Hardships on Sila

Recently, we received an email in response to the blog from The Bobblehead, a friend of my parents. The Bobblehead basically wanted to know if our sailing adventure is entirely fun and games or if there have been any hardships because all she ever hears about is what we write on the blog. I decided to write a blog about the "hardships" onboard Sila. When I asked around what people thought, I found that everyone agreed that the word "hardship" was a bit too powerful. We really have not had any, but we do agree that there are some downsides.

I first talked with Jack Pequeño. He immediately said the biggest irritation is me, as in, Porter. He then corrected himself and noted that the most difficult things for him are annoying people and wanting more space. I know why he went to me for being annoying, after all I am his brother and is that not my job? After another moment of thought, he added that the weather often dictates his mood. On rainy days, he struggles to find space because the deck is not as accessible. Toward the end of our interview, Jack Pequeño said, "One of the biggest hardship sits right in front of the blog reader's face: writing blog entries."

I next spoke to Mama. Mama sometimes feels lonely in that she says misses her girlfriends and the company of other women in general. She is stuck on a boat with all boys. Mama also said that one person's mood can affect the entire boat. So all conflicts, no matter how small, are exacerbated by lack of space. Fortunately, we all get along very well so there is not much friction on the boat and no need to highlight it on the blog. Mama also noted that she has low-grade anxiety about safety because we are often in a remote place. Finally, she noted that it is difficult for her to be getting less exercise than she is used to getting. "We are leading an active life but that doesn't mean I'm fit like when I was running regularly." Mama also said that many of the hardships that people might think we experience, such as having no refrigerator or challenging weather, are not really hardships. We have just adapted our lifestyle to match life on Sila.

Without missing a beat, Daddy said the biggest thing was anxiety about safety. The "what ifs" are apparently common in his brain. So he spends time worrying about the various things that could go wrong. He also said similar things to what Mama said, that any small discomfort or grumpiness of anyone affects the whole boat. He noted that time alone is essential for him and while most days, he is able to find some personal space, sometimes he cannot. Daddy pointed out that the weather and food are not the problems, although they do slightly affect the general mood.

After they told me about their "hardships", I thought it might be nice to get the thoughts of a visitor. Jack Grande was happy to oblige. He immediately said, "Hardship is too powerful a word for me." He went on to say that he does not want his visit to be a prolonged vacation. Instead, he wants to have goals for himself beyond just learning to sail, which is not all-consuming. I guess you could say that his challenge in living on Sila with us is setting and achieving the right goals.

My first and foremost "hardship" is lack of private space. I am, without a doubt, an introvert. This means that I want more time alone each day. Mama and the two Jacks are all extroverts and sometimes they take up too much space. It is hard to share a boat this size with so many people. I also agreed with what Jack Grande said about how he did not want his part of the trip to be a vacation. I whole heartedly agree and sometimes struggle to not slack off and treat this trip like a vacation. When I am slacking off, I become a passenger on Sila instead of a member of the crew and do not enjoy doing my school work.

The Bobblehead now knows what the "hardships" of this trip are. I wanted to point out that life aboard Sila has no more hardships than life in Leadville did; they are just different. I also want to thank The Bobblehead for giving me a great topic; it is sometimes hard to think of one. - Porter