Posted on 12/06/2014 12:34:50 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion
Sven Yrvind, a 75-year-old Swedish boat builder, designer, sailor and writer, has something to say about life. He’s chosen to communicate this philosophy through taking on tough challenges. Faced with a future of scraping by on a crap pension, surfing channels in a retirement home, Sven had different ideas.
“TV is not for me. I must have something to live for, problems to solve. Most people misunderstand life. Money does not make you happy. Comfort does not make you happy. It is only by using energy you create more energy and it is that surplus of energy that makes you happy and healthy.”
Sven has lived this quote. A recent 45 day trip took him across the Atlantic in a 16 foot self-made boat. He’s been building and navigating small boats around the world, for 50 years, including treacherous, stormy waters like those near Cape Horn at the southern tip of Chile.
For his next trip, Sven is building a 10 foot boat to circumnavigate the globe nonstop – a 30,000 nautical mile voyage that will last 600 days. Some have called this a suicide project but with more than 50 years of experience designing, building and sailing small crafts, Sven has proven smaller is better. A smaller boat, designed to be indestructible, has less forces acting on it then a larger boat. It lives among the waves, instead of doing battle with them.
Because he’s making the trip nonstop, he’s also bringing along 800 pounds of food and 200 pounds of books.
(Yes, he also plans on bringing a tablet ) He will power these devices, along with modern navigation and communication equipment, with a pedal power generator. His 10 foot boat is built like a space capsule. It will capsize, it will pitchpole, but it will always come back up, much like Sven Yrvind. If he completes the journey, it will be a world record for a small vessel.
Sven is always launched his expeditions with a minimum of financial resources. Like a modern-day Thoreau, he wants to send a message about our excessive, consumption driven culture that takes way more than its fair share of the world’s natural resources.
Here are just a few:
Play the long game. I loved Sven’s comments about not wanting to end up with other pensioners in a home watching TV. At 75, he is playing the long game, upping the ante. It would be much better to leave this earth doing something you love, and trying to set a world record, than in front of the TV.
Live an interesting life. In addition to launching global sailing expeditions, and designing small boats, Swen also tracks his progress through his blog and has written four books.
Live lean, consume less, enjoy life more. Sven’s story resonated with me. If one man can live in a 10 ft. boat for 600 consecutive days at sea, then surely we can all strive to live on fewer resources and material goods than we do today.
Choose experiences over stuff. Give up some creature comforts, step away from the flatscreen TV, go out and experience life. You don’t need to set any world records, it’s the experience that counts.
Have a quest. This could be the true secret to longevity versus a lot of the pills, powders and fitness miracles promoted today. Sven’s world record quest requires he stay on top of his game mentally and physically with a daily practice of hiking, kayaking, reading, and working on his sailboat.
If you want to learn more about Sven’s journey and his life, check out his blog www.yrvind.com. As I looked through the photos of his amazing boat, I thought this would make one hell of a #kickstarter project! Check out a 3-D model of his boat here.
The Frug.
Yes,
my best shot at a hot chick is lots and lots of money.
“The sea was angry that day my friend. Like an old man sending soup back at a deli.”
600 days nonstop.
800 pounds of food. Not enough.
Will require a minimum of 4800 pounds of water. Don’t see where he’s going to get enough power to purify it from seawater.
He’s not going to have any storm damage or require any repairs?
I really don’t think this will work.
Couldn’t he fish and bring some sort of grill?
What would he use for fuel?
Could eat a lot of sushi, I guess.
Who cares what problem it solves? It’s his life.
"What if you break a leg or get lost" they invariably say.
Yes, there is some risk to this. But when I am out there on that trail, with nothing around me but trees, hills and deer, it is invigorating. Knowing there is an element of danger definitely takes your mind off your other problems and forces you to focus on the here and now.
A few years back, I got myself into a life-threatening situation. The wife and kids had gone to Florida and I decided to rent a hotel room up in New Hampshire and hike a favorite trail over the weekend - one that required about 24 miles of hiking.
It was in middle of January and a snowstorm was forecast for Saturday night. At the crack of dawn on Saturday, I hit the trail, knowing that it would be about four hours out and four hours back with only a couple hours to spare before it started getting dark. Only this time, the snowstorm was coming too. The report that morning had snow moving in around late afternoon. I figured I had plenty of time to get back before dark but I knew that it I didn't, it was going to get hairy. This really got my adrenaline flowing and as I set out that morning, I had butterflies in my stomach thinking about it.
It was definitely a hike I will remember the rest of my life. I felt totally alone out there, like I was stuck in a Jack London story. As I hit my turning around point, the skies had already clouded over and the steel grey cloud deck above me looked ominous and a few miles later, as I climbed a hill, I could see the snow approaching on the western horizon. The storm was definitely moving in faster then predicted.
Within minutes, the flakes began to fall. Gently at first but quickly building in intensity and the ground began to whiten, obscuring the trail at times. I was relying on the tree reflectors to guide me but they began to get snow covered as well.
The next 2-3 hours were the scariest hours of my life. Many times, I felt I had veered off the trail and the wind-whipped snow was beginning to sting my face. Eventually I realized I lost the trail completely. Fortunately I did not panic and continued to maintain an easterly direction (yes, I had a compass) - which I know would eventually put me on the main road to where my car was parked.
Just after 6PM, I hit the road just in time to see a snow plow come by. There were about 4 inches of snow on the ground by then. I did not know at that time if I was north or south of where my car was parked. I guess I came out north of the trailhead so headed south, the whole time wondering if I should turn around and head north instead.
Fortunately I was in the right direction and saw my snowcovered car parked at the trailhead. I almost missed it and walked by it entirely. It was a bit of an adventure getting it back on the road as there was now some six inches of snow and I had a front wheel drive vehicle that was low to the ground. But I made it and collapsed in my hotel room totally exhausted.
I remember the next day getting an extension on my room and just spending the entire Sunday afternoon sitting in the jacuzzi watching NFL playoff football games. I was definitely feeling lucky to be alive, knowing that I could easily have perished in the woods the day before. I also realized I never felt more alive than I did during the last leg of that hike.
Rather than turn me off on solo hiking, it actually intensified my desire for it. Even to this day, I like to take long walks in the woods, even in middle of winter, knowing that I must rely on my discipline, my senses and a little bit of luck, to keep me going. However, I never had another close call like that one.
I'm thinking that this is what is driving this 75-year-old man to circle the globe in his little boat. He wants that intense feeling of being alive again.
HE was quoted as living his life “solving problems.” I guess I expected something more noble like helping others. His advice is ‘do with less” and “live lean.” Like our country’s socialists are always saying people other than themselvesshould do. I’ll give the guy credit for walking the walk though.
His life, his solution.
As an adrenaline junkie myself, I completely agree with the guy...and you. Life is a terminal disease, make the most of the time you’ve got. And most importantly, happiness occurs between the ears.
I see. I guess its kind of like climbing a mountain and doing it just for the challenge. Good for him. I just don’t see a purpose in it, personally.
You only get one ride on this planet so do what you enjoy. Going out on a mountain hike in a snowstorm is a heck-of-a-lot more exciting than keeling over dead of a heart attack while sitting on the crapper. One thing is certain, it will all come to an end sometime so make use of what time you have left.
I would recommend he goes through the Panama canal.-tom
I see it, but I don’t get it. Whatever ... a world with liberty has plenty of space for this.
>>What problem did building a boat and sailing across the pond solve? Just wondering.
I would guess that maybe his boat, if he’s successful, would make a great one-man escape boat for catastrophes.
A marine biologist must face such things.
The Good Lord gives a Free-One occasionally,sometimes not.
First, your estimate of water requirement is off. 8 pounds of water a day is off. He will do fine on half that - 4 pounds of water a day - that's 64 fluid ounces.
He can produce that much water with a human powered RO device, probably integrated with his pedal system. His problem will start if his RO apparatus fails or even starts working inefficiently. I'd be surprised if he doesn't have a backup.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.