Early on in this circumnavigation challenge, now turned into an oversized shakedown cruise, I had a few paragraphs about “An attitude of gratitude”. Then it slipped as more pressing matters were lining up for a blog entry. I haven’t thanked everybody yet, nor do I think I will remember every helping hands I came across along my journey. But there’s one thing I’ve wanted to put down. There’s no such thing as a solitary endeavor. In particular, on a sailboat, everything points out to a group effort. Someone designed the boat. Somebody built it. Someone planted the trees used to manufacture the strip planks that make Changabang’s stiff hull. A few truck drivers were involved. Some crew kept the power plant running, providing electricity to the tools used during the process. Someone cooked a meal to feed the boat’s building crew. Every little piece of hardware reflects the same interconnectedness. I’d be hard-pressed to count them but I’d say easily more than a thousand people directly and indirectly had a say in the making of Changabang. So there’s nothing single handed about sailing solo: it is the work of many who came before me. And I entrust my life to their work. Do I hope that all involved did a great job? You betcha! Was the wood of the quality it was supposed to be? Was enough time given for things to cure? Were corners cut? Was the QA guy checking the many blocks used on CaB distracted? So many parts on a sailboat can lead to catastrophic failure if they fail under load. You’d better hope everyone did their part conscientiously! Even though I am alone here, that is only made possible thanks to thousands. So to end, just a simple reflection: we, willingly or not, rely on each other’s work for the success of our enterprises, whatever they are. It follows that we would benefit from always doing a good job of the task ahead of us, right?
What else is going on CaB? Just the same as yesterday: lying in the shaker …
Well said Philippe!
Good insightful statement of appreciation that I’ve seldom heard expressed by any sailor.