Days at Sea

I don’t know about you, but there are times in this busy, highly connected information age we live in, that I get the sense that we are collectively being overwhelmed with too much information, too many opinions and too much meaningless noise. Sure, we can try to tune it out, but it is hard. That’s why I love heading off to sea for a few days of passagemaking. As soon as you leave the sight of land and watch the bars disappear from your cell phone, you know you are unplugged and off the grid.  For me, I always heave a deep sigh of relief. And then, the shipboard routine begins as the crew stands watches, gets some sleep, shares the evening meal together and keeps the boat sailing smoothly. There is time to read, time to nap, time to daydream. During night watches, I enjoy getting reacquainted with the planets and stars and watching the stately progression of the constellations from east to west. There are times when Venus is so bright you can mistake it for a ship’s masthead light. For me, a few days at sea, even if the weather is not perfect, is a time to recharge my batteries and reconnect with the planet is a simple, practical way. Soon enough the bars reappear on my cell phone, the shore lights loom over the horizon and the cacophony begins again.  And, after a few days offshore, it doesn’t seem so bad to be making a safe landfall.