Staying positive when nothing will go right can sometimes feel like the biggest hurdle to get past during our time as a sailor. It is easy to fall into the trap of getting down on yourself when things just won’t go your way. This lifestyle sure comes with its share of ups and downs. One minute you are overjoyed that you get to see all sorts of amazing places and meet so many like minded new friends, the next moment you are questioning your very existence wishing you could be anywhere else but here.  Between a boat that won’t stop breaking, the overwhelming amount of things to learn about, and those rolly nights at anchor it is no wonder sometimes we may just want to quit.They say owning a boat is mostly just working on things that break while in paradise and even though that can be true at times it isn’t as bad as you might think. Afterall land life can seem a lot easier and less stressful. For one your home will not float away or sink and for the most part the only part of the weather forecast you need to care about is if it’s going to be sunny or rainy today. If you are anything like me these thoughts are a classic case of the grass being greener and stopping this lifestyle even for a short while will only make me want it more. To avoid the mistake of jumping ship here are a few tips to keep you on course.

Remind yourself why you are doing this in the first place. Are you running from the 9 to 5 or do you just need a change of scenery? Whatever your reason, just keep it in the front of your mind to help overshadow any doubts or unproductive ideas that pop into your mind. 

Be grateful for the life you get to live as we are a small group of people who get to experience this lifestyle the way we do. Most people are stuck in a life they do not want feeling like they have no choice and have nothing they can do to change it. This is not you, you have a goal and a dream but it’s going to take some hard work to make it a reality. 

 A friend told me once that everything on a boat is broken, I just don’t know it yet. This realisation can be of course perceived as a negative as I dont think many of us would like to replace every single thing on our boat all at one time. That is an overwhelming amount of work and would take years. Lucky for us only so many parts can break at one time and everything can be fixed if you want to fix it. 

We have so many resources at our fingertips and with just a few button clicks we can be on our way to solving our boat problems so even if you do not have the skills or knowledge required to complete a project that’s fine. This just means we get to learn something new and the next time you have to tackle a similar project you will already be on your way to completing it without having to research and learn it all from scratch. Everytime I work on a project I have already attempted in the past I find myself less anxious about starting the project and I’ve learnt a few of the tricks to complete it faster and better than when I started.

 It’s best to avoid comparing yourself to others as everyone has different skills and each vessel has different needs and parts that need fixing. It’s so easy to look at someone else and wonder why it is taking you so much longer to complete a small job.  It’s not always easy to see just how much work went on behind the scenes to accomplish things faster. Just stay the course and keep picking away at what needs to get done. 

 Regardless of how big and overwhelming your to-do list becomes, try not to focus on the whole list but instead pick just one thing at a time and focus on only completing that task. Then move on to the next and the next and so on. If you are not feeling motivated to take on a big project that day just pick a smaller one or split the larger project into smaller parts. Splitting one big project into smaller bite sized pieces can make it seem less daunting and it gives you a boost in confidence as you check things off the list. The more checks off the list the more motivation tends to return and the size of the list begins to matter less and less. The goal doesn’t need to be completing the list but instead just pick away at it until the projects left on the list are a lower priority. 

If you are completely new to cruising and boat work keep in mind that it is a very steep learning curve. Luckily that means we learn everything much faster out of pure necessity. Something breaks or goes wrong and you have to figure out how to deal with it regardless of if you know how or are comfortable doing so. If you are persistent enough you will always find a way to make it work.

 Remember even seasoned sailors have bad times and rough seas. Despite having much more experience and skills than someone who is just starting out at some point they will likely be in unknown territory, working on a system on their vessel that they have little knowledge in. Since we are all in the same boat so to speak, just ask around and you might just find someone else who has had the exact same problem you are experiencing. Providing you with guidance and maybe even giving you a helping hand. Just be sure to pay it forward and help out someone in need when you have the experience required to help.

If all else fails and you are on the verge of giving up or rethinking your dreams try to just step away for a little while. Take a break and clear your mind. Even a short time away can quickly have you wishing you were back grinding fibreglass again.

 Living your dream is often hard work but the hard work eventually pays off and staying positive becomes much easier as things start to go in the right direction. Sometimes we need to just take a few steps back (break some things) before you can finally make some solid progress forward. Hopefully some of these simple tips will help you stay the course and keep you on track toward meeting your goals with less stress and more appreciation for the whole process

Cory Bertrand

Cory and Alex share their adventure with weekly videos on their YouTube channel “Wildly Intrepid Sailing” and share stories on their website www.wildlyintrepid.com . Their dream is to travel the world and to live without any regrets.