2005-09-20
The Change; a brief philosophy of sailing
Last week I’ve been busy with The Change. The Change is quite big, but not bigger than I had imagined. The Change is a ship, or more precise she’s a skûtsje called De Verandering. With 14 people we’ve been sailing her on the Frisian waters. De Verandering. It’s a good name. At least it’s a change for the people sailing her. For a week we were ‘confined’ on an area of approximately 70 m2, i.e. 5 m2 each. Yeah, it’s almost like the Big Brother TV show. Luckily, we did not have to single out anybody. Sailing has a different philosophy. Time for a brief reflexion on water.
First of all, the crew has to be a team. Discipline is needed. Confidence is essential, you have to rely on each other. The shipper and mates (the 3 M’s) exercised their faith when they gave control to a bunch of no-no’s. They literally handed over the strings (de touwtjes uit de handen geven). They are true philosophers, although M,M&M will probably deny it. But someone who prefers sailing as a volunteer to a well paid job must have a philosophy. They are inspired, one of the shipper’s favorite words: bezieling.
Crew is only one part. The other part of sailing consists of the elements. One has to respect the wind, waters and ship. There has to be a balance of wind, sails and rudder. ‘More is better’ is not the guiding principle. It’s like performing a dance, or tai-chi. It’s close to wu-wei, no forced action, which means an acceptance of the conditions. You can go were the winds will bring you. And this week we were lucky that the winds brought us to the IJsselmeer, where we good experience the force of the waves.
Apart from sailing, there is also life on the ship. Life on the ship is almost ascetic. An exception to this life style were the meals, they were excellent. For the rest, the ship lacks any comfort. Ok, we had a toilet and everyone had a corner to sleep. It’s a contrast with our luxury daily life. No need to go to a monastery for an ascetic life. Meditation? Well, when all your attention is on the wind, sails and course of the ship your mind gets freed from any distracting thought. To be honest, I sometimes even forgot that there were other people on the ship.
So, on the ship I did not talk much about philosophy. Sailing is philosophy without words. One can study books, but they only contain words...
It was great to sail with De Verandering. It’s a challenge to steer a ship of 18 tons on the IJsselmeer with wind force 5. The (Dutch) saying is ‘three times ship right’. Well, maybe it’s due to her name, but I was continuously pushing and pulling the helm with all my force to get her on the right course. On the same time it’s great to see her dancing on the waves when you’re holding the helm. Every wave she swings, dips her nose in the waters, and flushes the front deck. Even the people sitting there, i.e. in the showers on the front deck, confirmed that it was a great experience.
Back home after a week sailing I encountered the void and a sudden sadness. No more wind and water, but a quite house. It’s hard to say goodbye.
So, did it change my life? Well, it changed my haircut. Although it will be quite difficult to maintain my Frisian Waters hairstyle without the refreshing bath in the Frisian waters in the morning.
To conclude a reading suggestion: Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad.
And some nice quotes on sailing:
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails".
-William Arthur Ward
"Men in a ship are always looking up, and men ashore are usually looking down".
-John Masefield
"Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him".
-Charles C. Davis
"A ship is always referred to as "she" because it costs so much to keep her in paint and powder".
-ADM. Chester Nimitz
"Bad cooking is responsible for more trouble at sea than all other things put together".
-Thomas Fleming Day
Copied from http://www.winddancer.tv/Quotable Sailing Quotes.htm
First of all, the crew has to be a team. Discipline is needed. Confidence is essential, you have to rely on each other. The shipper and mates (the 3 M’s) exercised their faith when they gave control to a bunch of no-no’s. They literally handed over the strings (de touwtjes uit de handen geven). They are true philosophers, although M,M&M will probably deny it. But someone who prefers sailing as a volunteer to a well paid job must have a philosophy. They are inspired, one of the shipper’s favorite words: bezieling.
Crew is only one part. The other part of sailing consists of the elements. One has to respect the wind, waters and ship. There has to be a balance of wind, sails and rudder. ‘More is better’ is not the guiding principle. It’s like performing a dance, or tai-chi. It’s close to wu-wei, no forced action, which means an acceptance of the conditions. You can go were the winds will bring you. And this week we were lucky that the winds brought us to the IJsselmeer, where we good experience the force of the waves.
Apart from sailing, there is also life on the ship. Life on the ship is almost ascetic. An exception to this life style were the meals, they were excellent. For the rest, the ship lacks any comfort. Ok, we had a toilet and everyone had a corner to sleep. It’s a contrast with our luxury daily life. No need to go to a monastery for an ascetic life. Meditation? Well, when all your attention is on the wind, sails and course of the ship your mind gets freed from any distracting thought. To be honest, I sometimes even forgot that there were other people on the ship.
So, on the ship I did not talk much about philosophy. Sailing is philosophy without words. One can study books, but they only contain words...
It was great to sail with De Verandering. It’s a challenge to steer a ship of 18 tons on the IJsselmeer with wind force 5. The (Dutch) saying is ‘three times ship right’. Well, maybe it’s due to her name, but I was continuously pushing and pulling the helm with all my force to get her on the right course. On the same time it’s great to see her dancing on the waves when you’re holding the helm. Every wave she swings, dips her nose in the waters, and flushes the front deck. Even the people sitting there, i.e. in the showers on the front deck, confirmed that it was a great experience.
Back home after a week sailing I encountered the void and a sudden sadness. No more wind and water, but a quite house. It’s hard to say goodbye.
So, did it change my life? Well, it changed my haircut. Although it will be quite difficult to maintain my Frisian Waters hairstyle without the refreshing bath in the Frisian waters in the morning.
To conclude a reading suggestion: Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad.
And some nice quotes on sailing:
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails".
-William Arthur Ward
"Men in a ship are always looking up, and men ashore are usually looking down".
-John Masefield
"Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him".
-Charles C. Davis
"A ship is always referred to as "she" because it costs so much to keep her in paint and powder".
-ADM. Chester Nimitz
"Bad cooking is responsible for more trouble at sea than all other things put together".
-Thomas Fleming Day
Copied from http://www.winddancer.tv/Quotable Sailing Quotes.htm
# posted by Sander @ 23:25 
