Small boats

It’s no secret that I love small boats: canoe, sail, kayak, or rowboat, it’s all good. Perhaps that’s why I love reading about people’s adventures in small boats.

Recently I’ve read about some amazing small boats and the people who adventure in them.

Check out these expedition rowboats. One cool thing is that they designed the boat to be towed by a bicycle and then the bicycle could easily be carried in the boat. It’s a neat idea. They designed that system for a totally human powered 4500 mile adventure on land and water.

Then there is this couple, Ginny and Steve. They left Florida in a modified 19.5 foot Sea Pearl and are currently all the way down to Brazil. Pretty amazing for a boat that’s basically a day sailer or weekend camping boat.

Here’s another couple that traveled 700 nautical miles, from St. Martin to Venezuela on a boat make totally from junk. They had no budget to speak of and often relied on the kindness of strangers.

Reading these stories, I look at my own sailboat, an Oday 19, in a new light. Compared to boats that these people have taken on adventures, the Oday is large and comfortable. It’s weather tight cabin is large enough for myself, my lovely wife, and our dog to sleep comfortably. It easily carries hundreds of pounds of gear. Pure luxury.

Tied up at a marina, my boat can disappear behind some boat’s dingies. Many people would not dream of spending even a week on a boat less than 40 feet long. That’s the problem, a lack of imagination. So many people are unwilling to give up any comfort for a little adventure.

It’s takes planning and will power to go out and do something. What it doesn’t take is a lot of money. Falling into a rut is easy. Living life where every day has new possibilities can be so much more rewarding.

-Sixbears