Sailors - Friendlier than Landlubbers

When is the last time you saw people in a coffee shop strike up a conversation with strangers? Can you hear the chair legs scraping across the floor now?

I spent last week-end on a sailboat in Beaufort, S.C. A long-time friend and his golden retriever are sailing from Connecticut to Florida, and I caught up with Howard there. We had met in Colorado in about 1984-85 and have stayed in contact through many moves. Three years ago I rode my motorcycle to Connecticut and we sailed for four days to Cape Code, where he attended a family reunion with his then-lady friend, and I drove her car back to their home while they sailed the return trip.

It didn't seem to matter where sailors gather - in a coffee shop, on the dock, in the local marina office... They are all friendly and helpful, and they share information about docking and hazards when they know which way you are traveling.

I was one of the most popular people at the marina this week-end, because I had wheels. One of the challenges for sailors in port is finding transportation to grocery stores, hardware stores, marine supply stores and other places, like the post office or a repair facility. You could just see their eyes light up, after they said, "You have a car?" and I answered that I did.

One couple, Peter and Lucy, were from London. They had flown to the U.S. and purchased a sailboat in Annapolis. Another couple, Bob and Kathy, were from Maine. Howard rescued their dinghy one day after the rope broke and they had sailed on ahead without knowing it had separated from their sailboat. Another man, Archie, from Port St. Lucia, had flown to Maryland, purchased his sailboat, and was sailing solo, as was Howard, to Florida.

Friendships were easily formed and sailors stay in touch by phone and email. Howard's laptop is powered off his boat's battery and his aircard gives him internet access right from the deck of his boat. What a life!