This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
“A man is never lost at sea.” — Ernest Hemingway
Boats have always been part of human history. Sumerian people, Greeks, and even Vikings found part of their culture in navigation, and their sailing techniques improved every time. A common factor that drives modern gentlemen to fall in love with the nautical world is exploration.
The adventure of sailing towards the unknown, being there in that moment for the sake and love of it, fishing in the sea, diving, or relaxing on the sunbeds. To many, it can be some sort of mindfulness, and I can personally understand why.
The last 50 years have brought many elements of the nautical world into everyday culture, making it more culturally accessible to different people. Make it Bond strolling around his boat in the 007 movies, or celebrities watching the Monaco Grand Prix from their yacht, and even more accessibly the so simply – yet bewildering at the same time – novel by Ernest Hemingway “The Old Man and The Sea”. Still perceived as a luxury, however less far away than before, sailing means a specific lifestyle: freedom and adventure.
These two concepts are visible in how a gentleman dresses for a summer bot day: light clothing, preferably linen so the body can breathe and feel the wind flowing (maybe in the Mediterranean breeze); comfortable and great-looking sunglasses to protect you from the sun; classy swim shorts to be always scuba-ready, that possibly match with the boat shoes you’ll be wearing (and for this no explanation needed).
Lastly, and not strictly necessary, but it does its job, a proper diving watch: it doesn’t have to be fancy or any brand in particular, but it does have to show simplicity and functionality, cause enjoying the sea with a companion like your boat can make you lose track of time. Sailing will make your head live more freely, creating memories and moments one cannot feel anywhere else; seeing places and getting to shores that can’t be reached without a boat.
Let yourself be guided by the wind, get lost and feel free, and be the best yachtmen you can be. Don’t forget the sun cream and to drink a lot (up to you what, but make it a good balance between Spritz and water).
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