Wandering the Oceans

Profile for Wandering the Oceans

Captain:

Kimball Corson. Text and Photos not disclaimed are (c) Kimball Corson 2004-2009

Hailing Port:

Lake Pleasant, AZ

The Crew:

A 68 year old solo sailor, by choice. However, I did take on a personable, but high maintenance female kitten, now a grown cat, named KiKiPoo when she is sweet, or KatKatPo after she has just killed something like a bird or bat. I can be reached, while on land, at kimcorson@netzero.com or, while at sea, at K8KIM@winlink.org or WDC4506@sailmail.com.

Something
Extra:

Sailing on little Lake Pleasant in Arizona one day many years ago, it occurred to me I needed to really sail somewhere after I retired from the practice of law and not just bop up and down a lake near home (or the west coast in another boat I kept there). Inasmuch as the idea actually originated on Lake Pleasant, Arizona, I deem that to be my hailing port. Ideas matter.

As T.S. Eliot put it "Old men ought to be explorers," in part, to really come to know the places where they have lived. I also took some inspiration from Mark Twain's comment that "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Twain also reminded us that "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness," nice afflictions to lack.

While I am sure he spoke metaphorically on the first point, I took the good Mr. Twain quite literally. I now plan to spend the rest of my able life circumnavigating in the most varied and circuitous way possible, staying at it and with my boat full time (except for side excursions inland to explore), and not dabbling at it when the spirit moves me or returning to places I have already visited on this adventure. These are my concessions to the brevity of life. Also, no straight-line, two-year shot around the globe to say I've done it. I want to pick up languages, cultures, vistas and to meet people to the greatest extent I am able. I now have Spanish solidly under my belt and have also started French, but need a good emersion situation. This trip is sort of my goodbye to the world and it is a work in progress.

Although I was a lawyer and practiced law with good success for thirty years, creating significant new law, I never really believed in the law, or the politics of law or in the unflinching self-interest of most lawyers I encountered. Too much exposure to Nietzsche and other good and seriously thoughtful people, I guess. And while I was well-trained in economics and had the good fortune to study under seven Nobel Laureates (Friedman, Coase, Stigler, Schultz, Mundell, Becker and Fogel), I was never really a practicing economist. However, unlike law, I do believe in economics and have somewhat kept up with the field. We are at all times subject to unseen and powerful market and economic forces. Ergo, the considerable economic and financial commentary found here, in language I hope is intelligble to all adult readers. When I have time, I am an avid contributing author on Seeking Alpha, the world best and biggest financial/investment website, and I also have a more extensive bio or cv posted there. (seekingalpha.com)

My general thoughts on boat selection are found in my later entry entitled "Choosing an Offshore Yacht," dated 07/21/2009, and in the comments to the ninth entry "Lessons Learned." . For much more on the Fair Weather Mariner 39 itself and also a bit more on its captain, go to the first entry on this website entitled "The Boat and Its Captain" and then up to the ninth entry, "Lessons Learned." Use the contents list to the left here to find these entries.

The photographs and texts on this blog not disclaimed are individually and collectively copyrighted to Kimball J. Corson 2004 - 2009.

Vessel Make/Model:

A Fair Weather Mariner 39 aka Westsail 39, is a fast (PHRF 132), high-aspect (6:1), stiff, comfortable, offshore cruiser designed by Bob Perry that goes to wind well (30 deg w/ headway) and is also good up and down the Beaufort scale.

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