Wetsuits, Kayaks, and Dinghys—When Dreams Meet Reality

What Do Wetsuits, Kayaks, and Dinghys Have in Common?

Wetsuits, kayaks, and dinghys all look great on Instagram. Swimming with the fish, paddling along a beautiful island coastline, buzzing among anchored boats in a quiet harbor—all things we wanted to do. So for our sailboat excursions we really wanted all three. We could just see ourselves sharing exciting adventures and exploring new vistas. At the very least, these three things would give us something to do besides lounge around on the deck. Not long after our maiden voyage on Wandering Spirit, our 36-foot sailboat, we raced to add these wondrous accoutrements.

But here’s the thing: Some dreams live up to the hype; others not so much. Looking back, two of ours were worth the effort and one wasn't. Here's how these particular dreams played out in our reality.

Black Rubber Wrestling

Have you ever dreamed of floating effortlessly, comfortably through schools of colorful fish as if you were Ariel the Little Mermaid or Aquaman? Me, too. I was always an avid swimmer, so buying a wetsuit was a no-brainer for me. Roger was inspired by the old t.v. show, Sea Hunt starring Lloyd Bridges. How amazing to be protected from scrapes and bumps by black rubber while your flippers propel you effortlessly around a sunken ship. What fun to swim for hours through colorful schools of fish without freezing! In my mind, nothing could be better.

At least, that’s what I thought before we tried them out on the sailboat.

Here's the thing: No matter how expensive a suit you invest in, you don’t just slip into a wetsuit. Wetsuit gurus tell us talcum or baby powder helps ease the friction and maybe it does, but Roger and I sweated mightily dragging ours up every time. All too often in a perfect snorkeling harbor, we elected to sit quietly on deck with binoculars instead of doing the black rubber wrestle, even at the cost of missing all the incredible sea life right under our keel.

Paddle Your Own Kayak

We had better results with our kayak. Doesn't a group of colorful kayaks gliding across the water look like so much fun? Kayaks give you access to places like sea caves, swamps, and quiet streams. Even the unathletically-inclined can sit on a kayak to explore a deep blue mountain lake. All you need is good balance, a life-vest, and maybe a partner to pull their share of the weight.

But our adventurous kayaking spirit was tempered a bit by the work it took to haul the kayak off the J-bars on the side of our sailboat and later reload it. Just as with the wetsuits, sometimes we opted to soak up a few rays with a good book instead. It's difficult to say whether that kayak prompted more adventures or more excuses not to launch it.

Inflated Struggles

Then there was the dinghy. Just imagine the wind blowing through your hair, the envious glances of land lubbers, and the powerful buzz of the outboard. What freedom to zip around boat-filled harbors or go fishing just around the next headland. Even better, you can skip the costly water taxi on your way to the guest dock at your favorite harbor restaurant.

We had a lot of fun with that dinghy. Besides going ashore whenever we wanted, we had some incredible experiences, like the morning we watched a mama whale and her calf playing in the same harbor where we were anchored. Another time we explored Painted Cave at Santa Cruz Island. All by ourselves with lights strapped to our foreheads and our mouths open in wonder (and maybe a little fear), we cruised deep into the cave that few people ever see.

But I can't describe those wonderful times without mentioning the full-body workout required to launch or hoist our dinghy. It was a two-man job that used muscles we didn’t have. From lifting the outboard motor to struggling with salt-encrusted wingnut screws to the manual pulley system, both procedures were exhausting, every time. I’m breathing heavy just typing those words.

Falling in Love with an Idea Instead of the Reality

So as you can see from these three dream-meets-reality stories, sometimes the best part of the story is the anticipation. The dream is just a glossy highlight reel in your head until you put your hand to the rope or work the black rubber up over your hips. It could go either way: disillusionment as you struggle with stiff wingnuts, talcum powder, and J-bars, or incredible payoff when you have a up-close (yet safe) encounter with a whale.

Sometimes falling in love with an idea hinders our ability to accurately count the cost.

When The Dream is Worth the Effort

Still, when dreams meet reality, they might be well worth the effort, even if it takes more than you bargained for. Because what feels like work to you might feel like joy to me. You might dread travel; I’d go to the ends of the earth to visit my grandkids. You might enjoy baking; I’d rather heap praise on bakers. You might consider camping in a fifth wheel as endless work; I’ll camp in ours as long as we’re physically able.

The question is whether the effort adds life or drains it—for YOU.

All three of our dreams—kayak, wetsuits, dinghy—provided magical moments that far exceeded our expectations. Without the dinghy we wouldn’t have been able to explore Painted Cave. And paddling around Catalina Harbor in the kayak looking down through a kelp forest was breath-taking. As for the wetsuits, even though trying them on at home turned out to be the most fun we had, we can at least say we swam with the fishes a few times.

So if a beautiful idea you’ve always dreamed of is within your reach, why not give it a try? You may be pleasantly surprised. And even if it turns out to be heavier, more awkward, or messier than you expected, you just might decide it’s worth it. The effort alone becomes a gift of experience, adding wisdom to your toolbelt. And there's a lot to be said for enjoying the journey (see more on my take about that in this post: https://www.juliergreenwalt.com/post/take-two-hitting-the-road-with-more-wisdom-and-better-furniture).

As long as we realize the picture probably doesn’t tell the whole story, we can try anything and end up with more than we started with.

What have you loved the idea of, but not the reality? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.