YOU ARE A MIRACLE AND YOU LIVE IN A MIRACULOUS WORLD
When you sail at night, take a good look at the midnight sky. You can see billions of miles and millions of light years in every direction. From the beginning of time, astronomers have searched the sky for signs of life, and so far the only place where life is known to exist is on planet earth. Earth is unique because it’s chock-a-block with life; it’s everywhere, and it’s relentless. It’s in the air, on the land, and in the depths of the sea. The reason earth is such an awesome place is because it’s a sanctuary for life in an otherwise hostile universe.
Sailing around the world in a yacht allows you to see life in all its glory. Because you sail in remote locations beyond the reach of the developers and destroyers, you see life in a different manner than city slickers do. Their version of life is limited to a few birds in Central Park, dogs on leashes, and animals in zoos. It’s an extremely skewed view of what life is all about.
In cities, it’s hard for people to appreciate or experience the richness of life as they ride subways and work in concrete jungles.
Their constrained view of life is to wake up in the morning, commute, work somewhere all day long, commute again, spend the evening at home, and then repeat the cycle the next day.
When that is their daily routine, they may not even notice that that their planet is alive. The only living things they see may be people, pigeons, dogs and cats, plus a few cockroaches thrown in for good measure.
Contrast that to the life of a sailor totally immersed in our living planet. He wakes up in the morning to the sound of seabirds in his small patch of paradise. Sea turtles swim by, and when his sailboat gets underway, porpoises escort him out to sea. The sea is alive with mahi mahi, Spanish mackerel, and tuna. When he makes a long passage offshore, wandering birds often rest on deck using his yacht as a floating island. Sometimes the birds even land on his finger and eat from his outstretched hand. When he visits the Galapagos, all manner of creatures tolerate his presence totally unafraid because they know he means them no harm. That’s the way the world was meant to be, full of life that surrounds us on all sides.
Now that I am back in “uncivilization”, I am hearing talk about how hard life is. Wars, sub-prime mortgages, foreclosures, the high cost of health care, drug abuse, political corruption - the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, I’m not hearing much talk about how good life is. There’s a perceptual problem here. We are focusing on the dross and slag, when there is pure gold right in front of our eyes. Life is pure gold, and life is good.
Life is an awesome miracle. The fact that we are here on planet earth means that we won the lottery of life. We won first prize, and all of the living things that surround us are our most precious possessions.
When I sailed around the world, the most important discovery I made was that life is good. Everything that’s alive, including you, is a massive miracle. Don’t waste your time complaining about the things in your life. Forget about your woes and worries, and instead, focus on the miracle of life. You are a miracle and you live in a miraculous world.
A fitting epitaph at the end of life’s journey would be: “Been there, done that, 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.
