When I was in university, I read the story of Robin Lee Graham doing a singlehanded sailing voyage around the world at age 16. His adventures lit a fire in my heart and mind, and I instantly knew that one day I would sail around the world on my own sailboat. It might not be a solo singlehanded adventure, but I would move heaven and earth to make it happen.
I sailed around the world for years in my mind before I set my foot on a sailboat and learned how to sail.
I learned to sail in the Panama Canal Zone when I was an intern at Gorgas Hospital in Panama.
I will always remember the night in Fort Amador Officers Club in the Canal Zone when I announced to one of my friends that one day I would sail around the world on a multihull sailboat. Little did I know that prophecy would actually come true many years later.
I got my first real ocean cruising yacht, a Westsail 32, when I was stationed at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico.
The Westsail 32 was one of the original heavy displacement double ended sailboats designed for long distance sailing - circumnavigations. That boat stoked my circumnavigation dreams even further.
By an odd twist of fate, our family was evacuated out of Saudi Arabia in the First Gulf War, and we ended up at the Miami boat show where we saw a Privilege 39 catamaran, and immediately I knew we had discovered the boat in which we would sail around the world.
When we started our circumnavigation, I had scant knowledge about catamarans, but fortunately, we had a robust cat that took good care of us while we learned the ropes.
That first circumnavigation was extremely important to me, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen. The passionate desire to complete a circumnavigation gave me the strength and power I needed to overcome every obstacle that stood in my way.
A global tsunami in Thailand did not stop us. Stormy seas north of New Zealand were an irritation that simply had to be overcome. Pirates in the Gulf of Aden were just another issue we had to sort out to sail up the Red Sea and around the world.
Sailing around the world on a catamaran was something I had to do. I am not sure why I had to do it, but it had to be done or I would have been disappointed in myself, and I would have felt like I never fully lived.
I finished that circumnavigation when I was 57 years old, and I was happy the circumnavigation was off my bucket list. Now when I go sailing, things are different. I no longer have anything to prove to myself.
If I sail completely around the world a second time, that is fine with me, but that is not the goal or purpose of the adventure.
I am now in my seventh decade, and I don’t do crazy anymore - or maybe I do crazy less often than I used to.
When I go sailing, I am interested in having a great time with my family, and where that happens really does not matter any more. Sailing to Australia or New Zealand would be an awesome adventure.
I don’t have any oceans to conquer or mountains to climb. I just want to enjoy my life - a life of purpose - until I am all used up.
A sailing adventure will accomplish that goal just fine, and if the sailing adventure does not continue in the future, I will take one of my Land Rover Defenders and start a driving trip around the world.
Then there is the biggest adventure of all - The Positive Thinking Network.
I still have more than 250 websites that I maintain in the Positive Thinking Network.
I send a positive message around the world with positive websites, positive podcasts, positive eBooks, and positive graphics.
I am a purveyor of dreams, and I will do my best to change the world one web page at a time.
So there you have it.
This time is different.
I don’t need to sail around the world a second time on Exit Only.
All I want to do is ROCK THE WORLD.
Captain Dave
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Captain Dave
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.
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.
