Surfing somewhere near here...
July 10th, 2011 |
While surfing a right hand point break at Costa Rica’s most southerly tip with just a few friends, a boat showed up with a handful of guys. At first, my selfish capacity and innate desire to be a wave hog was crushed. But as they paddled closer to the lineup and I realized they were all pretty good-looking, I decided to smile instead. Besides… they had a boat (that’s like owning a guitar times ten).
This is a tactic I probably shouldn’t admit. But when the surf is crowded and I need waves, I find the best strategy to catching them (besides shedding layers of clothing) is to kill with kindness. I hoot, I holler, I cheer, and then waves start coming like I am the Buddha with disciples giving me offerings.
Their boat. Photo: Treks and Tracks
Okay, that’s not the point of this story. I asked the guys about the boat. I thought it was another charter littering a perfect spot, but I was wrong. The guys, who had sailed from Santa Cruz down, were on a journey inspired by similar people who inspired me to escape my cubical two years prior. Their boat had two green trees painted on the side, and I figured they were environmentalists. I instantly thought of Liz Clark, a friend who has been sailing around the world since she graduated college and is also extremely eco-friendly in her ways. Turns out, she is one of the main sources of inspiration for their voyage. And that’s when it hit: Inspiration is exponential. And contagious.
These guys talked about Liz like she was rock star. And she absolutely is. Although, what they are doing is also incredibly inspiring.
It was funny how the sailors viewed what they were doing as not that extraordinary. They were inspired by Liz Clark’s journey, but they didn’t want to even contact her until they had “finished” their own.
To me, a story about sailing down the Pacific on a rice and beans budget is the kind of tale that makes me want jump up and down then race to write about it. In the water that session, rather than jonesing for waves, I just got more and more fired up.
I told the sailors to contact Liz asap. I hope they do. And then I hope they share their story about their journey down the Pacific and across the mountains on horseback, which they are most likely doing now. Find out more about them here.
And if you read this guys — thanks for the waves and the surge of inspiration.
XO – S
The crew, happy on board.
