Ocean sufficiency

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Lots of hard work in other departments is necessary to make our venture a success. An old ship is kept alive by continuous rope repair, sail mending, painting, varnishing, cleaning, and fighting rust and rot. If a land-dweller fails to water his lawn or paint his house, his living won't be drastically affected . . . but if we neglect to water Sofia' s decks, the timber dries, shrinks, and leaks at the seams. And if we don't clean and paint her hull every six months, the worms will leave her as seaworthy as a sieve. One way and another, there's always plenty to do.

The work is less burdensome than it might be because we're our . own bosses and have no buses to catch or schedules to meet. Decisions about the running of the ship are made by the crew. In that sense, we're all owners and captains. (At sea, one person is sailing skipper and we follow his judgment.) Otherwise it's up to the individual to do his share of the various jobs: cooking, carpentry, painting, navigating, sail work, and so on. The six women aboard participate equally in all duties . . . welding and changing sails as well as baking bread.

Living at sea with such a large group resuits in social problems even worse than those of a terrestrial commune. It's difficult to escape interpersonal hassles when the only true privacy is at the top of a 65-foot mast. Dealing with one another under such circumstances requires a special effort from everybody.

There's much to be. learned about sailing and shipboard life, and Sofia is a demanding teacher. It's not always roses . . . but throughout five years of growth, change, and learning we've kept the old girl afloat. To be at home, and at the same time travel where we please—to lovely, coral trimmed islands, tropical jungle paradises, and the emerald beauty of Oz—like New Zealand—is a joy we find well worth the struggle.

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