Sailing, The Hobby Of Adventure
There are many reasons to go sailing, it's a pursuit which appeals to many personalities, but these days sailing has one big advantage; a boat at sea is one place where conventional cellphone reception is defeated. You can truly avoid the calls from your office and just concentrate on the sails and the sea. But no matter how much you want to leave the world behind, never travel without a radio, and make sure before you leave that you know how it works. Even the most experienced sailor needs a method of emergency contact.
Sailing is a skill which has been prized since ancient times. If you have little knowledge of sails and boats you can still enjoy the experience by hiring a boat and crew, though if you've been bitten by the boating bug you might find you want tuition so next time you can go it alone. Once you know what you're doing the vast coastlines of the planet await your exploration, the world's islands are within your grasp. Sailing is at once both absorbing and relaxing, perhaps that, and the lack of contact with shore, is the reason is it a favorite pastime of many celebrities.
While the worlds richest relax on their fully crewed yachts where they can essentially take the office with them, many Hollywood celebrities enjoy sailing on a different scale, learning to handle their own boat where they can get away from phone calls and prying eyes and get some sense of self, a way to stay sane in a mad world.
Many of the worlds most beautiful locations are best experienced from the sea; sailing around the Greek islands it's easy to imagine the legendary voyages of Jason and Odysseus, to wonder what Homers inspiration was when he described the Sirens or Scylla and Charybdis. What did Cleopatras barge look like when she entertained Anthony and how many ships fought at the battle of Actium? Could Archimedes really set fire to the sails of invading ships using the polished shields of Syracusan soldiers and did the Colossus stand to one side, or straddle the harbor on Rhodes? Did ancient sailors marvel first at the lighthouse or the library as they approached the great City of Alexandria and did the eruption of Santorini really destroy an entire civilization?
Time to ponder this sort of question is the gift of the sea. Other locations pose different questions. Where the Mediterranean is all about the people of the ancient world, the Carribean, with its turquoise, crystal clear waters, is all about wildlife. Warm shallow seas are home to countless species, you can snorkel along the reefs and dive among sharks, each day exploring a new cove or promontory which almost certainly has a story to tell and maybe even a buried pirate chest.
Spanish galleons and pirate ships can both be found on the sea bed. Tales of Blackbeard, Captain Morgan and Captain Kidd mix with stories of chests of Aztec gold and fist sized pearls, all food for the imagination as you relax, enjoy the sun and listen to the music of the wind and the waves.
"Sailing, The Hobby Of Adventure", was submitted 02/22/2012 under category Travel.