Cruising

"Never a ship sails out of bay but carries my heart as a stowaway."

Roselle Mercier Montgomery
(1874 - 1933), Poet.


I have just had the great pleasure of spending two weeks cruising around the Caribbean, aboard P&O's Artemis, in celebration of reaching my half-century.

For me, cruising is one of the greatest pleasures in life.

For readers who know me, the above statement will be thought of as a strange thing for me to say, as I am not renowned for my ability to idle away time. Beach holidays, for example, certainly do not do it for me. However, I find that cruising is one of the quickest ways to relax. I can spend entire days sitting on my cabin's balcony, happily reading or simply watching the water as I mentally compose a stanza or two for another poem.

The reason is quite simple; whilst cruising, one is in the process of going somewhere. It is not a stagnant process (like sitting on a beach). Psychologically, I am contented by the thought of being in the process of travelling to a new destination, and the fact that I am not having to make any effort in bringing the process about is additionally satisfying - and relaxing. It doesn't even matter what the destination is, as long as one is moving.

This thought is very much in tune with Robert Louis Stevenson, who said:

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is the move."

I couldn't agree more.