As I sit here, I contemplate the process one goes through in this boat building adventure. It starts out with you slamming into maturity and wondering if this is all there is. You did all the things you thought that you were supposed to do in life and all you have to think about is "What Next?"
Then you start thinking about sitting on the deck of a boat in some exotic sunny clime (like those Islets of Langerhans again) with a Mai Tai in your hand watching the humuhumunukunukuapua'a go swimming by. This is the dreaming stage. Some never get beyond this. You do a little research and fall in love with a catamaran. They cost a HALF MILLION DOLLARS!!!
Your finances are slim at best. You look further. Wharram cats???? You start thinking about building a boat. Hell, why not? This may be your last great adventure anyway. If you work at it. you could finish it in two years......piece of cake. This is the delusional stage. Some never get beyond this.
You cough up a couple grand and buy plans, the first commitment. Hmmmmmm, these look complex. You cough up a bunch more money and buy wood, ply and epoxy. A lot of wood, ply and epoxy, the second commitment. This is the optimistic stage. Some never get beyond this
The process begins. You learn about epoxy..............Fumed silica? That doesn't sound good. You learn that epoxy doesn't like heat, cold, humidity, or you. You are not fond of it either. Finally, you reach a truce and start to make some progress, slow progress. This is the learning stage. Some never get beyond this.
BAM! Life body slams you with some situation(s) that you never thought of. The optimistic start begins to slide into distractions and delays. Maybe you stop altogether for a while. The two years are now three and it doesn't seem like you'll make it in four. You are mired in a miasma of a myriad of minutiae. This is the reality stage. Some never get beyond this.
Now you are stripped bare of all preconceptions and dreams. The four years are now five or six or more. The time deadlines have been blown several times until you give up on them all together and look down at your feet, never at the horizon. and put one foot in front of the other. This is where we are now. Now you are into the slogging stage, some never get beyond this. We are asked "When will the boat be finished?" The old answer was "Three years ago last January". The new answer is "Go the f*** away!".
It is a vision quest. You must go into the wilderness and be stripped bare until a divine spark from Manatou provides you with guidance and the courage to continue with life. Many fail in this. Hopefully you return with the wisdom and serenity to continue to the next stage of this sailing adventure: it's voyage upon the seas. It is a journey earned by your own mettle and grit.