Crews Letter #2003 05 Sailing Around the World

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen:

Some where between “Sour Grapes” and semantic word games, we find the wake of Perception is not on the track of those who would circumnavigate the planet earth in a small boat.

Tonight we had dinner with a lovely couple from Huntington Beach, California. Tomorrow, they are checking out of Turkey and heading for Gibraltar. We met them here in Marmaris a year ago. At that time, they had just come up the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal and were set on setting their boat up on the hard for some rest, relaxation and repairs. They headed back to the US and the boat stayed here. They are sailing around the world.

We meet several like them who have this dream, a driving goal. Some are young; some, not so young. The boats come in different sizes and configurations. Some are on a fast track with a plan to get it done in a few years. Others say, “We may never do this again. We will spend a month or more in Croatia. It is not on the way, but it shouldn’t be missed.” Some are retired. Others are taking time of from their day job.

We never had such a dream.

If you get on Belt Line Rd just outside of Dallas or the Peripherique on the outside edge of Paris and drive long enough, you drive ‘around’ the respective city. A different approach in Paris would be to drive East to West along the right Bank, detour around the Arc de Triumph and Champs Elyses, stop at the Louver and spend a couple of days in this one museum. There are several other museums that need a day or two each. There are also some cathedrals, a tower and the gares that need to be seen, or better yet, experienced. But wait, what about the people? To drive ‘around’ Paris you need to interact with the people, not just the drivers on the Peripherique. Parisians when they are driving are not really people. When they are driving on the Peripherique, they are really not people. A National Day Parade, the final lap of the Tour de France, Charles de Gaul Airport, street performers, the Bastille, the cuisine, these are all ‘around’ Paris. Parisians in the cafes, the markets, the parks, on the Metro or at work, these are the people you should experience ‘around’ Paris.

<Honestly, I tried to say the same about Dallas. Unfortunately, I have lived there too long and could not get outside to look in. But, Belt Line Rd does go around Dallas. You just half to be very patient and enjoy driving the Main St. of several small towns that are now part of urban sprawl.>

Our friends from California are on their way to Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, Panama Canal and back to California. They think it may take two more years. Two years from now, we will be somewhere on Perception. Will we have sailed around anywhere? Maybe.

Keep a Tight Luff,
Phyl & Fred

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