Thursday, June 07, 2012

A Little Perspective...

The other night, Scott and I took some friends out on my dad's boat and enjoyed sailing conditions that were about as perfect as they get up here in Chicago: warm air, breathtaking sunset, a southerly wind blowing about 11-15 knots, flat seas and of course, the beautiful Chicago skyline which never, ever disappoints from the water.  We cruised along at 6-7 knots, sipping on wine, nibbling on cheese and crackers and enjoying great conversation with people we love.  It was... perfect.  At one point, our friend Dave looked at me with a smile and said, "Wow.  So this is it!  This is your life!" he paused as he looked for my reaction, "I mean, this is your life...right?"

While sailing certainly is a large part of what we do, I had to ponder his question for a minute.  Scott and I, while sitting on the back of the boat together, had just been talking about how evenings as perfect as this one were few and far between, even when you spend 95% of your time on a sailboat.  For us, sailing is a way of life, a way to get from point A to point B - and while we still get a lot of enjoyment out of it - it's a little different than packing a cooler full of sauvignon blanc, some good cheese and heading out for a sunset cruise with a handful of great people.  In our world back on the boat, sailing conditions are rarely (if ever) ideal, we hardly (if ever) take out a group of friends simply for a pleasure cruise, and we never have chilled sauvignon blanc with cheese while under sail.  Moments like the ones we were experiencing we're, truthfully, not at all reflective of our life on the boat.

That is not to say that our life on the boat isn't wonderful - because it is!  It's just...different.  Coincidentally, the fact that this night was "different" was precisely why it was so special.  Not only did it offer us a nice break from terra firma and a chance to catch the wind in our sails again, it instantly reminded us of what we love the most about sailing; enjoying time in nature, laughing and chatting with friends, ghosting along the water toward a setting sun or rising moon, kicking back without a care in the world and the freedom of knowing we can go wherever the wind blows...

As we settled into our groove on the boat, I looked at Dave and smiled as I thought to myself, "Yeah.  This is our life".
Action!
Lauren's first time sailing on a big boat.  She was a natural!
My beautiful little sister, Chelsea
Dave would want you to know he doesn't *really* wear his sweater like this.
Erika, on the other hand, is always like this ;) 
Good times
Life is good!

Love,
Brittany, Scott & Isla

8 comments:

Carolyn Shearlock - The Boat Galley said...

Note to self . . . don't read the first paragraph while drinking the morning coffee . . . coffee, laughter and keyboards don't mix well!

While we had many, many wonderful magical moments while cruising, you're right -- they're few and far between. When it's a lifestyle and not a vacation, the "regular" stuff gets in the way . . . just as when living on land.

Thanks for reminding us all of how special times with friends are! Great photos of a wonderful evening, too!

Dave said...

What kind of boat is that?

Mid-Life Cruising! said...

Great post! The things you like most about cruising are the same reasons we're working towards it! We think we're being realistic in knowing that these kinda nights are rare and "special"!

Princess Aboard said...

I love taking friends out on our boat, it ends up being as (if not more) enjoyable for us as for them. Love the pics and love seeing women at the helm (I think we're all naturals)!

Windtraveler said...

@Dave - my dad designed this boat with a marine architect and had it built by Kanter Yachtes in Ontario, Canada. It's a Kanter 43, but a one off. It's aluminum and a fantastic boat!!

Lisa Patterson said...

You guys are so beautiful! So glad you are having great times!!

Dan N Jaye said...

Love this! Soooo true! (But now that we're back to being land-based for a while, I'm finding that lifestyle has a lot of little work too - everything from changing the oil in the car to an endless series of appointments. The difference to me, is that all those little errands on a boat, lead to more direct control of your life.)

Unknown said...

Sounds like a fantastic evening. It's good to remember that even if you are in your "natural habitat", sharing with others and taking the time to appreciate a lovely evening is super important! Great post!

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