Sailing is a bit like cycling and a bit like RVing

Last year I spent two months on my bicycle. The journey made me think about how cycling is similar and different from other forms of traveling.

Being on the bike means

• there is no shield between me and my surroundings. Wind, rain, sun, heat, cold, shaky roads, smooth roads - I make intense experiences with my whole body.
• I have to push the pedals to get somewhere. The feeling of exhaustion and accomplishment after a full day of cycling is great.  Drinking a cold juice at 35° Celsius
• I travel as light as possible. I love to know exactly what I have with me. And it's not like I could just load up more and more stuff during my travels if I still want to get somewhere.

Another bonus point: Hiding a bicycle is much easier than hiding an RV. Spending nights in beautiful, remote places is much easier with a bike.

I stayed on camping grounds a couple of times. Most people there were traveling with DIY or off-the-shelf RVs. The biggest advantages of RVing over traveling by bicycle for me are:

• You have a big kitchen that is ready to go as soon as you arrive.
• You have a proper bed and it's relatively easy to set it up.
• You meet people who travel the same way on most camping grounds.

When I came back, I spent a week sailing. And that brings me to the headline of this post.

Traveling by boat has upsides of both cycling and RVing. You can anchor in beautiful, remote places without asking for permission. Sailing forces you to be in the moment. It has a natural rhythm of "doing stuff" and "doing nothing". You have kitchen. The sailing community meets in marinas and is full of folks that go places.

And while that's not true of all types of sailing, for bluewater sailing there is the added fascniation of being very aware that I need to rely on myself completely - something I am also drawn towards in mountaineering.

Anyway, my point is in the headline so I'll leave it at that.