DON'T PUT THE HANDCUFFS BACK ON
Dr. David Lewis was the first person to circumnavigate planet earth on a catamaran.
Going around Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn is a singular accomplishment on any sailboat, but doing it in a 42 foot home built catamaran is voyaging in unexplored territory.
The last people to sail voyaging catamarans such great distances were the Polynesians of the south Pacific.
David Lewis took a catamaran where cats had never been before, and he did it with his family.
David Lewis was born in England, but at age 2 his family moved to New Zealand, and he became a Kiwi. He grew up in New Zealand and the Cook Islands, and he developed a passion for adventure and Polynesian culture.
He started medical school in New Zealand and completed medical school in England. In World War II, he was a medical officer in the Parachute Battalion in the British Army.
After practicing medicine for 22 years, he shut down his London medical practice at age 47, and he pursued a life of adventure.
That’s not to say his life was without adventure prior to shuttering his medical practice. In 1960 he sailed a 25 foot boat in a singlehanded transatlantic race, coming in third even through he suffered dismasting early in the race.
After shutting down his medical practice in 1964, he loaded his family into Rehu Moana, his 42 foot catamaran, and he did a three year circumnavigation.
From that point on, Dr. Lewis pursued his adventures in earnest. Although he was thinly capitalized, he was a fearless adventurer, and what he lacked in finances, he made up for in courage and resourcefulness.
He even learned how to navigate by the stars using the techniques perfected by ancient Polynesian navigators in the South Pacific.
David Lewis fascinates me because he was a fearless adventurer, prolific writer, Polynesian navigator, and most importantly, he did not get started until he stopped practicing medicine at age 47, and that gives me hope for my own adventures.
Some of my best adventures began in my early forties when I started traveling in the Arabian desert in Land Rover Defenders. I knew that one day I would sail around the world on my own catamaran, and I practiced my celestial navigation skills in the desert using a bubble sextant to take sights of the sun in the daytime and stars at night. I honed my navigation skills to perfection.
Then at age 47, I stopped practicing medicine in Arabia and I started an eleven year sailing voyage around the world.
I realize that I am no David Lewis, but we do share one thing in common:
ONCE WE HAVE A TASTE OF FREEDOM, NOTHING ELSE WILL DO.
Once you have a taste of freedom, it’s hard to put the handcuffs back on and let medicine control your life. It’s even harder to allow hospital administrators, insurance companies, lawyers, and the government dictate how you practice medicine.
I don’t care if you have a bill of rights chiseled on the mantle above your fireplace, you are not free when hospital administrators, insurance companies, lawyers, and the government rule your life. That is not freedom. That is servitude and oppression.
Once you have a taste of freedom, giving up that freedom feels like Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of porridge.
Life without freedom is just existing, and without freedom, there is no adventure. You have a dull, monochromatic, frequently depressing existence.
Sailing around the world on a catamaran is a great deal of work, but at least you are free.
Sailors live in a parallel universe where they are free.
We are few in number and that is probably why we are still free.
We are the low profile, quiet, free ones living in a parallel universe.
The meek really do inherit the earth.
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.
