Wednesday, August 7, 2013

"From one crazy sailor to another"

Kirk Neuert
Way before Sharon and I had ever considered private charters, we used to take a cruise aboard Princess Cruise Lines each Fall.  In 2009, we met Kirk.  Kirk was traveling alone, had a similar knack for adventure, a witty sense of humor, and a thirst for cold beer at happy hour.  Kirk favored the same bar as Sharon and I, an outdoor venue on the upper lido deck with a great view of the adult pool area and the reggae band that had been hired for the week's entertainment.  Our similar interests and a great bar tending staff made it a nice daily ritual of meeting up for a few cold ones while enjoying the sights and sounds.  It also probably didn't hurt that Kirk is Canadian.  Being from the utmost northern side of the Adirondack mountain region, I'm so close to being Canadian myself that I could almost wring maple syrup out of their flag.  Ok, ok, I'll stop with the Canadian jokes... Eh.

Tim and Kirk, 2009
Over a lot of sudsy story telling while aboard, Kirk came to tell me about many of his ventures, starting successful websites and various businesses from scratch.  Soon he explained his latest endeavor, of owning his own sailboat.  He wasn't talking about dinghy sailing or a day sailor, he was going for the real deal.  When you first meet someone, it's difficult to distinguish beer talk and what are real plans.  It was entertaining, and at the time I barely knew him so I let it all slide at face value and enjoyed the light conversation as he laid out his grand plan to obtain his boat.

Lifting Zephyr
The week aboard the Caribbean Princess ended and we managed to hook up via Facebook.  Here's were it all came together.  Within a matter of months, all the "grand plans" Kirk had discussed with me all began to take shape, in the form of pictures and posts on Facebook.  This wasn't beer talk any longer, he was making it happen right then and there just as he had described.  I watched in awe online as he acquired "Zephyr", a 30 foot Islander.  I watched in eager anticipation as Zephyr moved into stands on the hard.  Then one by one projects took shape through the series of pictures he posted as Zephyr was upgraded, repaired, cleaned, and coaxed into her new life with her proud new owner.  From delivery, through all the hard work and determination, all the way to her launch - I watched her story unfold online in front of me, just as Kirk had planned.  It was inspiring and I felt as though I shared in the gratification of his success.

Zephyr being loaded
As I think of my own plans, I get comments of doubt, and surely more doubting stories are shared beyond my presence.  I think back about Kirk's big plans.  I've noticed, like me, he is willing to take on big ideas that might not be mainstream.  And he does this with a fearless flair, not caring about doubting minds or the possibility of a public failure.  This inspires me to think big, push hard, and follow through with my ideas.  People like Kirk make big plans every day.  Some work, some don't - and they move on.

Kirk and Zephyr

Recently I was chatting with Captain Kirk online (Ok, ok, no more jokes...  Eh.).  We were trading stories of our latest ideas and plans for interstellar domination (I can't help myself).  As we chatted, our excitement and enthusiasm seemed to build from one another.  It was a symbiotic moment of equal inspiration and a shared drive of familiar goals.  As he was about to share his latest plan to build a new boat from scratch, he started with "Well, from one crazy sailor to another"...  It was an appropriate, telling moment.  I think we both understood.  Our "crazy" ideas and plans were not crazy to each other.  We might succeed.  We might fail.  But we would try, undaunted by skeptics, and we would gain encouragement and understanding from each other.  These types of relationships are important to have around when planning a life change of the magnitude of which Sharon and I are considering.  Right when apprehension, and fear of the unknown creeps in, it's reassuring to know there are others out there just as ambitious as you.  Crazy Canadians anyway...  Eh.

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