Advertising The Sailing Lifestyle. Part 3: Smoke On The Water

We all have our vices. For better or worse, many of us seek comfort from additives that aren't good for us. Despite sharp warnings from the Surgeon General and grotesque imagery on cigarette packs, a large percentage of the population still puffs away on their cigarettes, even though the popular smoke-break has become more difficult than ever seeing as cigarette smoking is now a publicly forbidden pastime. Smoking was once a prevalent force in advertising long before studies revealed it to be extremely harmful to one's health, and even shortly thereafter the ads continued. In the past smoking was perceived as the epitome of 'cool' and the quintessential expression of relaxation. The relationship between smoking and sailing are no exception, the thought of smoking on board a boat instantly conjures up imagery of salty captains and rugged crew members of days gone by, or unwinding on a pleasure cruise after a long afternoon of messing about on the water.

I have been both a smoker and a non-smoker and now a smoker again. Smoking was the norm in my glory days of being in a band and working in bars and nightclubs in SF, we all smoked on the job and so did most of our clientele. And after quitting for 12 years, I've taken up this nagging habit again thanks to several recent trips to Europe. It isn't something I am proud of and I know I will quit again soon, but for now it's something that I enjoy. Because of my complicated friendship with cigarettes, I can fully appreciate the pleasure one receives from a good smoke, and also completely understand the disgust that some people have when in the presence of a smoker.

It's interesting to look at these ads below, the perception of smoking and sailing as something fun and almost even somewhat healthy. The refreshing experience of the great outdoors was complemented nicely with the addition of that tobacco crutch... or so we thought. The truth is, the natural high of sailing needs no embellishments, the pure invigorating feeling of flying along the water unassisted by nothing but the control of the wind is something that can't be harnessed and sold in convenient little packages.

Advertising The Sailing Lifestyle. Part 2: Happy Place
Advertising The Sailing Lifestyle. Part 1: Auto Pilot

Advertising The Sailing Lifestyle. Part 2: Happy Place

I've received some nice response to my first installment of this series I posted last week entitled Auto Pilot, thank you all for reading and for your messages. Not surprisingly, the popular reaction from members of the sailing community to those idyllic car ads which feature the 'sailing lifestyle' in some capacity is... "So.. What Happened?"

This is a difficult question for sure. As the years go by and technology changes our gauge on the 'good life', having to process and form opinions and perceptions of our hyper-chaotic immediate surroundings are enough for our brain to deal with. For most of the population, whatever is happening this very instant has a tendency to take precedence over our rich history and what happened in the 'olden days'. All of us are feeling the pressure of the 'now'. Because of this, it's easy to look at vintage advertisements with warm fuzzy nostalgia and with a desire for simplicity and innocence... these days it's difficult to just find a minute to yourself, let alone be able to break away for an afternoon of sailing. or a pleasure cruise in a car. We are constantly bombarded with so many distractions and propaganda in the media today, ultimately advertising now confronts us with the demand to consume life instead of enjoying life. Thankfully our society has an unbelievable perpetual popular culture archive occurring organically, and we have the means to access it anytime. These things, these ideas of our 'happy place' make us feel good and we should embrace them. It's always important to look back to the past for some perspective on the present, our knowledge of history is increasingly relevant to how we live our lives today and how we communicate with each other as humans. It's also very therapeutic and enjoyable to lose yourself in the way things were, aside from sailing there is no better escape than letting your mind wander through a good classic book or vintage magazine, or listening to an LP on an old record player. Tune the 'real' world out for a few minutes.

That is, if you can find the time.

My first sailing experience was at eleven years old, with my brother on a 10' Montomery dinghy my dad had just bought. A few years earlier, my parents had purchased a waterfront vacation home on the Georgiana Slough in the California Delta, and summer was in full swing again. We would all muck about in the water from sunup to sundown, taking full advantage of our new playground and our new little boat. The property was magical, across the slough from us was a picture-perfect dilapidated barn behind a levee wall covered in blackberry bushes, met at the water's edge with a natural beach which only appeared at low-tide. We would swim over with coffee cans and jars to pick the blackberries for mom's famous cobbler, and then cool off by walking out into the water up to our necks, searching through the sand and mud with our toes to find clams for bass fishing.

On this particular day, I was with Tom on board the 'Misty' for transportation duties of our family foraging, he was at the tiller and I was in charge of gathering all the containers of berries and clams from my mom and my sister. We'd beach the dinghy, load up, and then sail back to our house on the other side and drop the bounty off with my dad. I felt like a little bad-ass sailing on that boat... until... we were on our second trip back and were buzzed by our neighbor Brett on his shiny new white Jet-Ski. He had just customized the machine to shoot out a massive rooster tail of spray, and he completely soaked us as he passed. I looked up and Brett nodded at me and my brother and smirked. I remember feeling so lame at that moment, like some sort of Huck Finn farmboy with my ill-fitting outdated life vest, holding stupid berries and stupid clams on a stupid sailboat. This emotion was a complete contrast to the 'cool' nodding experience I'd had years before riding in my dad's MG. What happened? It wasn't the embarrassment of getting hit by his spray, we were all friends and this type of playful water harassment was normal. It was because my 11 year old brain didn't like that his leisure time was more advanced and faster than mine, and therefore more 'fun' and more 'cool'. It's strange to think that such a perfect and memorable day with my family was ruined for me in a second by jealousy for something I didn't have, and something I couldn't do. Something I assumed was 'better'. I often think of that period in my life and would give anything to go back to those times in the Delta. I would be super proud of that stupid sailboat. And perhaps if Brett is thinking of that incident today, he's visualizing my family picking berries and our sailboat with the same endearment we have for these vintage advertisements.

So, before we rush to consider what happened to the real or advertised 'sailing lifestyle', let's relax and enjoy another group of ads I scanned which express the carefree unpolluted climate of days gone by... that seemingly unobtainable 'Happy Place' feeling of sailing bliss sorely lacking in our current pressurized marketing world...

Advertising The Sailing Lifestyle. Part 1: Auto Pilot

Advertising The Sailing Lifestyle. Part 1: Auto Pilot

Aaah this mythical world of sailing, this dream of the open water where adventure and leisure seem to collide perfectly. Nothing makes you feel more alive than the sun setting behind the main and tucking into the helm with the taste of salt water on your lips while the waves lap approvingly behind the stern. It's not easy to transmit such a euphoric feeling to those who have not experienced this, it's only once you are there does it all make sense. As modern humans we are easily lured in by what others are doing, the propaganda of keeping up with the Jonses is strong for sure and it's easy to fake happiness and freedom when we are required to. This is the reason that when you actually become swept up with something you truly enjoy, the experience feels so pure and special. There's nothing like the proud satisfying feeling of 'dude I'm actually doing this' , a feeling so meaningful that it makes you happy even when you aren't doing it yourself,  you see someone else having the experience and the vicarious passion is plenty fine. Looking at them smiling and thinking to yourself  'dude I totally know what that's like'.

When I was a little tyke, my dad's Sunday driver was a pale yellow 1957 MG Roadster convertible and mannn... did my family love that car. We'd cruise over the hill to Half Moon Bay for sandwiches on the beach and I felt so cool driving in the back seat with my brother's oversized ski-goggles stuck to my face and a braided Marathon Bar hanging out of my mouth. I remember one afternoon we were driving back home and another MG pulled up beside us, the same car but dark green. Naturally my dad and the other owner started quickly comparing notes like peacocks while we were at the stoplight, his wife smiled at my mom and they both kinda rolled their eyes. There was a kid in the back seat a few years older than me and we looked at each other just as the light turned green and they started rumbling away. He gave me the slickest knowing smile and a 'thumbs-up' and I did the same. The whole way home it felt so great, that little three second connection with my emotional co-pilot who I'd never see again. Our little transfer of 'cool' was all we needed. This is the same feeling I get when I'm out on a boat and I know I am not alone.

I've come to realize that the harmony between auto & boat and transportation in general is deeply linked. Those same feelings and desires for the open road and the open sea & sky have always been kindred spirits. I've been a collector of vintage magazines and ephemera ever since I can remember and it's fun to see how the lure of exploration and discovery has been illustrated over the years. I often raid my little archive for inspiration and not surprisingly my tastes seem to be dictated by what's happening in my life. When I had a Vespa it was the scooter stuff that jumped out at me, when I had my '54 Bel Air it was nothing but Chevy on my radar. Once Alberta started her 'Trip Out Tuesday' airline-themed parties we were obsessed with all things jet-age. And for the past several years my affinity has leaned toward the sailing and travel side of things.

So I decided that over the next few months I'll be sharing some of the things that I currently dig in the series 'Advertising The Sailing Lifestyle'.

Here's the first group I'm calling 'Auto-Pilot' ... car ads geared to the men and women who are chasing the dream of luxury and freedom just like all of the other Joneses, just like me and you.

Enjoy.