Mar 11 2009

Just for fun: Sailing in SoCal

Published by at 10:02 under Sailing

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Tom Jackson's Freedom 21

The March issue of Sailing had the usual stuff about cool gear, expensive boats and, of course, a ton of words about racing and faraway destinations. It’s their stock. It’s their trade. But they also had a story about Tom Jackson. He’s the guy who has the modern-art sail in Channel Islands harbor that you see almost every time you sail. An ordinary guy doing ordinary sailing – just like most of us. He inspired me to write to the editor of the magazine:

Editor -

Every month “Sailing” offers up many thrilling pics and great adventure stories, but most of it – whether it is going around the buoys or around the world – doesn’t apply to my life. No, the thrill of sailing in my world is about more simple joys: the gentle pulse of wavelets on a dying sunset breeze, the perfect unwitnessed, no-motor landing, the gale pennant warning and a day spent tied up, sharing a bottle of red with dockmates.

My sailing is not thrilling and I like it that way. And last month (March) you showed me that I’m not alone. First, you introduced me to Tom Jackson. I’ve known him for a long time, though didn’t know his name. He sails a distinctive Freedom 21 and he sails out of Channel Islands Harbor in to the Pacific every – well, it seems like every – day. We wave as we pass and deliver a shouted sea condition report if one of us is inbound and the other headed out. We’ve been doing this for a couple of years.

Tom revealed in his letter to the editor that he’s 83. Eighty-three(!) and still single-handing and still taking on some very challenging wind and sea conditions and going out more days than he stays home.

And then there was Pat Nowak’s feature story – “The Summer of 94 Daysails.” Pat covered 1,100 miles last year in short intervals of 2-4 hours last summer.

Now we’re talking; this is a guy I understand. Sure, he races Wednesday nights and he keeps meticulous records, but he’s clearly a kindred spirit, one who savors the perfect afternoon and gives into the heart’s call to cast off.

Sailing to the Antarctic, circumnavigating the globe and winning races make great headlines, but Tom, Pat and I probably enjoy the raw joy of sailing more than any crew assigned a mid-watch almost anywhere.

We don’t make headlines, but, in addition to sailing, we eat well, sleep well, smile a lot and frequently sum up the day saying, Damn, that was fun!

And our accountants don’t think we’re idiots.

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2 responses so far

2 Responses to “Just for fun: Sailing in SoCal”

  1. # Randy Bushon 13 Mar 2009 at 12:44

    Yeah, I often feel like an outsider when reading the sailing rags; everything seems to be exotic, esoteric, and expensive. But as you say, that stuff makes good copy. Yet the exhilaration of our sport is in no way diminished by the fact that we may be just day-sailors poking about in our home waters on our Hunters and Catalinas.

    Regardless of where we sail, when we sail, or what we sail, each outing brings new knowledge, new joys, and the desire to get back out and do it again!

    I’m betting that your very nicely crafted letter echoes the sentiments of many of us pedestrian day-sailors.

    RB

  2. # Wayne Roperon 15 Mar 2009 at 18:08

    Very nicely written Dan. As you know, the sailing rags are also ad client driven. They want you to think you need a million dollar boat, one hundred dollar boat shoes, and assorted other necessities in order to have a good time sailing. This generates the income that pays for the rags production.

    I think if the truth be known, most sailors are just like us and do it for the same reasons that you and Randy have so aptly described.

    Yeah, I love carbon fiber hulls and huge amounts of sail area that are in Twenty million dollar cup boats, but additionally that base joy can come from a four hundred dollar Sabot on a perfect afternoon as well.

    WR

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