“Sailing, boating or yachting, call it what you will, is neither a sport nor a hobby. It is a religion so fanatical and demanding that those who partake of its mysteries have little time for lesser beings who merely stare longingly from jetty or beach. There is no halfway status in between. You either do or you do not.
There are of course many who feel their way from earth to water, but known results are more alarming than encouraging. You can crew for a friend who already owns a boat. This can be entertaining. It can also be quite disastrous to both boat and friendship. Even divorce is not unknown at the end of such a venture.”
Douglas Reeman – The Best of Boat Worlds (1968)
(Reeman was an RN midshipman at age 16 and saw widespread service during WWII in destroyers and motor torpedo boats. He was badly injured during the D-Day landing. As an author of 68 maritime-themed novels he used the pseudonym ‘Alexander Kent’ as well as his own name. He also taught navigation.)
