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Why I am Sailing?

By Mark Bell

I don't know if I have a definite answer on why I am going on this trip. My response to this question is why not go on such a trip. I have made enough money from my work at Intel and from some family funds to take some time off before I go to work. Jennifer and I were planning on moving out west but I think Portland will have to wait until June of 2000. Meanwhile, I am sitting in Trinidad trying to think of why I am here.

First of all, having a chance to come to the Caribbean is pretty hard to pass up. I remember when I first came here four years ago. I had only seen murky lake water from a boat. I never realized that in some water you could see forty feet down. I found it as one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. So the fact that I got asked to come here was just icing on the cake.

I had always wanted to take some time off after I graduated going on some sort of adventure. Most people I know go to Europe and go backpacking. I wanted to do something different. Before I made my mind up, this great opportunity dropped in my lap.

I have a couple of reasons why this trip was so appealing, besides the fact that I fiancée Jennifer has wanted to do this for five years.  First, I loved the idea of going on an adventure. I have always loved reading about explorers and actually exploring on my own. I have always loved hiking on new terrain, driving down an unfamiliar road or camping on an unmarked campsite. I also find the physical challenging aspect of hiking and camping very appealing.

Sailing offers the same adventure and physical challenge that I love. I have a chance of exploring new waterways and islands as well as doing deck work to keep me busy. I love the idea of being able to go almost wherever you want to go in the ocean. While hiking, I like to stray off the path.

My other reason for going on this trip is because of my childhood love of my family's lake house. Up until I was 14 our family always vacationed at our lake house at the Lake of the Ozarks. My sisters, cousins and I loved water skiing, fishing and just going our on our speed or pontoon boat for a ride. So actually, I have been on a boat since I was born. I guess a lake in Missouri doesn't compare to Mother Ocean.

I had little, three weeks, of sailing experience before I came. I have been learning so much since we first headed out. I have made some goals that I am hopefully going to accomplish on this trip. Here they are.

Always look around - I want to make sure that I take in as much as I can from each island. My camera has really helped me do this.

Learn as much as I can about sailing - I would love to be able to captain a boat some day. I am fascinated with the physics of the boat and the power of the wind to pull us along.

Help with electronics and engines - I would really like to learn about the electronics and engines on the boat and help fixing them and keeping them going. This will enable me to learn some mechanic skills as well as help us in case we have problems.

Web page and programming - I just got my BS in Computer Science from the University of Kansas and am kind of anxious to start doing some stuff on my own. I am planning on writing some game programs in Java and will also be working on our web page. I have enjoyed working on the web page then shutting down my lab top and jumping in the ocean. It's kind of a nice luxury.

Read as much as I can - Now that I finally am out of school I am going to try to read as many books, front to cover as I can. I had a really bad habit of not finishing books in high school and college. Now it is so nice to be able to pick what I can read.