Wobble meaning a waver between different causes of action.
I was concerned or I supposed worried about the various bits of equipment on the boat failing. Simrad Electrical autopilot, water pump, engine starter motor.
The downside of boating is the constant problems and failures of bits of kit you have onboard the boat. Hence the reason for keeping everything as simple as possible.
These bits of kit that fail can suddenly reduce your savings quite quickly. As I’m retired and not on a big pension this can be a worry?
I thought even at 71 should I try and go back to the U.K. to do some work? I did have employment agencies contacting me but I thought heck I’m doing a one off circumnavigation I’ll have to manage financially as much as I can.
Maybe anchoring more often then going into marinas to pay for a berth, which in the summer in the Mediterranean even for my length of boat; 9.75m can be rather expensive.
Should I consider going back to do some welding work or not? Can I really manage financially? Hence my wobble!
The Mediterranean sailing has been good overall to iron out various teething problems on the boat. I’ve spent a small sum on new standing rigging, alteration of the sails, ordering new electrical auto helm and new water pump.
I thought I have to do things in a different way be more self reliant. The issue or it could be an issue for some is being on one’s own for long extended periods of time which if not kept in check can produce negative thoughts.
Being alone sailing in a way helps develop self reliance and mental toughness. Many find being on their own difficult but the upside is you can do what ever you please with out compromise. I’ll go here instead of there.
Being on your own is really a state of mind and from my previous post it really about your thought processes. By not dwelling on negatives in regards to how you feel inside.
Today as we live longer lives there are lots of us older ones find they’re living completely on their own. The more conventional ways of living means that people who live on their own have a network of friends and family close by. I don’t have that luxury as an ocean sailor. I spend days alone out at sea. However I find it easy to chat with complete strangers when I’m on land and I like to ask questions and get people to smile. With off the wall light hearted banter!
What really is important is I ask their name and use their name when and if I meet them again. you have to use association of thought with names. Meaning how do I remember this persons name with something that’s easy to remember?
Secret for me is to keep one’s self entertained be it doing small maintenance jobs on the boat. Doing domestic chores cooking but more importantly reading and listening to podcasts which can cover politics, history, news, life stories, psychology such as Buddhism, Stoics and ancient philosophy. Plato, Aristotle, Socrates and the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. These have brought philosophical reasoning about dealing with the human condition in how we ourselves deal with it mentally.
Basically to improve one’s mind by acquiring knowledge. One of the climate scientist I like to listen to is Kevin Anderson who was originally an engineer then latterly a professor of climate science. He believed that like other scientists we humans are deluded over serious implications of climate heating.
This I suppose is one of driving forces of my circumnavigation of the planet 🌎 to appreciate the sheer beauty of this watery world of ours. Film and blog about what I’m doing and why I’m doing it!
I’ve decided now to get the boat out of the water at Artemis boatyard Leros antifoul the hull and change the galvanised anodes.
Once that’s complete I’ll head to Gibraltar from Greece via Italy and Sardinia. Again I need to deal with the stuff I have at Venice which was items from the sale of my previous boat.
Going back to being on one’s own for long periods of time. We humans are social animals meaning are brains have been developed or enlarged to deal with complex social human interactions.
In the human world there are lots of nuances or fine distinctions with gestures, language facial expressions, physical bodily movement such as arms raised, shrug of the shoulders, twitching of the legs or finger drumming and on and on!
We are very complex or for me way over engineered for are own psychological good!
Its our mental inner world that’s the problem what we think and how we react to other complex human beings. How do we deal with this by not allowing these interactions to bother us. Be able to let them go and say to one’s self it’s only the human condition!
What creates the human condition every single thing that influenced us which is ubiquitous. “Every where” and every facet of human life. Religion, race, country, status, money, and on and on which is never ending in its complexity!
Back to sailing or long distant sailing? Things go wrong that’s a fact nothing you can do about it just happens. It’s how you deal with it psychologically that’s the important part. I deal with it as a challenge, fuck here we go again?
Let’s think about it how can I fix it or if I can’t how do I adapt to overcome the problem myself! I have to get on with it simple as that! Definitely I don’t beat myself up over it!
Like dealing and interacting with other human beings they’re complex I mean really complex. If things don’t work out between us humans just let it go and think bloody humans can you get to the bottom of them, never. It’s about accepting a situation as it is and moving on. Like me on my boat something not working Which I can’t fix? I’ll have to adapt think of another way of moving forwards.