October 11, 2022.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to falter, as Russian troops run low on everything.
Within the last two weeks Russia began conscripting civilians to join the military, in a desparate attempt to bolster troop numbers. This resulted in an immediate flood of Russian citizens attempting to escape the country, trying to avoid the draft. On the first night, airports were packed as every aircraft leaving Russia was sold out. Borders with neighbouring Finland and other Baltic countries had long queues of vehicle and foot traffic.
This brings to mind the questions of borders, and their benefits and drawbacks... The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Build The Wall!
There are some people in the USA that are very confusing. One minute they will be screaming that you can't trust the government, "Big Brother is out to get you". The next minute those same people are hollering "Build the wall!".
Borders are designed primarily to keep foreigners out. But those same walls can also be used to keep citizens in.
Some borders are very porous, like the Canada/US border, which for a great length is simply a 15 meter wide tree cutting.
Other countries have much more secure borders. Countries like North Korea, or the (former) USSR have (had) nearly impenetrable borders. But then again, they were mostly designed to prevent escape.
The ability to leave your home country should be a human right. But in many countries, this ability is blocked.
With this in mind, unless you were 100% trusting of your current and future government, why would anyone want a wall around their country?
Border Closings
In our recent memory, borders and airports have been closed numerous times.
From September 11 through 13, 2001, every civilian aircraft (private and commercial) in North America was grounded, with all flights banned. Living in a major city at the time was unnerving as the skies, normally filled with aircraft, were left empty and silent.
During the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 and 2021, commercial aircraft and land crossings the world over were closed for extended periods. At the height of the pandemic, some countries did restrict entry to private boats. However, no countries prevented the departure of private boats. And there was always someplace safe where you could go.
This ability to leave an area when you and your family is at risk, makes cruising sailboats probably the single greatest survival tool.
A Zombie Apocalypse
Let's look at Covid-19 for a moment. While millions of people around the world died, it was not as infectious as first believed. And even when infected, those with proper healthcare had a good chance at survival.
Simple precautions such as social distancing, wearing filter masks, and washing hands, saved tens of millions from being infected.
But what would have happened if the infection was more virulent? What if those simple precautions had not been enough? What if safe distancing was not 2 meters, but ten meters? What if the infection could enter via the eyes and masks had to be sealed, full-face masks?
The Covid-19 pandemic should have been a wake-up call for you. A test-run, if you will.
If a new virus were to appear, one that was more infectious, and more easily transmitted, what would happen? As it was, many hospitals the world over were not able to cope, and became over-run with patients. Emergency departments were unable to accept new patients, irregardless of what your condition was.
With a virus that is more transmissible, sealing yourself inside an aircraft with 100 other random people would become a death-wish. As such, all commercial carriers will be closed. That includes not only aircraft, but ships, busses, trains, everything.
And to those who would argue that this is fear-mongering, the stuff of movies, but in the real world would never happen... the last 2 years has proven that it can and will happen!
Your ability to escape from your country, be it your home country or a country you are visiting, may be the difference between living and dying. And hoping that the government will keep the borders open, allowing you to leave, is naive.
An Ocean Apocalypse
There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of movies about the apocalypse. In every one, the main characters struggle across a wasteland, avoiding the dangers present.
But there have been nearly no stories of escaping to the oceans during an apocalypse. Why is that?
Unlike sport fishing where you fight the fish, food fishing you just continue sailing and drag the fish till it's exhausted.
Then you reel it in and pull it aboard without any fight.
The reason there are so few movies and stories about it is because they would be dull. Some great disaster happens, the hero raises their anchor, and sails away. End of story. Well that was short and boring. You could run the movie in real-time and within 5 minutes you have escaped the local area. After 1/2 an hour you are losing sight of land. Then what? An hour of sailing off into the sunset, with a 5 minute exciting part where you catch a fish.
The reality is, that once you have left the disaster area, things settle down pretty quickly.
If you have the knowledge to navigate and sail safely, then once you depart you can now travel to any place on the planet that is still safe.
Those left behind struggle to escape the cities and suburbs. They struggle to face the wilderness, and endlessly search for food and water. Meanwhile, you've got fishing lines out to catch tomorrow's dinner, knowing you have an endless supply of fresh drinking water. While those left behind struggle for survival, you are relaxing with a glass of wine (beer/soda pop/juice/insert favourite refreshment here), as you enjoy the sunset.
The very few post-apocalytic stories that have been written involving sailors, are primarily about their return to land to search for loved ones left behind. Again, all the action and drama are happening on land.
Five Minute Escape
If you had five minutes to grab and go. What could you bring?
Even a well-prepared person would only be able to grab their pre-packed emergency supplies, throw then into the trunk, and head out.
If you were fully prepared, that would mean your important documents, some sleeping bags, a first aid kit, emergency food and water, a tent, and little else.
To a person living on a sailboat, it means you have full beds, a full kitchen, all your food, clothes, and supplies. You've got your TV, and computer. Books and games to pass the time. A complete medical kit. Full communications gear including round-the-world HF radio. Basically, everything you own, including the kitchen sink!
Learning to sail is simple, and fun. You can get lessons nearly anywhere.
Navigation is simple and easy with modern electronics, and learning celestial navigation by the sun and stars is still a reliable method.
But as mentioned above, the biggest benefit of a private sailboat is the ability to escape any disaster scenario, and travel to a place where life continues normally.
About the Author
David Crawford has spent over 40 years as a Prepper/Survivalist. He has been married to his high-school sweetheart for 35 years, and together they raised 4 children of their own, along with numerous nephews, nieces, and other children.
A retired farmer, computer programmer, restaurateur, teacher, and entrepreneur, he now teaches part-time Post-Graduate Business Administration.
He began his sailing career at the age of 50, and for the last seven years he has been a full-time cruiser. He has a commercial Yachmaster Offshore certificate, and lives aboard his 50' catamaran.