Take a Mini-Vacation

I will start on the well-worn path of “the end is nigh” or the more positive “seize the day”. We have all been told we need to cast off (pun intended) and follow our dreams because we never know when…well, you know. There is some truth to this. I regularly get calls to help sell a boat because life has suddenly taken a hard turn and rarely in a direction anyone wants to go. However, for most of us, we cannot simply “cast off”, we have family, jobs and interests that keep us in one place. Thus enters the boating “mini-vacation”. I may just be me, but even spending a few hours on the boat soothes jangled nerve ends and helps to disconnect from the day-to-day stressors. When our kids were little, there was an undeveloped county beach park within a 20-minute run from our marina. At that time, we had a small runabout which was perfect for pulling up on the beach. All summer long, once or twice a week, after work, we would grab the kids boat bag, a cooler with some food, drive to the marina and race to the beach. Since it was boat access only, frequently we were the only people there. The kids and dog could run around like maniacs, and the concerns of the day would slip away. I am on a mini-vacation now while I write this. Just a couple of days and one night on the hook and we didn’t get far, but we are disconnected from the daily pattern that regulates so much of what we do. Boats can take you as far as you wish to go, but they can also, in a few hours, take you as far as you need to go.