Sailing a Luxury?!

Whenever people find out that I’m going sailing, they get into oohs and aahs and say how they would love to be in my shoes. I think they imagine that all we do is sit back with a frozen margarita in one hand and a book in another. What they don’t realize is that sailing is hard work. If they knew what our life on a sailboat is like, I bet they would prefer to stay home and watch TV.

Sailing is not a luxury. Unless you are Larry Ellison (which we’re not) or at least have his kind of money (far from it), own a luxury powerboat (which we don’t) and a crew to serve you (it’s just my husband, daughter and myself on our boat), expect to get your hands dirty.

The Pleasures of a Shower and Good Company

23 August 2010
Culion to Coron Town to Puerto del Sol
Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines

Little by little, we are shedding the trappings of society. I’m not just talking about email, cell phones, Facebook and such. I’m also talking about routine matters such as putting on make-up, blowdrying my hair, choosing my clothes for the day, and other rituals such as perfume, exfoliant, toner, hairshine, and the list goes on. Raul has stopped shaving. The only clothes I need are my bikini for the day and a fresh shirt and underwear at night. The rest of my clothes remain untouched. I wear no jewelry, not even a watch. I wake up when the sun rises, sleep when I’m sleepy and eat when hungry. Although we have internet access, we only log in to check the weather. The only regimen I religiously follow now is applying sunblock. And yet I wonder if it’s another rule needlessly imposed by society as I see fishermen everyday burning under the sun but have yet to meet one suffering from skin cancer.