1992

Though at home all the time, my motives for doing anything were selfish.

3 min readJul 27, 2024

Nothing of my life had been worth recording except one undeniably beautiful thing. I put all my vitality into my marriage and the love of our children. Of course, hardship came to me just as it came to everyone, but without exception, during those times, my wife’s constant urging to overcome difficulty, weakness after weakness, could not deter her never-ending tenderness.

I was never the best husband, faltering as a father, eager to move on, find a new adventure, create a reason to leave, and a better one to return. My wife and I had differences, silences, and tortured times when we couldn’t agree, especially about the boys’ education.

It took over a year to get my wife on the same page about a round-the-world sailing adventure. During this period, I explained that a long sailing voyage would help the children mature into men. Sometimes, in the evening, I would start…. then I would talk to no one. I was alone in the room.

Seventeen months after I suggested the voyage, we sailed away from Tobermory. I tried to convince myself I was doing the right thing. We set off on a voyage that took two years to complete. We were rarely unsafe.

However, sailing is not an adventure if you do not incur some rough passages. I knew enough to make all but several days in those two years safe. We ate and sometimes didn’t eat; we laughed, cried, argued, fought, and made up.

The two years were a gift I had yet to learn about.

My wife and I sailed around the world for two years with our two children, taking the easy route. After three months away from the island, she was fully on board with the idea and like proud parents, we watched the boys approach tasks like men.

I never enjoyed school as a boy and did not like how it felt. Daniel, too, had problems learning, and school killed his spirit. After becoming a round-the-world sailor, Daniel wanted nothing more to do with playgrounds, chairs, or desks. He became reclusive, in his room for hours, and developed a challenging nature.

I knew I was to blame. How can you ask a child who has sailed the world and met every challenge asked of him to go back to school and learn algebra?

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1992

Though at home all the time, my motives for doing anything were selfish.

Written by Harry Hogg

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