Mia and I went to the Stockholm International Boat Show yesterday. It was inside at the convention center, and it was massive. We went aboard several sailboats, including a 28-foot double-ender built in Finland which was exceedingly ugly, but very intriguing nonetheless. I picked up two books, one written by a Swede who spent ten years circumnavigating and financing it by taking along paying crew. The other by Moitessier, 'Cape Horn: The Logical Route,' written before 'The Long Way,' beginning with the commissioning of 'Joshua,' his beloved steel ketch.
It's been an enormous inspiration to read about sailing once more, after having exhausted my supply of unread books in the past month or so. I'm already living my dream of circumnavigating by reading the exploits of others, and simultaneously planning the adventure in my head as I go. I almost lost my focus in the last weeks of relative inactivity, but now the inspiration has returned. It's going to be fun and exciting seeing how this drama plays out in my head in the coming years. I finally have something to focus on. I've figured out that one thing that I can do exceedingly well instead of floundering with a million projects that I can never fully see through, and my motivation to succeed is higher than ever. Of course, I'll still have my other pursuits, but now I have a clear priority.
Where that is going to take me in the next years is another question entirely. It's one thing to have a dream - eventually, the grim reality that a dream of this magnitude requires a substantial amount of cash becomes clear. The biggest challenge is going to be figuring out how to maintain the balance between living a satisfying lifestyle and not compromising my lofty ideals on how my life should be enjoyed, while earning some real money. I think I have an interesting solution, but I'll wait and see what happens. In the meantime, I'll keep reading, keep dreaming, and day by day what's already happening inside my head will eventually manifest itself into something I probably can't even imagine.
