There has been a little magic blooming in my world.
For so many, many, years now I’ve been wanting to get out of a deflatable, and into a proper sailing dinghy. Well that day has come, Splendid’s tender is a beautiful Dyer midget. She needs a little work but everything is here and she sails like a dream. I took Carla for a sail today and what a blast we had. I am such a lucky, lucky, man!
I haven’t named our new little boat but I can tell you she fits beautifully under the mizzen boom. I’m going to get rid of an old life raft container I use for the storage of life vests, and BADDABING, my foredeck is clear when I’m at sea, priceless! Not to mention I’ll be saving $40.00ish dollars a month (+/- $500/year) on dinghy fuel. Not to mention the cost of the engine and maintenance. That’s good karma!
In “The Minimalist Sailor” I’m going to suggest that if you have little or no sailing experience the best thing to do to start your path on a life at sea is to buy, or build a proper sailing dinghy. You’ll learn basic sailing skills and have an awesome dink to boot. Also what could be better 
than building a sailing dink with your partner or children?
I’ve only had the little boat for a few days and the first order of business was to salvage the crooked and splitting oars.
I fiberglassed up the paddles, and Carla painted the bottom third 
white with epoxy paint. I covered the shaft with epoxy and a few coats of varnished and lashed nice handles for a secure grip while rowing.
I bought the dink from a really nice couple on SV “Elysium”. They also run a blog if you want to check it out at www.svElysium.net . Thanks Dave 
& Wendy for everything, I’ll take good care of your little boat 
Whenever I’m broke ingenuity fills the gap. I’ve been wanting a nice LED video light for filming. Instead I created Frankenstein, my ugly 12v coconut video light. I had a nice bulb for my old 
incandescent video light and with the help of a half coconut, a broken mini tripod, and a little epoxy, Frankenstein was born. Not so bad!
I want to share some recent correspondence I’ve had with a Bluesphere friend. This is what keeps me writing and basically repeating the same message year after year. Every once in a while someone actually connects with what I’m trying to say.
I don’t like talking about the catalyst that shook the systems hold of my life which I reveled a few years ago in my new years blog, but it was profound and enlightening. Nearly the worst thing that ever happened to me ended up being the best and setting me free. Unfortunately sometimes it takes powerful circumstances for us to be able to see the world clearly. I’d like to introduce you top my buddy Michael:
Hey Alex,
I just wanted to take a minute to wish you and Carla well in the next chapter in your lives. I wanted to make very clear to you how important your message is. You are right, when you say you won’t get everyone out living their dreams but you will be the catalyst for a few like me. I actually took a break from writing my best friend’s eulogy to read your blog and fire off this email.
Mak drowned in a whitewater kayaking accident a few days ago, he was 26 years old. It is a tragedy and will change me and the way I live forever but in working through my grief I realized that he may have only been here a short time but man did he live! He paddled rivers all over the world, lived on a sailboat in AUZ for a year, spent 4 months in an ashram in India learning YOGA and had just become a renewable energy engineer. He lived by a credo of Live, Laugh, Love and always put people above things, he was an absolute minimalist. You embody so many of the core values he held so dear and I love ya for it. He thought the monkey video you made for my daughter was the greatest thing ever. But his passing has shown me just how many people he has touched. I have his Iphone and people just won’t stop texting it, seriously thousands of text all saying the same thing, that he touched their lives in some profound way. He had no clue how many people he touched. The same can be said for you. What you do is so important! The message is amazing and the people you touch with it countless and you will never know how deeply you have touched so many. I really can’t wait to actually get a chance to spend some time with you and Carla, life is so much more rewarding when you put relationships first.
Well guys I just wanted to share a little, keep living lean and enjoy each day as it comes. Good luck with filming. If you need anything you make sure you let me know. Lisa and I are going to be moving pretty fast to get out sailing in the next year and will need as much of your guidance as we can get. Be safe and take care of each other.
– Michael
A few days later Michael quit his job and had a garage sale. These pictures of him were taken in the same spot before and after the garage sale.
Michael is setting out on his jeep to find a home 
(sailboat) for himself and his family. If anyone knows of an amazing boat/deal please let us know.
I’ll say it again. The only difference between dreams and reality is action. Take responsibility and make it happen, no excuses, every moment is an opportunity to be happy and live the life you dream.
I’m such a lucky man!
Peace, Love, and Coconuts.
Carla and I had a few sunset toasts to Mak.
Peace everyone.
– alex
Happy 4th of July.
We are having lobster for lunch and dinner today, man what I give to be at a good ol 4th BBQ and have a steak, or a juicy burger !!!
Funny thing we have a large ramora living under Splendid. He was arms length the whole time I was cleaning the bottom :)
Wow! what a great story from Michael. I must concurr with him. your story is a great one and I am sure as you have touched him and I, there are so many others. I hope he starts a blog as well. still haven’t been able to start my minimalist life just yet but am still working on that goal. I hope to be there in the next 5 years. my son will be done school and i will have no debt and some money for my boat. till then I will live vicariously through you and the others I have read about. maybe one day we will all be able to travel toghether. our slogan would be feared by none loved by all! lol. have a great dinner much love! congrates on new dingy:) TJ
TJ,
He does have a good storyAnd I’ve actually offered to give him a place to blog here if he wants. We have been chatting for a while now and he seems really committed to changing gears.
Peace from paradise
Happy 4th Alex and Carla,
Pam and I are close to cruisin, at least we’re homeless and unemployed, and have a contract on a cruisin cat in Ft Lauderdale.
Hopefully we’ll meet up someday, but might be a while before I get south.
We’re plannin on headin north away from the weather, for the summer………then I’m sure the Bahamas will suck us up for a while…………
Love your “project”,,,,,,,,,,,been following for quite a while……..
Live your life, sail your dreams………..
Happy fourth man… I know you miss the burgers and BBQ but I sure wouldn’t mind living the way you do… I got some pics up on Google+ and will be posting more from the fire works here in NY… Check them out.. im hoping to get my name out there and maybe be able to make my money doing photography and sailing the world, that would be all I need to set myself free. And I also have a facebook page I just started if you wanna check it out just look for Steven Wilson Photography… like I said im just getting going but I could use the support from anyone that would be willing to just check out my pages and follow and like and comment..
Take care Boss, and Carla you just keep doing what your doing, you seem to be making Alex pretty happy
Steve
alex , i’ll check hawaii regs today or tomorrow
Awesome new dinghy and video light! I think I could do lobster for the 4th!
=)
It’s always great to find other like minded individuals out there. I hope he takes you up on your offer. Sounds like he will do it for sure. Funny no mater what reasons we have for not doing it there are 100 reason to do it. this other couple I have been chatting with is doing it with a new baby and they plan on having 2 more kids in the future. They are just looking to upgrade to a bigger boat that will alow them to grow as a family. Not sure if it is the same minimalist out look as yours but very cool regardless. I sent them a link to your site.
Cheers : TJ
For me minimalism isnt about going without, it’s about having more. If you just find the place your most comfortable, with as little as you need, it’s a good place. I have a few friends that dont think I’m so minimalistic as I have a motor and fridge.
Good luck Steve, I checked out your site, nice pictures :)
Thanks sunfishn good luck on the cat. I have a friend selling his cat down her (330k) but it’s really nice. Different strokes for different folks :)
Really raining down here the Dyer was FULL this morning. I’m going to sell my inflatable soon but in the mean time I really need to find some straight 6′ wood oars.
Peace
Woot,
If anyone in Florida wants to get into one of these AWSOME sailing dinghies I found one super cheap on craigslist. The hull needs some sanding and paint and comes with a new rig, check it out at:
miami.craigslist.org/mdc/boa/3055333583.html
We had a chokosano roll through last night just after midnight, mare than 50kts of wind. Carla’s first really windy experience on the boat. I was on deck rescuing clothes pinned to the life-lines :)
Thanks Alex, like I said I dont have many but over time ill have more.. the pics you have are great. and i think you could do a lot with them. Im just looking to have enough to survive, by no means to I expect or even want to be rich,. I would just like to live the good life that your living. I thought about getting a under water case for my camera and get into vacation photography, as I seen some things advertised in Florida for like snorkeling,boating, and jet skis. Just a thought……. “I JUST WANT OUT!!!” lol
But anyways thanks man I love getting good feedback, well any feedback is good. hopefully one day my work will pay off and set me free
take care Alex and Carla
Steve
Thanks Alex, like I said I dont have many but over time ill have more.. the pics you have are great. and i think you could do a lot with them. Im just looking to have enough to survive, by no means to I expect or even want to be rich,. I would just like to live the good life that your living. I thought about getting a under water case for my camera and get into vacation photography, as I seen some things advertised in Florida for like snorkeling,boating, and jet skis. Just a thought……. “I JUST WANT OUT!!!” lol
But anyways thanks man I love getting good feedback, well any feedback is good. hopefully one day my work will pay off and set me free
take care Alex and Carla
Steve
alex, maybe you can tell us what goes through your head when the winds reach 50+ knts. on a dark night,rain going sideways, and you are 50 miles from a marina, tucked behind an island with a 12′ elevation? ……. i remember!…………..G
Gary,
Funny you mention that bad squall we took in the las pearlas islands. That’s the squall where we had a lightining strike between us and it took out my SSB. Also the one that put “liberty” (aki’s boat) on the reef.
Well it looks like this one toasted my SSB. We must have taken a strike directly, or indirectly after Carla and I went back to bed. There was a TON of convection after the blow.
I’m bummn 2day :(