‘A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving’- Lao Tzu
Words & Photos below by Nibbles – Deckhand aboard Sea Dragon.
Sunrise onboard in Echo Bay en route from Seattle to Vancouver.
There’s a saying somewhere, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey.” And throughout my time on Sea Dragon in the past, this idea has always held true. Embarking on this adventure, however, my eyes have been opened to what possibilities lie in the definition of a journey.
The crew takes many different routes exploring the Hoh River in Olympic National Park.
Our first grand adventure together saw Sea Dragon jumping from Seattle to Vancouver, stopping at a few islands along the way. In the past, we’ve set our course and made our way out to the sea for days, sometimes weeks, at a time. And I took to embracing the complexities of sailing life and getting ourselves safely to our final port.
Now, I find that the journey can involve a series of destinations along the way, a sort of meta statement to be made for how we approach getting from A to Z by way of other letters in the alphabet.
I am continually humbled and taught how I can approach my day to day life when I return to Sea Dragon and work back with various crew members I may or may not have already known. And I carry everything with me when I reflect on my own life back home.
Shanley gives the crew one of many sailing and life lessons on deck while underway.
Our stops leading up to Vancouver had us renting bikes and exploring island villages, hiking numerous trails and beaches, and even getting some urban lifestyle in with bowling and walking around the towns.
Selfie time with Shanley and Eric!
A worthy bike crew after a successful trek around Lopez Island and Spencer Spit State Park.
Sea Dragon is not only a home but a true vehicle, carrying us on to new adventures and journeys along the way.
I find myself checking the date throughout each day, unsure of where and whenwe are. Scheduling in these stops in Lopez Island, Bellingham, and Sucia Island have forced me out of the rigor of timekeeping and worrying incessantly about keeping a schedule.
The downtime, the alone time, the explored time, is all a part of the journey.
By the time we reached Vancouver, I felt I had lived through months of adventure, when really it was only a week that we were hopping about.
Shanley takes the leap!
We pack our days in with sites, sounds, wildlife, punctuating the time at sea and the hopeful winds that pay us visit in the peaceful Puget Sound from time to time.
I wonder whether anyone reading this has felt overwhelmed by time and destination in the last year, or even more recently. It’s our knee-jerk to seek an endgame, to set a goal and lock our eyes to it, without the potential inclination for growth and experimenting along the way.
How are we to know more about ourselves and even each other when we are so tunnel-visioned on that final port? It’s along the way that we discover more about our planet and see how that transforms us, potentially reaching our destination as individuals reborn.
Never forget to stop, take in the view, and get your toes wet along the way.