Regardless of your chosen vessel or how often or adventurously you get on the water, the boating lifestyle will inevitably test your patience. The waiting game is part of the deal, and can sometimes be positive, a stoke amplifier. Other times it’s a lot less fun and both perspective and silver-linings are in short supply.
My fellow editor here at 48° North, Andy Cross—who cruises full time with his family—could hardly even bring himself to utter the words on our team call this morning. “Engine trouble. Again.” There was resignation in his voice. And acceptance. And perseverance. After already thinking about the theme of boaty patience as a common thread in several stories in this issue, there it was right in front of me. Even if you live the postcard perfect cruising dream, with nearly every day looking an awful lot like what I do only on vacation… you still have to learn to wait, sometimes a lot.
Speaking of engine complications, our talented diesel columnist shares a little view behind the curtain in her article this month (page 24), recognizing the instant super-crisis felt by those who think they’re about to set-off for what might be their once-annual cruise, only to find the systems they expected to work well on their boats aren’t as functional as they remembered. Invariably, their urgency is exacerbated when the emergency call to a mechanic leads them to discover that there aren’t very many quality technicians who have open schedules at this time of year. So, stand by they must.
It could be a scarcity-related patience tax—the marina is full or the anchorage too crowded, the chosen race only happens every two years, or the cruising kitty has to get topped back up before you can go again. Maybe it’s natural forces like a weather window or a tidal gate at some whitewater narrows. Then there’s skill-development patience, say if you really want to cross an ocean but know you’re not ready quite yet (so you take your Flicka around Vancouver Island as a shakedown, page 36).
Or maybe you’re like me, juggling a lot of shoreside priorities into which the genuine love of sailing still nestles. Between a full-time job and a full-time family life chasing a couple of toddlers, I’m also excitedly counting the days because I’m less than a month away from leading 48° North’s Cruising Rally again. It’s my once a year, “If nothing else, I’ll at least get cruising that week” jump back into the wonders of boat travel, serene Salish Sea anchorages, galley escapades both hilarious and scrumptious, and deep connections with people and natural places I truly cherish. It’s the fun version, but it’s still delayed gratification.
The point is, of course, that there’s more than enough to relish on the water to make all that waiting worthwhile. The waiting seldom feels good; but if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you already know that the journeys enjoyed and shared afloat will always outshine the challenges of getting there.
I’ll see you on the water,
Joe
Joe Cline
Joe Cline has been the Managing Editor of 48° North since 2014. From his career to his volunteer leadership in the marine industry, from racing sailboats large and small to his discovery of Pacific Northwest cruising —Joe is as sail-smitten as they come. Joe and his wife, Kaylin, have welcomed a couple of beautiful kiddos in the last few years, and he is enjoying fatherhood while still finding time to make a little music and even occasionally go sailing.
