Sunday, October 23, 2016

Safety of the Sea


wave storm by ~Alcove

"I worry about you"
"Watch out for storms/pirates/sharks"
"Be safe"


These are things that people say when we are discussing our plans to go cruising. They are certainly not as worried when we tell them that we are going to drive across the country. Having now driven over 5000 miles (with several hundred more to go) I can tell you that I am longing for the safety of the sea.

  • Driving in rush hour traffic through Salt Lake City, merging and converging interstates with drivers zipping from lane to lane.
  • Albuquerque at night with 10 lanes of traffic whizzing by at 75 MPH
  • San Antonio- two lanes exiting and one lane entering all at the same point causing some of the drivers to speed up to enter and some to slow down to exit
  • Trucks wandering across lane lines, and one cutting in front of us, from the right because he missed his exit
  • Cars undercutting us in the double turn lane, starting in the right hand lane of two and finishing in the left, right in front of us.
  • Driving on I-95 between NC and Florida where the speed limit of 70 is a mere suggestion and if you actually drive that speed you will cause a major back-up, or cause other drivers to use you as a marker to show their skills weaving in and out.
For those of you who live in cities you may read this and think "What's the big deal?". Well, I just moved from a small town, with 4 lanes in the main part of town and 2 lanes for the rest of it. 4 stoplights in town, 2 of which I rarely encountered. We had to drive for over a hour before we would see a speed limit sign greater than 55. Driving in big cities is a bit of a culture shock for me, with very limited time to adjust to the speed and frenzy of the other drivers.

Image result for traffic fatalities in georgia 2016
Obviously much earlier in the year

In Georgia they have a reader board across the highway- 1192 traffic fatalities in 2016. One week later we were going through Georgia again and the number had increased to 1202. 
That's in Georgia alone.
That's scary.


 If there were that many fatalities at sea each year we would certainly be weighing other options.
But there aren't.




The irony is that you have more control at sea. When a storm is coming you can choose to stay in port. Rarely do you encounter more than a few boats at a time and usually they are trying to stay away from you just as hard as you are trying to stay away from them. You don't have 10 lanes of traffic. You generally don't have boats weaving in and out and around you. The speed is slower and the time you have to react to situations is generally greater.
All this leaves me longing for the safety of the sea.



We love to hear your comments.

Unknown said...

Now that you put it that way...The sea definitely sound more relaxing & inviting!

Unknown said...

But I don't know how to sail! But do try to avoid rush hour traffic. ..

Greg said...

Your first pic above -- not so much. It truly exhibits my concerns. Your second pic -- oh yeah - I can clearly see your choice now

Sarah said...

Come enjoy it with us!

Sarah said...

Rush hour at sea is very different.

Sarah said...

The first picture shows the concerns that many have. The last one is what we are striving for.