THE PERILS OF LIVING IN A WORLD WITHOUT FAR HORIZONS
In my eleven year voyage around the world, I had the opportunity to experience nearly four-thousand sunrises and sunsets. That's one of the reasons I like living on a yacht; I have the privilege of seeing the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening.
In large cities, it's rare to see sunrise and sunset. In the morning you are still asleep when the sun comes up, and in the evening most people watch television rather than gaze at the setting sun. It's not surprising that city dwellers don't see sunrise and sunset. Tall buildings surround them on all sides making it impossible to view the horizon. Their sun isn't visible until it is well up in the sky.
Cities are horizon destroyers. When I'm living in a city, distant horizons aren't part of my world, and I never think about them. I can only see as far as the other side of the street and down the block; the horizon isn't anywhere in sight. That's probably one of the reasons why I don't like living in cities.
My world doesn't feel right when I can't see the horizon. I live in a shrunken world that no longer extends out to the horizon. My world is a few square feet in size when I'm in an elevator, and a few square blocks when I'm outside taking a walk. The dimensions of my world continually shift throughout the day depending on what I am doing. When I enter the subway, my world shrinks. When I'm in Central Park, my world expands, but still I live in a horizonless world.
When I do expeditionary travel in the desert, my horizon extends out to a couple of miles, and suddenly I start feeling better. I know that when the sun goes down, there will be an awesome sunset. The same thing happens at sea. My horizon extends five miles in every direction, and sunrise and sunset become a routine part of my world.
Horizons have a salubrious effect on my mind. When I look at the horizon, I feel my world expand. Not only do I have the pleasure of watching the sun come up in the morning and set in the evening, I realize that I can point the bow of my yacht in any direction and sail over the horizon to a new life.
The horizonless world is unnatural. It's a world of man-made wonders that don't do much for me. A widescreen TV is a poor substitute for a real horizon that extends as far as the eye can see.
What I'm really talking about is freedom. If your world has no horizons, then it's likely you aren't free. You have mortgages, cars, and endless infrastructure to support in your horizonless world.
When I'm on my yacht, the horizon continually beckons me onward. I don't know what will happen over the horizon, but that's ok, because I am sailing on the ocean of my dreams. I'm living in a world of far horizons, and life is good.
Awesome music video that captures the essence of what it's like to sail offshore in a catamaran around the world when conditions are less than perfect. David Abbott from Too Many Drummers sings the vocals, and he also edited the footage from our Red Sea adventures. This is the theme song from the Red Sea Chronicles.
Sailing up the Red Sea is not for the faint of heart. From the Bab al Mandeb to the Suez Canal, adventures and adversity are in abundance. If you take things too seriously, you just might get the Red Sea Blues.
If you like drum beats, and you like adventure, then have a listen to the Red Sea Chronicles Trailer.
Flying fish assault Exit Only in the middle of the night as we sail through the Arabian Gulf from the Maldives to Oman. And so begins our Red Sea adventures.
Sailing through Pirate Alley between Yemen and Somalia involves calculated risk. It may not be Russian Roulette, but it is a bit of a worry. Follow Team Maxing Out as they navigate through Pirate Alley.
Stopping in Yemen was just what the doctor ordered. We refueled, repaired our alternator, and we made friends with our gracious Yemeni hosts. We also went to Baskins Robbins as a reward for surviving Pirate Alley.
After you survive Pirate Alley, you must sail through the Gate of Sorrows (Bab Al Mandab) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Gate of Sorrows lived up to its name with fifty knots of wind and a sandstorm that pummeled Exit Only for two days. Life is good.
Captain Dave and his family spent eleven years sailing around the world on their Privilege 39 catamaran, Exit Only. During the trip, the crew shot 200 hours of video with professional cameras to show people what it's like to sail on a small boat around the world.
The Red Sea Chronicles is a one hour and twenty-two minute feature film showing their adventures as Exit Only sails through Pirate Alley in the Gulf of Aden and up the Red Sea. The professional footage documents their experiences in Oman, Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, and the Suez Canal. It chronicles the rigors of traveling in a remote section of the world rarely visited by cruisers. Exit Only dodges Yemeni pirates, fights a gale and sand storms in the Bab al Mandeb at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The crew explores deserted islands on the western shores of the Red Sea, and learns to check the cruising guides for land mines before venturing ashore.
The Red Sea Chronicles also has outstanding Special Features including an Instructional Video on Storm Management that tells sailors how to deal with storms at sea.
And don't forget the two Music Videos: "The Red Sea Blues", and "Captain - Save Our Souls".
The Red Sea Chronicles is a first class adventure that stokes the sailing dreams of both experienced and wannabe sailors alike.
Join Team Maxingout as they sail through Pirate Alley and up the Red Sea
See what it's like to cruise on a catamaran before you spend a bazillion dollars purchasing one
After watching the Red Sea Chronicles you will be able to see yourself sailing on the ocean of your dreams
Although I like the feel of a paper book in my hand, I love trees even more. When people purchase an eBook, they actually save trees and save money as well. Ebooks are less expensive and have no negative impact on the environment. All of Dr. Dave's books are available at Save A Tree Bookstore. Visit the bookstore today and start putting good things into your mind. It's easy to fill your mind with positive things using eBooks. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can pull out your smart phone or tablet and start reading. You can even use electronic highlighters and make annotations in your eBooks just like paper books.
