TRUTH?

Written 8/16 in Newport, Oregon

Today I get to decide what kind of a blog I'm going to be writing. Will I be telling of extraordinary and adventurous Paul and Judy or will I be telling the truth.

I think I can make a case that we are in fact extraordinary and adventurous. All I have to do is make up some statistics. Lets start with an average group of 100,000 people. Of these about 10,000 have thought at one time or another that it would be fun to have a boat. Of this 10,000 maybe 500 actually buy one. And of these 500 boat owners maybe 50 think it would be cool to take thier boat long distance cruising. Out of the 50 about 5 actually start getting ready to go, and in the end perhaps 2 actually end up leaving on a cruise. Those 2 out of the 100,000 are extraordinary.

So we are extraordinary, but are we adventurous?

That's easy, anyone who sets off on a quest of any sort, where the outcome is uncertain perhaps even disasterous, is adventurous. Sailing a small boat out into the deep blue sea is uncertain and somewhat risky-adventurous even.

Therefore anything I have to say about this little jaunt of ours is a tale about extraordinary and adventurous people. How about knowledgable?

Another set of statistics, also pulled out of the air. Out of any group of a hundred cruisers maybe about 65 really know how to sail. Another 30 are quite comfortable sailing, leaving 5 rookies, two of whom are named Judy and Paul.

So we are extraordinary and adventurous, but not to knowledgeable. Or wise? Don't know the answer to that, but I do feel its a good thing for people in their 60's to occasionally scare the shit out of themselves. Keeps ya loose.


So if I am going to be truthful, this blog is going to be a tale about climbing a steep learning curve. Becoming knowledgeable thru fear and loathing and mistakes and calamities, and some small and large trimuphs. It will also be, if I am truthful, revealing and embarassing but also more entertaining and fun to write.

And yes, I have already made some embarassing and potentially calamitious mistakes, two of which could have ended our cruise before it really began. More to come.....