FROM THE HELM

By Mike Benjamin, SV Exodus, President SDSA

RISKS AND REWARDS

In light of the recent crime reports in Sint Maarten, I have been reflecting about all the risks and anxieties we face on a daily basis as cruisers and ask - why exactly do we engage in this lifestyle?  My wife and I are going on 8 years!

As most of you know, there have been numerous break-ins on boats, mostly anchored in the Dutch Lagoon of Sint Maarten.  Authorities have mobilized and will hopefully get things under control soon, but security concerns are not unique to Sint Maarten.  In Maine, I wouldn’t think of chaining my Dinghy or locking myself in at night, but as we head south, we will be using our 3/8” stainless steel chain to lock our dinghy to every dock (yes, definitely overkill) and, even in some locations, to our davits at night.  We will be locking the companionway from the inside and installing a motion sensor. Yikes!  Never used to do that.  But is it really any more security or common sense than you might employ living in a big city?

Then there are the usual night terrors - is my anchor set properly? Did I set out enough scope?  Is my chafe protector on the snubber holding up, and if I’m on a mooring, has it been properly maintained?  Wait, it’s not just my boat, actually it’s all the boats upwind that I should be more concerned about, as I have no knowledge or control over their skill level, and I remind you, we are well into charter season.

And then there is the weather.  Always a concern, as we engage in the nightly “hatch dance” or watch that approaching front, squall or storm cloud.  Did I see lightning?  And let’s not forget the breakdowns, since as we all know, “your boat is breaking while you’re sleeping”.   Let’s just expose multiple complicated high-tech devices to a corrosive environment 24/7 and see what happens.  Our modern engines and generators have thousands of moving parts and thousands of opportunities for failure.  Outboards not starting, water pumps breaking, batteries running down, inverter problems, steering issues, autopilot problems, refrigeration failing, diesel microbes – really?  Lions breaking, Tiger sharks swimming, Bearing failures….oh my.  

I have friends who have been cruising more than a dozen years, who recently (and I mean in a matter of weeks due to simultaneous failure) replaced their entire battery bank, outboard, 2 power winch motors, their Clark Pump and autopilot - they even had their refrigerator door fall off on passage!  

We each have our own reasons for choosing the cruising lifestyle.  When things get bad, one of my mentors reminds me, “It’s always an adventure”.  And it is.  Every day we explore new areas, meet new people, face and overcome new challenges to great satisfaction.  We push our limits, reach beyond our comfort zones and often experience life on the edge.  All of which make for great stories in response to your friends’ ubiquitous questions about pirates and hurricanes or where you anchor on passage.

For us it’s all about the community.  As new cruisers in 2017, our newfound community blew us away.  We had no idea that we would be entering a world where meeting new people was so easy, where past careers don’t matter, where you are judged not by how you dress, or by your politics, or by how much money you have, but rather, by your willingness to help a fellow sailor in need, by the knowledge and experience you have and are willing to share and… by your rum punch recipe.  The cruising community is truly amazing.  Whether you need group therapy or just want to have fun socializing, it’s there for you.  Just ask.  Cruising is an escape from the world, from the fighting, the tragedy, the politics and the horrors we read about in the news.  

So, thanks to our remarkable community (and especially to the Dawgs) for making the cruising experience so fulfilling.  We are all truly blessed to have each other.  In the new year, let’s remind ourselves to be thankful for what we have individually and for all that we share.