Myth Circumnavigation E-Book

Peter Foerthmann

• Herausgeber: tredition
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 90

Beschreibung

Peter Foerthmann has been the first port of call for bluewater sailors seeking advice in steering matters for decades. His unrivalled expertise - the product of a lifetime developing and manufacturing windvane self-steering systems and contemplating their every complexity - continues to draw enquiries from all over the world. Peter's practical knowledge is a treasure trove of valuable information, selected highlights of which are shared in these pages. This little book is concerned with the many and varied challenges lying in wait for ship and crew when the lines are cast off at last. It looks at the geographical and geopolitical factors to be considered and also touches on social cohesion in the crew: the highs and lows of bluewater voyaging can weld a crew together more strongly than ever but they can also do the opposite, for sailing has a power unique among sports to expose the truth and lay bare the soul.

Leseprobe

PETER FOERTHMANN

MYTHCIRCUMNAVIGATION

A GOAL IN LIFE OR A DEAD END?

Copyright: © 2020 Peter Foerthmann

Editor: Erik Kinting – www.buchlektorat.net

Layout: Sabine Abels – www.e-book-erstellung.de

Illustrations & Cover: Inga Beitz–Svechtarov

Photos: S. 10, 18, 19, 20, 30, 29: Wolfgang Clemens

S. 13: Volker Kissling

S. 16, 17, 19, 21, 27, 37, 40, 41, 59, 93: Peter Foerthmann

S. 26, 84: Tino Schumann

S. 44, 53: Douwe Fokkema

S. 56, 67: Wilfried Krusekopf

S. 64: Inga Beitz–Svechtarov

Publisher: tredition GmbH, Halenreie 40-44, 22359 Hamburg, Germany

ISBN 978-3-347-17454-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-3-347-17455-9 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-3-347-17456-6 (eBook)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher and author.

CONTENTS

CIRCUMNAVIGATION # 1

Highs, lows and myths

The “WHY?” question

Myths and idols

Sailor´s

A number unknown

The life plan

Going it alone

Money

The perfect boat

All the way?

All the way around … what?

CIRCUMNAVIGATION # 2

What next?

Piracy: the writing on the wall

Options and solutions

CIRCUMNAVIGATION # 3

In our dreams

Responsibility

Is there an easy answer?

In conclusion

The genie in the bottle

CIRCUMNAVIGATION # 4

Home again … and then what?

Stimulus and response

Social ties

Ties to home

Separation as epiphany?

Friends

In summary

Epilogue – coronavirus the turning point?

CIRCUMNAVIGATION # 5

CIRCUMNAVIGATION # 1

HIGHS, LOWS AND MYTHS

Few utterances stir the soul and spirit of a sailor like the word “circumnavigation”, the visible tip of a vast iceberg mighty enough in the mind of most seafaring folk to change careers, restructure financial priorities and fuel any number of dreams (or nightmares, as the case may be).

The possibility, the temptation, the challenge: call it what you will, there is something about the prospect of one day taking the long way home that can reach deep inside sailing people and profoundly affect their outlook on work, personal relationships and the wider world. Success and failure assume a completely different dimension: all else pales beside the challenge that awaits at sea.

Almost anyone contemplating a venture of this magnitude must expect to have to go at least a few rounds with their inner demons along the way. Sometimes a circumnavigation will be best tackled in partnership, but the adventure can quite easily become so all-consuming as to leave the participants with energy only for themselves. Indeed there can be few situations in the scope of human relations that expose the foundations of a relationship to such unforgiving scrutiny: at sea, isolated in a hostile environment, there are no hiding places and no emergency exits through which to beat an honourable retreat. Sometimes the pressures involved bring people closer together, but if the façade has already begun to creak, it is likely no end of lies or half-truths will keep it together on the rolling deep.

THE “WHY?” QUESTION

Sailors have a special affinity for freedom and nature, yearning for and embracing the untamed elements of the sea; for us the life afloat serves as foil and counterweight to the strains and complexity of ‘ordinary’ life ashore. This philosophy creates fertile ground for ambitious dreams, dreams with potential very quickly to take on an unanticipated life of their own. Left unchecked, such dreaming tends to lead inexorably to The Dream. And, for as long as The Dream remains no more than a pleasant retreat from the frustrations of everyday life, why not?

But what if The Dream demands to be taken seriously? How far can we allow it to develop? Where do we draw the line – for our own protection? The ability silently to adapt our dreams to our reality without feeling the need to justify our action to ourselves or others is a skill that comes with experience. Social pressures are no basis on which to embark on an adventure: that way lies almost certain failure.

Contemplating a circumnavigation is one thing; allowing the fact that one has even begun to entertain the notion of sailing around the world to become known outside one’s own head is quite another. The thought, once uttered, has the power to cement or destroy long-term partnerships – and the repercussions tend to run and run either way. The idea rapidly develops an energy of its own that can seldom be deflected. The scheduled day of departure then becomes a catalyst for the subsequent evolution of human relationships: all concerns that need to be aired need to be aired before this point – leaving it for the sea to bring them out promises nothing but pain.

The germ of the idea of sailing around the world can lie dormant for years in some people, while in others it quickly takes root and multiplies. In either case, the prospects for a happy prognosis depend to a very considerable extent on spotting where reality ends and dreaming begins – and it is here that I hope I might be of some assistance. Youthful enthusiasm is not always the best policy.

MYTHSAND IDOLS

The idea of circumnavigating usually finds its way into the sailor’s head through literary channels. The world has no shortage of dusty volumes documenting the triumphs and torments of those who, not content with living The Dream, came home to record the experience on paper (for posterity, for the benefit of those to come after them or perhaps just to help replenish the kitty). The works of men like Wilfried Erdmann, Rollo Gebhard and Bobby Schenk continue to hold sway over German bookshelves, not least because of the efforts of their publisher to keep them there untroubled by the output of newer exponents of the art (who might have more recent experiences to share). This money-for-old-rope arrangement, which offers clear advantages from a cost-benefit perspective, seems to suit both sides very well. Once again, I find myself reminded of Bobby Schenk’s apt and amusing observation to me that it’s easy to spot a successful publisher: he’s the one slurping champagne out of the skulls of his authors.

The publishing trade has not entirely succeeded in locking up the market, however, and there remain plenty of other idols whose authenticity or humour, for example, have won for their nautical confessions a place in the heart of the sailing readership (and implanted or nourished the thought of one day crossing the same waters). German-speaking readers need look no further than Tania Aebi, Wolfgang Hausner, Hugo Wehner or Burghard Pieske for unforgettable tales and a generous helping of dream scenarios ideally suited as an escape from the tribulations of everyday life. A feature common to all of the books is that they inspire dreams by granting the reader an insight into another world and fuelling the great “what if?” If they can do it, I could … Couldn’t I?

The book market’s capacity for idols though follows strict economic rules defined by purchase price, the size of the potential readership (sailors and dreamers) and, not least, the number of significant annual events (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) for which easily obtainable gifts are required. The books, moreover, paint a predominantly positive picture that concentrates on the highlights and conveniently overlooks the dark side. Why would anyone take to print to focus on the negative aspects? Who has the courage to admit, perhaps, that the effort was not worthwhile – and who would publish them if they did?

In the German-speaking market at least, the manufactured scarcity of true sailor/author heroes means that new editions are often released with only minimal updating. On top of that, of course, we all have an inherent tendency to colour and reinterpret our experiences in a way that does not necessarily preserve the truth, the whole truth and nothing but. The possibility exists, in other words, that relying on books could leave the sailor with a mental image somewhat at odds with salty wet reality.

Ay, there’s the rub: books may be good for inspiration, but when it comes to information, the diligent reader would also be well advised to consider other sources to help fill in the blanks (and while finding other sources of information might have been quite a challenge in the past, today the only problem is likely to be filtering the wealth of information available). Seasoning big plans with a generous serving of truth increases the chances of surviving the realities of bluewater life when they make their presence felt. Or you can just hope for the best, but then everything comes down to pure luck.

Bluewater seminars too provide an excellent opportunity to close the gap between two worlds: the physical distance between chronicler and audience is minimal and, provided there is no stage, communication can proceed at a face-to-face level.

There seems no getting away from the fact that in Germany we have very few sailing heroes – a reflection, perhaps, of the status of our sport in a country so thoroughly obsessed with kicking strips of dead cow skin around a field. Bobby Schenk’s “Who’s who” of circumnavigators lists just 74 successful crews from the German-speaking world. While their number is really quite remarkably small, the valuable information to be gleaned from their answers to Bobby Schenk’s standard set of ten questions should on no account be overlooked. The remarks introducing the list make interesting reading too, stressing as they do the elite nature of the achievement. It seems, without wishing in any way to diminish the personal exertions (and sufferings) of the perpetrators, that there is still an element of the magical to a successful circumnavigation. Are we dealing here with a club for the enlightened few or are these in truth ordinary people who find their undoubtedly out of the ordinary achievements recast retrospectively to fit some imagined hero status? Would-be circumnavigators would be well advised to ask the same questions of themselves.

The situation outside Germany is rather different. The book market in the USA, for example, is enormously fertile by comparison, mainly because a much larger proportion of authors there publish and market their books and eulogies themselves. Which is tough for the publishers, good for the authors and a boon for readers, who have the opportunity to find out all about what they might be getting into while there is still time to mould and adapt their own plans.

SCALING THE HEIGHTS, SURVIVING THE MUNDANE

Some circumnavigators clearly regard a full circle of the earth as the crowning glory of their life. People have an instinctive urge to stand out from the crowd and some circumnavigators undoubtedly come to view their achievement as the keystone of what makes them exceptional, what elevates them above the huddled masses. When someone of this persuasion puts pen to paper, the chances of the ego wresting control of the editorial process (leaving reality floundering in its wake) are self-evidently very high.