title: The Mind of the Sailor: An Exploration of the Human Stories Behind Adventures and Misadventures at Sea
author:  Peter Noble 
description: It's no accident that some of the world's greatest literature has inspired by the sea. At sea in a small boat, a sailor experiences unique emotional and psychological dimensions. The sea is an unpredictable and unforgiving environment that requires the utmost in self-sufficiency. The skipper bears an extraordinary responsibility for the boat and crew. The crew comprise an isolated, interdependent community that must cooperate effectively for an extended time in close quarters. And sailors who attempt long passages alone expose themselves to extremes of fear, loneliness, exhaustion, and hardship that few of us will ever experience. Yet until now there has been little serious study of the psychological aspects of sailing.
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  # Why I did not go to Sea
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### R.M. Ballantyne
  
  
  This page copyright © 2003 Munsey's.
  
  
  http://www.munseys.com
  
  Chapter One.
  
  
  Chapter Two.
  
  
  Chapter Three.
  
  
  Chapter Four.
  
  
  Chapter Five.
  
  
  Chapter Seven.
  
  
  Chapter Eight.
  
  
  Chapter Nine.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Chapter One.
  
  
  
  
  
    
  There is mystery connected with the incidents which I am about to
  
  
  relate. Looked at from one point of view, the whole affair is
  
  
  mysterious—eminently so; yet, regarded from another point of view, it
  
  
  is not so mysterious as it seems. Whatever my reader may think about it
  
  
  as he goes along, I entreat him to suspend his judgment until he has
  
  
  reached the conclusion of my narrative. My only reason for bringing
  
  
  this mysterious matter before the public is, that, in addition to
  
  
  filling me with unutterable surprise, it had the effect of quenching
  
  
  one of my strongest desires, and effectually prevented my becoming a
  
  
  sailor.
  
  
    
  This, I freely admit