Sailing Philosophy For Everyone

This volume reveals the wisdom we can learn from sailing, a sport that pits human skills against the elements, tests the mettle and is a rich source of valuable lessons in life. Unravels the philosophical mysteries behind one of the oldest organized human activities Features contributions from philosophers and academics as well as from sailors themselves Enriches appreciation of the sport by probing its meaning and value Brings to life the many applications of philosophy to sailing and the profound lessons it can teach us A thought-provoking read for sailors and philosophers alike

This volume reveals the wisdom we can learn from sailing, a sport that pits human skills against the elements, tests the mettle and is a rich source of valuable lessons in life. Unravels the philosophical mysteries behind one of the oldest organized human activities Features contributions from philosophers and academics as well as from sailors themselves Enriches appreciation of the sport by probing its meaning and value Brings to life the many applications of philosophy to sailing and the profound lessons it can teach us A thought-provoking read for sailors and philosophers alike

Illustrations and rhyming text celebrate different kinds of boats and what they can do.

In a book that is sure to become a classic, internationally respected boatbuilder, yacht manager, and delivery skipper Bill Seifert shares his hard-won solutions to a host of boat design, construction, and equipment issues and seamanship dilemmas. Unlike other books on the subject, Offshore Sailing doesn’t just tell readers what to do for safe and comfortable passage making; it shows them how to do it with clear, step-by-step instructions and nearly 200 detailed drawings and photographs.

This book scrutinizes the practice of sailing and its relation to philosophy of mind. Sailing brings about a peculiar human-artifact interaction which can lead to unexplored research paths. The idea behind this collection is that this interaction is better scrutinized by sailor scientists/philosophers to open up new possible pathways in research. Fascinating theoretical breakthroughs have been provided by observing sailing practices with the most well-known being Hutchins’ introduction in cognitive science of the concept of “distributed cognition.” However, in times past, sailing has both fueled philosophical metaphors, from Theseus’ ship to Plato’s image of the intellect as the boatperson of the soul, and inspired philosophers’ views (as happened to Herder during a stormy sea trip). The ecology of sailing is highly constrained: sailboats move at the surface between a compressible fluid and an uncompressible fluid. Wind originates in certain specific circumstances. Only certain sequences of actions are possible to take advantage of this ecology. The ontology of sailing is both of the boat and of the ocean/wind system. It highlights the fact that sailboats have been for centuries arguably the most complex technological artifacts in each culture that developed them, precisely because the environment they are engaging is so peculiar and demanding - almost the precise dual of Sapiens’ adaptive environment. This volume will appeal to philosophers of mind, cognitive psychologists, and marine professionals.

In this fast-paced world that puts immense stress on your time, relationships and finances, you often have so many questions. Why were you born? Where are you going? Why did you choose to experience life in this physical body? Why do you feel the connection with some and not with others? Will you overcome your life-challenges and why do you have them at all? Your Sailboat Needs No Engine is a book that has the answer to your questions "Why me?" and "How do I find my purpose?" The laws of the universe are broken down to a simple philosophy in Your Sailboat Needs No Engine. Sailboat is a metaphor for the consciousness in physical form, sailing through the human life experience. Engine refers to external factors/material beliefs to whom we give our power, believing that they are the forces that hold the keys to navigating through this life-journey. This book guides the reader (Sailboat) towards the understanding that he does not need to depend upon an external push (engine) to sail forward. The winds or guides are within and all the sailboat needs to do is reclaim his power and make friends with the winds by bridging the gap to his soul-self. The biggest take-away from this book is the path to knowing the soul-self. Once the sailboat is one with his soul-self, his clears his foggy vision and needs no engine. He is self-propelled. His take all his future decisions from that place of clarity, sailing with the winds on his side. Your sailboat needs no engine is a book of self-introspection and hope. It is a story of belief - in self, in the universe and in life. Philosophies do not have to be hard to understand or in a language that not all can relate to. A breezy read, the book's bite-sized chapters can be read in ten minutes and they guide readers towards answers, lightness and flow in their lives.

Saving Sailing makes an eloquent case for the revival of family sailing -- and similar uses of free time for lifelong pastimes that enrich our lives. The issue: participation in sailing is declining in America, down more than 40% since 1997 and 70% since 1979. In this wide-ranging book, researcher and avid sailor Nicholas Hayes explains why. The book shows how pressures on free time have increased, and how, in response, many Americans have turned to less rewarding forms of passive or overly structured activities and away from lifelong, family-based, multi-generational recreation. Saving Sailing builds a case for choosing how to spend free time better, seeking quality experiences with families and friends through lifelong pastimes like sailing. The main challenge, he suggests, is to develop an active system of mentoring, especially between generations. The lessons are broader than sailing, with useful ideas for all parents, for anyone seeking to strengthen the social fabric of American communities, and for those involved in programming for youth and adult activities. Author Nick Hayes is a market researcher and partner at the consulting firm FiveTwelve Group, and is active in the Milwaukee sailing scene. He has studied sailing, sailors, and sailing clubs for years, and interviewed more than 1,200 sailors worldwide since 2003 for this book. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization takes us on a journey through the landmarks of art and bloodshed that defined Greek culture nearly three millennia ago. “A triumph of popularization: extraordinarily knowledgeable, informal in tone, amusing, wide ranging, smartly paced.” —The New York Times Book Review In the city-states of Athens and Sparta and throughout the Greek islands, honors could be won in making love and war, and lives were rife with contradictions. By developing the alphabet, the Greeks empowered the reader, demystified experience, and opened the way for civil discussion and experimentation—yet they kept slaves. The glorious verses of the Iliad recount a conflict in which rage and outrage spur men to action and suggest that their “bellicose society of gleaming metals and rattling weapons” is not so very distant from more recent campaigns of “shock and awe.” And, centuries before Zorba, Greece was a land where music, dance, and freely flowing wine were essential to the high life. Granting equal time to the sacred and the profane, Cahill rivets our attention to the legacies of an ancient and enduring worldview.

In their third adventure, Junior Ray and his sidekick Voyd Mudd have become "diktectives" to stop the murderous activities of a semi-secret, lethal organization of Southern women, the Aunty Belles, headed by Miss Attica Rummage. Author John Pritchard's third book, following 2005’s Junior Ray and 2008’s The Yazoo Blues, is another brilliant, bumbling burlesque with an unforgettable cast of characters deeply rooted in the Mississippi Delta, a place both real and imaginary. The novel revolves around obsessions, underneath which lies the dark history of a class conflict that existed in the Deep South, not among black and white but between the white "haves" and the white "have-nots."

Homer’s Odyssey holds a timeless allure. It is an ancient story for every generation: the struggle of a man on a long and difficult voyage longing to return to love and family. Odysseus’s strivings to overcome both divine and earthly obstacles and to control his own impulsive nature hold valuable lessons for us as we confront the challenges of daily life. Sailing Home breathes fresh air into a classic we thought we knew, revealing its profound guidance for the modern seeker. Dividing the book into three parts—“Setting Forth,” “Disaster,” and “Return”—Fischer charts the course of Odysseus’s familiar wanderings. Readers come to see this ancient hero as a flawed human being who shares their own struggles and temptations, such as yielding to desire or fear or greed, and making peace with family. Featuring thoughtful meditations, illuminating anecdotes from Fischer’s and his students’ lives, and stories from many wisdom traditions including Buddhist, Judaic, and Christian, Sailing Home shows the way to greater purpose in our own lives. The book’s literary dimension expands its appeal beyond the Buddhist market to a wider spiritual audience and to anyone interested in the teachings of myth and story.