Captain's Log - April 16, 2024. Point Roberts Marina, Washington, USA
The best place to start an epic story is at the beginning.
When I made the decision to leave my old life and begin again, it was scary. I knew what I needed to do to be able to move to the Pacific coast, buy a sailboat, and relocate my life. I became hyper-focused on making the sailboat life come to reality, but the purpose of that existence was still foggy.
I knew that I Ioved the ocean. I've known that my entire life. I knew that I wanted to simplify my life by living on a floating tiny-house. I knew that I wanted, desperately, to explore the coast of British Columbia, to hunt, fish and forage for my food. What was missing though was the "why".
Several months have passed since I moved to the boat. Why was I doing this? Why was I sacrificing so much comfort and the security of a "normal" life? This question eluded me until now.
"This was the first piece of my own writing that has ever made me cry."
This week however, those questions were answered. It hit me like the boom on my sailboat has hit me so many times now. It was raw and emotional. I wrote the mission statement on a post on my LinkedIn account. This is a safe move for me as almost nobody ever reads those posts. I feel vulnerable sharing it. At the same time, however, I feel excited to reveal these emotions and the purpose of the channel to you.
This was the first piece of my own writing that has ever made me cry. I was crying as I wrote it. I was crying many minutes later as I tried to handle the phone meeting that I had scheduled with my amazing Business Coach, Adam T. Smith. I apologized for my unprofessionalism, but he reassured me that these types of life-changing breakthroughs are supposed to be emotional. That it was alright to cry about things worth crying over. I told him of my revelation. I told him the "why" of this entire project. Below is what I wrote on my LinkedIn post.
Sailing to Scotland
Being alone here on the boat over the past few months has given me much to contemplate. Truth be told, I am tired of being alone...of waiting for that beautiful person to magically appear. I can see her in my mind, then suddenly it appears as though she is within reach, only to be pulled away by some force that is beyond my control.
It is time to start manifesting this dream into reality, to put it out into the universe and pick up the challenge to go and find her.
Me and my sailboat, Vie Sauvage, searching for the woman that fills this void of laughter and joy. The passion that accompanies elevated voices...then, the make-up embraces and gentle whispers of "I'm sorry" that are missing from my life by being by myself.
Where will the search take us? I have an idea. Perhaps.
Perhaps this quest takes me and my boat through the Panama Canal, up the eastern seaboard. Across to Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and finally, I will sail to Scotland, my ancestral home? I feel an incredibly strong pull to get there. I believe she is there, waiting for us. This is the plan, the purpose of everything I do moving forward.
My message to "Her":
It will take awhile for me to get to you. I have much to prepare and many miles to travel, but I am on my way. I feel you, and I already love you. I've begun my journey to you. You will be waiting to greet me when we meet.
The journey has already begun. I just didn't know it. I hope you will keep me company along the way.
You can follow the documentary on my YouTube Channel, John Schneider's Wild Life. The link will take you there. You can also choose to support the expedition by joining our Patreon community or checking out the Amazon Sailing Wishlist. Cheers!
John