The Solitude of the Open Sea By Gregory Smith
- Abbey Seeley
- Aug 1, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 17
A book about Atlantean's first circumnavigation.
During our search for the right vessel, we looked at many different sailboats, but none of them held a candle to Atlantean. She was a major upgrade from our previous boat, and it wasn't long after we purchased her that we discovered a novel had already been written specifically about her.
Sailing around the world is a dangerous and nerve-racking endeavor, so it's deeply satisfying and reassuring to me that our boat is up for the task and has a proven track record of success.
“A sailboat forces one to work with the natural environment instead of against it. Sailors may challenge temporary obstacles with the judicious use of a diesel engine, but for the most part, we rely on whatever winds and currents Nature provides. The key is acceptance: eventually, the sea will get you to admit that one of the few things you can change in life is your attitude. A successful ocean passage is, therefore, nothing short of the union of the boat and its crew with the natural environment and exemplifies the difference between reacting and responding. When we react to the outside world, we objectify it; the world becomes something we wish to tame and subjugate to our own purposes, whether it’s a poorly designed turning block, a clumsy crewman, or wind that won’t blow the way we want.
On the other hand, when we realize we are intimately connected with our surroundings, we work with them rather than against them, responding in ways that are cooperative, not combative, and finding solutions that don’t force the elements into behaving other than they would naturally. Reacting, we try to shape our environment. Responding, our environment shapes us.”
-Gregory Newell Smith
"Gregory Newell Smith is a truly gifted observer and storyteller. In this collection of seventeen narrative essays, Smith draws upon his years of ocean sailing to explore the importance of broadening our horizons beyond the known and commonplace, freeing ourselves from cultural self-centeredness, and achieving self-discovery through perseverance, hardship, and solitude."
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