First, a word of warning...

Are you stuck on the hamster wheel of life, unfulfilling day job, a car loan, the monthly rent/mortgage, insurance bills, cell phone fees stacking up…a perfect storm of land-based hassles keeping you from being true to the voyaging life? Do you spend your eight plus in a cubicle surfing sailing sites, reading about far off lands, reliving memories from that one week bareboat charter vacation in the BVI you took with your college roommates six years ago – or if you’re in school do you, instead of studying, spend endless hours virtually beating your hairy sailing chest on the Anarchy forums? Hey, there’s nothing wrong with any of this…but if you are this person then you probably know deep down you’re pissing away your dwindling time on Planet Earth. C’mon, live a little, follow your heart, take a risk and read this article from, of all things, Mother Earth News. The author just returned from a seven-month voyage ... a journey that touched down on four major continents over more than 8,000 miles - he covers how to make that bluewater crew berth of a lifetime a reality. It’s a terrific piece, chock-a-block with useful and well found advice. The typical cautionary notes are all there: feel comfortable with the crew, be certain you can handle not taking a shower, be cheerful and easy going, make eye contact. I’ll add another one based on my humble experience. Think twice before crewing offshore for a newly divorced, recently retired investment banker with a schizoid 35 year old bisexual Italian girlfriend. Let's just say the duct tape came in handy about 350 miles out. Ahhh sailing