In the old days of personal computers there was a term called WYSIWYG. An acronym for What You See Is What You Get. Something that we probably took for granted a couple of generations ago. But with marketing techniques getting more sophisticated, we all too often find that reality doesn’t always live up to expectations. The movie ‘Falling Down’ springs to mind, where Michael Douglas overreacts to a hamburger that fell short of what he expected to get. But I’ve just met a couple that showed me that there isn’t always less than meets the eye. Sometimes there’s more.
Most people that have dreamed of living on a boat and travelling the world have probably followed YouTubers that document their experiences and share them with the rest of us. I followed several before I got going. Less so now that I’m doing it myself. But there is one channel that I still watch, SV Delos. For two reasons, they produce high quality material and they appear to be really nice people. People that you can relate to. To the extent that you almost feel that you know them even if you have never met them. With almost a million subscribers to their channel I’m obviously not the only one that feels this. But I never really had an interest in meeting them. Or indeed anyone else that has inspired me in the past. Primarily because you expect them to live up to your expectations all while they are more than likely sick of having to do just that. It’s bound to be a disappointing experience for both parties.
I bumped into Brian and Kazza from Delos on a beach here in the Marquesas. We ended up chatting a little and it turned out that they had seen the Pan Pan call regarding my recent ‘disappearance’ as they crossed the Pacific from Mexico. We talked about the frustration of not being able to let people know that you are ok during a long crossing and laughed at my new nickname, Pan Pan Tomas. I also mentioned that I was finding it difficult to replace my damaged Iridium here in French Polynesia before I reluctantly ended up asking if I could take a picture of them.
A couple of days later, as I was getting ready to leave the bay, Brian came over in their dinghy. Saying that he had a present for me, their spare IridiumGo. A piece of equipment that could cost me close to a thousand dollars to replace. He said that they don’t need it now that they communicate via Starlink and that there was no way that he would take any money in return for it. So so generous. And so so thoughtful.
So there you have it. My tracker is back online and I can be reached anywhere on the planet. And once again the cruising community comes through. Beyond expectations. More than what it says on the tin. I love this world.
Saoirse 