by Ray Jason
I intended to share this with TBP readers on the second anniversary of the posting of this essay at my blog. However, I mistakenly thought the correct date was 17 March 2020 but it was actually 11 March 2020. Regardless, it is interesting because I was one of the first to question whether it was all an enormous scamdemic.
For nearly a decade I have been using the internet in an attempt to persuade people that an ocean-going sailboat is the best defense against an increasingly fragile and volatile world. My contention has been that small groups of like-minded cruisers could band together to create Sea Gypsy Tribes.
These sailors would prepare their vessels to respond to any type of cataclysmic event. Regardless of whether it might be an economic collapse or a grid-down emergency or any other crisis, a well-equipped, any-ocean sailboat is the best escape pod.
Unfortunately, my Sea Gypsy Tribe idea did not catch on as I hoped it would. But because the sea gypsy life is such a sane approach to authentic and balanced living in this often lunatic and artificial world, I believe that people should consider it as a life path. Because of the down-sizing and true self-reliance that it requires, it allows one to not just survive – but to actually FLOURISH!
With the spread of the Wuhan Virus around the globe, the defensive capabilities of the ocean sailing lifestyle again become prominent. (Note that I do not refer to the disease as COVID-19. There are two reasons for that. First, is my contrarian inclination to never accept, without careful scrutiny, any narrative that our leaders rulers foist upon us. And second, because of the quaint old nautical tradition of naming previously undiscovered reefs after the ships that pile up onto them. So why not give Wuhan that distinction, rather than saddling the plague with a name that only Hal, the computer from 2001 Space Odyssey, might invent.)
The main intention of this essay is to demonstrate how ideal a well-equipped and properly-prepared sailing boat is when faced with a dangerous epidemic. But before discussing that, I’d like to examine the WV phenomenon more carefully.
What do we truly know about it? Indeed, what do we truly know about ANYTHING these days? And more profoundly, CAN we uncover the truth about ANY topics in this sea of deception and lies that is the modern world?
Surely, the internet has snapped us out of the trance that our controllers have kept us in. But even as independent voices emancipate us from deceit, they also reveal how difficult it is to navigate through the labyrinth of distortion that constantly confronts us.
Here are some examples of the “through-the-looking-glass” uncertainties that this virus conjures up. Did it originate in a wet market where people caught it from eating bizarre creatures? Or did it come from the nearby bio-hazard lab? And if that was the source, was it accidental or deliberate? Can we trust that the numbers concerning infection rate and fatalities are not under-reported or perhaps inflated? After all, these are provided to us from governments, who notoriously would rather lie than eat – even when there is spicy bat soup on the menu.
I could add many more paragraphs of such vital questions, but instead, I’ll shift my focus to how this emergency benefits the powers that should not be. We surely know that their operating systems command them to “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
And the hammer that they often use to pound the nail of crisis is FEAR!!! But as they lock down cities of over 10 million people and cancel major events and close down manufacturing hubs, why should we trust them? Did they not fear monger us with SARS and MERS and SWINE FLU and EBOLA and ZIKA? And isn’t it true that all of those threats proved to be far less dangerous and deadly than we were told they would be?
Plus, our Malignant Overlords, as I like to call them, have so much to gain by hyping up the danger of this outbreak. (Impoverished Blogger Disclaimer: I am not concluding that the Wuhan Virus is not a serious threat to global health and well-being. I hope that it is not, but I don’t know and WE don’t know.) Here are some of the things that they can gain.
Any global epidemic increases the power of WHO – the World Health Organization. This division of the United Nations is one of its most powerful. Because governments all around the globe have surreptitiously implemented Medical Martial Law policies, this bureaucracy will gain even more un-elected influence.
For example, they have just called for the elimination of paper currency … since it can “spread disease.” The Cashless (but not monitored-less) Society is an orgasmic dream for those who would rule us all.
To me, the most startling consequence of this disease is the swiftness with which people have been manipulated into panic mode. When a large part of a modern nation is quarantined, this spreads fear rapidly even though the medical statistics don’t justify that degree of alarm. My suspicion is that they are beta-testing how little effort it takes to generate a fearful frenzy.
The virus is also an excellent cover for the social engineers to increase their surveillance panopticon. And piggy-backed on this advanced intrusion will be decreased internet freedom, so that dissenting opinions will be decreased or eliminated.
Now, let’s assume that the risks from the Wuhan Virus are both genuine and severe. If this is so, there is the likelihood of an extreme economic collapse, which could also lead to societal pandemonium and chaos. This is how my long-standing preparations will shelter me from the bedlam.
If there was suddenly an outbreak of verified cases in my area, I would sail to any of about 50 isolated anchorages that I know, which are located here in the Archipelago of Bliss. I would be alone with my only neighbors being the creatures who live in the Sea and the Sky.
I would monitor the situation on my radios, and if things degenerated further, I would sail about 50 miles offshore and basically hold that position while waiting for favorable news.
There are always 6 months of non-perishable foods on-board. This includes staples like rice and pasta – plus freeze-dried and dehydrated full meals. These are large #10 cans that hold about 25 meals each. One example is shrimp teriyaki with rice to which I need only add boiling water. Plus, there is fishing and gathering. What I mean by the latter, is flying fish that have landed on the decks during the night. With some scrambled eggs, they make a delicious breakfast.
My water tanks are always full, and I have a tried and true catchment system that is used frequently. There is also a hand-powered water-maker to convert salt to fresh water.
The diesel tanks are always topped up, and she is a sailing boat with tremendous range. My electrical needs (lights, fridge, radios) are easily met through a combination of a wind generator and solar panels. Although I have some electronic navigation, I still know “the old ways” using coastal piloting and celestial navigation.
On-board there is a very nice DVD library of excellent films, plus regular books and a Kindle loaded with a hundred classic novels. And to protect all of this, I have a variety of choices. Some are quite loud and others are Ninja silent … but all of them are immensely persuasive.
In conclusion, my hope is that the virus proves to be a lot less vicious and virulent than many people are predicting at this point. My second hope is that by sharing with you my strategy, this might assist you with your own preparations.
And finally, I leave you with the ironic and almost sadistic sentiment that was repeated throughout the Hunger Games. But in this case, it is heartfelt and sincere:
“May the odds be ever in your favor!”
For more of Ray’s work, please visit THE SEA GYPSY PHILOSOPHER.
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Good luck. I guess that’s one way to live life on your own terms. Just wouldn’t be mine. Although I love the water, I want solid ground under my feet… Chip
If I had not been fortunate enough to marry and raise a family I would absolutely be emulating your lifestyle. It sounds like a never ending adventure.
Always curious if you have a metal detector because with all the coastlines there has to be an abundance of artifacts that could easily underwrite your requirements.
Hi HSF,
Not a bad idea! I did just order a geiger counter that supposedly also measures emissions from 5G towers. Just as with liferafts one hopes it is never needed.
Am finishing up an essay that I think the TGP gang will enjoy in which I (fictionally) get to be the Substitute Teacher on a Semester-at-Sea Tall Ship. Gives me a chance to re-arrange some young cerebral synapses concerning how the world really works.
Good luck with the Spring planting. I wish I could attend one of your July 4th celebrations and juggle for the gang. But I am Pure-blood which complicates things. Plus, my decade long critique of the Malignant Overlords is surely within view of the Evil Eye of Mordor on the Potomac.
It sounds super cool and adventurous.
When I was 14 or so, I got a bit of a taste of that when our middle school class took a weekend trip on a commercial fishing boat and we were put to hard work. It was the best bonding experience and the fish never tasted this good.
Great lifestyle, not mine right now, but I envy you to a degree. I am sure that when you are 80, there will be a lifetime of adventure and few regrets to look back to.
We have been coastal sailing for years on chartered boats and everyday is an adventure, because weather and sea conditions constantly dictate your actions 24/7. Those times with fair seas and quietly sailing downwind on a sunny day are fantastic.
Nice lifestyle. I’m a gypsy at heart and can easily envision enjoying this path.
Quick question…why do humans feel the need to say they were the first to question something? I see people say that a lot here. Must be a validation thing. For the record, the very first day they shut down businesses & churches I KNEW it was ALL BS.
Hi Abigail,
Can’t speak for “humans” but in my case there surely is a certain amount of validation. But also it is a breath of positive reinforcement for all of my brothers and sisters who have been laboring out there trying to spread Truth or at least catalyze open-mindedness. I have been forsaken by so many friends that it helps to remind myself that “at least my instincts and research was correct” and all of my effort and loss was not in vain.
With your “gypsy heart” you might like the current essay at my blog which is entitled “The Sea Gypsy Pure-bloods.” Here is a link.
Thanks, Ray. I appreciate your honesty. I’ll read your essay.
Some of us remember what saying “it’s just the flu, bro” got us in terms of responses the first couple of months. It gets old to always be told that everything you say is some sort of psychotic conspiracy theory when it’s clear as day what’s going on and then have folks slowly come around to act as if it’s old news that it was whatever you said it was once it goes mainstream.
Truth is, it doesn’t really matter, it just feels good to be able to say I told you so. Like scratching an itch.
To this day the only thing my wife holds over my head whenever we have a shrimp cocktail was my imprudent call back in 2010 when I said the BP disaster would devastate the Gulf shellfish industry.
You should ask her why she keeps bringing it up.
Sir, please check your e-mail…TIA
Done.
Maybe someday I’ll get a chance to ask her. I do have some other questions for her.
Sounds great until you get old..all the old sea captains either went down with the ship or finally had to settle on terra firma. But what a life while it lasts! We should all live like that even if landlocked.
Sounds rather alluring if you don’t have problems with seasickness…But you had better be well armed, because your sailboat and food will be a prime target in a grid down situation..
Hi Pyrr,
Am blessed to never get sea sick. Most of humanity does, but it usually passes in 2 or 3 days.
I have studied this carefully, and my conclusion is that marauders are much more of a terrestrial problem than a oceanic one. Most piracy is done in small boats with gas-hungry fairly large outboard motors. In a dire situation, my Tribe would rendezvous (and not leave at the same time) at a pre-arranged lat/long position. Most wanna be pirates would not bother searching for some possible boats 50 miles out in some secret spot. In fact, most outboards do not have 100 mile range. IMHO opinion the open sea is MUCH safer than the land or the coast.
Watch out for the Smokers!
Yo Ghost,
Thanks for the giggles. I actually had a pirate encounter off the coast of Nicaragua. Had I been FARTHER off that coast it probably would have been avoided.
As I mention in the essay, I have onboard “loud” protection and what I call my “silent persuader.” That episode inspired me to start trying to develop Molotov arrow tips. Still haven’t worked that out.
BTW, two of my Tribe buddies were shooting with me on Monday and I got a true Robin Hood shot. My second arrow blasted right through the nock into my first arrow. And the first was in the bullseye. Pure luck, but quite a hoot. All three of us almost never miss center mass.
After I lost my job in the oil refining industry in Houston, Texas circa 1983, I moved to Pensacola, Florida, with my cousin Pat (now in Auroville, India, at an international community (ashram). I recently invited her to come live in my treehouse here in Narnia, but she said travel is too difficult and she is making great progress in her studies. (Meditation and Eastern Theology, I suppose, is very high on that self-actualization pyramid.)
However, she introduced me to a dude who gave a tour of the coastline of Pensacola and I went out with him on the boat several times when he was giving the tour.
Once upon a time I had a picture of myself on that beach. Long ago and far away.
Look into shotgun shell tipped arrows.
I have lived my life in the Colorado Rockies. Hunting, fishing, skiing, mountaineering in all seasons.
I’m a Hivernant. Even so, I have spent time on the ocean and know how to sail with multi sail boats.
That said, I’ll take my chances as a neo-mountain man. I know how to survive there. Even in winter.
I’m not a mariner. But I am a “mountain man”.
Hey C A,
I truly believe the Jeremiah Johnson approach is a great one.
My fear is for the conscious folks who have done solid prepping and have good gardens and small livestock. My concern is that they are just too accessible to the marauders. Brilliant self-reliance when faced with overwhelming numbers and desperation is a difficult situation. But the deep isolation Mountain Man has a better chance, I believe.
Just got an email from an unknown reader today saying that he is doing your approach in a very remote area of Vancouver Island N of Seattle. I have kept my Arctic foul weather gear from when I did the Northwest Passage, with Vancouver Island in mind as a possible survivable coastal locale.