Staying Younger...by Cruising  

We have a theory that being a boater helps you stay young. As we age and surely fear life changes such as Arthritis and Alzheimer's. Constantly challenging our bodies and brain cells seems to be an important concept.

So....get a boat and go cruising!

A dirt dweller rolls out of bed each day in a pretty similar place. It’s kind of the opposite for the cruiser. Every day you seem to have a different surrounding and orientation. A new anchorage or dockspace greets you. New neighbors may be present. Nature abounds. You have a sharper sense of weather, particularly winds and waves. Sunrises and sunsets are no longer over the same familiar horizon and you’re presented a new daily view of the world. Moon & stars.  While we love our sunsets for many years from our dirt dwelling residences…. we now have the changing horizons, as well.

Boating seems to have a new challenge every day too. It feels like a day never goes by without teaching me a new lesson. (And unfortunately, the bruises show me that I didn’t yet learn to avoid the familiar hazards!) Just when you think I should know something, I get another wake up call. Like tying the boat up with only 3 lines while in a nice current on the river. I forgot about the power of an unexpected stern wind and there I was moving forward on the dock without that aft spring line! Many more knots to go before I sleep.

It’s fun enough working on the maintenance of our aging bodies….trying to get enough exercise while boating can be a challenge. But the maintenance of the boat and all its systems certainly gives you the daily challenges to stay young. Climbing up and down. Body contortions to work in tight places. Lifting items of various sizes and weight. Finding and avoiding problems. Reading books and manuals on electrical systems. Cruising Guides. Diesel maintenance. Navigation. Researching the internet database. Joining chatrooms. Sifting your opinions. And making decisions. There is certainly the euphoria that comes from the “We did it!”

And on a boat, it always seems like when I take on a project, I add two more to the list!

Another great thing is the people you meet. You have an introduction to new folks almost as often as you want. New faces, new boats, new stories, new suggestions and maybe even new friends. And you can never know when or where you might bump into them again. We often ask ourselves…..don’t we know them? Where was it we met them? I’m sure we’ve seen them somewhere before! I remember that boat name. It’s there in those brain cells somewhere. What a nice and diverse community we are a part of. People coming from all walks of life and backgrounds….great stories to tell and lessons learned.

Like people, no two boats are the same. Oh, like TWINS, they may look the same, but there will be differences. Looking at other boats, their configuration, their contents and their owners is an age old pastime for boaters. Big boats and small boats, common boats and different boats, new and old, sail and power, all fun to look at and compare to your form of passage. Boaters are fun to watch! And how they lay out and organize their boat and lives varies widely. Then you look at your ways of doing things drawing obvious comparisons and contrasts…..often making changes.

Maybe one of the best mind games are played on your boat. It’s called “Where did I put that?” or the other version “Where did you put that?”. Boats are inherently full of places to hide things. Some of these places are designed into the boat and boaters seem to be able to find other nooks and crannies to stuff things into. It’s like that Russian Doll game sometimes, containers stuffed into containers stuffed into containers. All full of different things. To play the game right you don’t keep a log of where you put anything. “I know I put it somewhere.” Then you dig through everything looking for that widget you know you have, often multiple times. You find stuff you forgot you needed. That’s how you remember what you’ve stowed on the boat. Now where is that envelope of money we hid in the Bahamas?

I read something about how the brain is wired and it’s best avoiding falling into routines….like driving home from work the by same route every day, or sitting in the same chair every time you go into a conference room. Well, while there are boating routines, I think the very nature of cruising definitely keeps you from falling into too much of a rut. 

Anchoring out may be our favorite approach, but every anchorage seems different. Even a return to the same place is somewhat enhanced.  I grounded three times coming out of a “familiar anchorage”... another lesson? And the other nights spent on a wall or in the marinas certainly give you a different and valuable perspective.  In just two nights we demonstrated the contrast.  First night we were literally surrounded by empty winter homes worth over $20 million in Naples.  The second night just miles away we swing in the tides are surrounded by just mangroves and nature in Rookery Bay near the Everglades.

And there is a never ending source of knowledge from boaters. This sharing of knowledge is an age old tradition. Old Salts are known to be good guides in this world. Boaters seek and share knowledge based on their needs and experiences. How things work. How a specific problem is dealt with. What the options might be. Just when you think you don't have anything to offer you run into someone with a problem you have had or a solution you tried. They listen and your sense of worth and importance gets a small boost. And certainly vice versa. The internet has given boaters this fine cobweb to interact and learn.

“Change is good.” And the boating life offers you a good measure of change. We embark on a voyage, not sure of where we are going next, what we will see, challenges we will face, the good and the bad, and even the ugly. But you respond, make a decision and move on. Some decisions will prove to be better than others too….that’s just life. Around every bend will be another sight or situation. What an environment we get to enjoy. What wonderful perspectives. Natures beauty. You thank your lucky stars! And you enjoy them overhead on many nights without lights.  🎼...."and I think to myself, What a Wonderful World".  🌎

We left the sweet waters of the heartland’s Lakes and Rivers entering those salty tidal seas…..just another Looper opportunity for change. I had saltaphobia, a fear of what salt was going to do to my freshwater boat. I am sure that the corrosive salt environment kept giving me a few more seasons of lessons. We choose to Loop a bit and take a break, spending more time in some areas than others. Now we’ve done the Big Bend, ICW, Keys, Bahamas and St Johns River system for a couple of seasons, then up and down the ICW to explore the Chesapeake for a couple more. So salt water and 4 hurricanes have not hurt us too much, yet! 

So, after all that cruising fun the Admiral gets a new boat and start the journey all over again!  And the boat tests us daily.  But forget Hell, Lets go find new waterway to explore!

My father’s favorite toast…..May you have love, health, wealth, …..and (most importantly) the time to enjoy them….(glass of red wine in hand).

Grandkids ain’t too bad either…...and both of ours (the twins) are teaching us more as we teach them to fish and enjoy life too.

mv TWINS 

Grand Alaskan 60

….enjoy every sandwich! 

🔙🔜

🎵Left a note I'd be back in a minute,

🎵Bought a boat and I sailed away in it...

👣👣