what is actually important to me?
\nWhat I\u2019ve seen during my career is that we all basically have the same answer. Strip away all the luxuries and \u2013 beyond food, water, and a dry bed \u2013 the most important thing in all our lives is love. People, pets, special places, and perhaps a few meaningful trinkets; when you are out here, you realise who and what you miss. It\u2019s who we cannot stop thinking about. Survival and connection: it\u2019s all we really need.
\nBut as Sophie so aptly observed, magnifying your life isn\u2019t always comfortable. It highlights weak points and chasms. We realise how much time we\u2019ve wasted on meaningless endeavours. Offshore we find clarity on what, or even who, we need to let go of.
\nBut without a doubt, the most challenging part of reality to face out here is ourselves.
\nMost of our life on land we spend hiding from ourselves. But at sea there is no escape. Eventually your baggage, stress, uncomfortable thoughts, character traits \u2013 good and bad \u2013 will be reflected back at you. At sea the confined space, the intensity of the experience, and the sheer presence it requires, blow YOU up onto the big screen.
\nEven with Starlink now providing us with the greatest distraction known to humankind (the internet), there is still no avoiding the mirror that\u2019s held out here. Because a power even greater than the internet \u2013 Mother Nature \u2013 still dominates. So eventually we have to take a long, hard look at ourselves.
\nAs George and I discussed, not only do we have to look but we also have to work through what we see. Because some of those scars we bear, habits and personality traits, can get in the way of dealing with the \u2018real\u2019 problems at hand.
\nAnd here lies the gold mine to be found at sea: an opportunity to fundamentally change who you are and how you see the world. There\u2019s treasure out here, come and take a look\u2026<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post Most of our life on land we spend hiding from ourselves. But at sea there is no escape \u2013 Nikki Henderson appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Why sail offshore? often it\u2019s To magnify your life. The bigger question is, will you like what you see?Photo: James MitchellAhoy there, from halfway to the Caribbean! This is my third attempt at writing this column. The first go was … <\/p>\n