Profoundly inspirational sailing quotes will challenge the way you think, change the way you live and transform your whole life.
Famous Sailing Quotes
A sailing ship is no democracy; you don’t caucus a crew as to where you’ll go anymore than you inquire when they’d like to shorten sail. — Sterling Hayden
Success soon palls. The joyous time is when the breeze first strikes your sails, and the waters rustle under your bows. — Charles Buxton
With these new boats and our veteran crew of American sailors, I feel this is one of the best campaigns I’ve ever put together. The bare hull of USA-77 just left Newport, Rhode Island two weeks ago and here she is going sailing today, which is true testament to how hard our whole team has worked to make this day possible, — Dennis Conner
It has always been our aim to increase the spread of medals. We have directed our funding towards sports where we felt we could improve our performances leading into Beijing (the 2008 Olympics). We are also encouraged by the way sailing and equestrian have bounced back after disappointing results in Athens. — John Coates
I was never part of the sailing circle, but I enjoy when I’m invited to sail. — Philippe Petit
Gliders, sail planes, they’re wonderful flying machines. It’s the closest you can come to being a bird. — Neil Armstrong
Sailing is a big outlet for me. It’s one of the key things I’ve been able to do by commingling science with sailing and my love of the sea. Also, I have several motorcycles, and I like to go on motorcycle trips. — Craig Venter
The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea. — Ovid
We’re going from being in a dug-out canoe to our first sailing ship. We’re not even up to steam engines yet. — Mark Hastings
The fact is, an America’s Cup team is more than a sailing team. It’s anywhere from sort of 80 to upward of 100 people; of designers, engineers, boat builders, an incredible group of people, and there are a lot of nationalities in New Zealand’s team. — James Spithill
Truth be known, I am actually looking forward to this round, … The West Series has never competed on this track, so it is pretty much like sailing into uncharted waters. There is no open test so everyone will be on the same page when practice gets underway on Saturday morning. A lot will depend on the crew and that is one of the areas where we excel. Our Lynch Mob crew is very good at getting the job done in short order. Once we have run the track a few times, we should be able to get our Mr. Gas Dodge in race trim in with virtually no problem. — Scott Lynch
Nothing comes sailing by itself. — Alexander Dale Oen
We were wavering around like a ship without a sail. — Judy Holliday
There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. — Kenneth Grahame
Flying will give us a gain of some five weeks versus shipping, and is the only way to get GBR 78 there in time for the sailing team to practice on two new generation boats and tune up the second boat prior to the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup, — Peter Harrison
Brando clearly was imagining himself as that person. There are several aspects of it that fit with Brando very well; that kind of loner, interested in sailing and the South Seas, drawn to Asian women and eating and drinking. — David Thomson
I’m not like most designers, who have to set sail on an exotic getaway to get inspired. Most of the time, it’s on my walk to work, or sitting in the subway and seeing something random or out of context. — Alexander Wang
Here in Miami, on weekends, amusement-seekers will come to the marina, set up folding chairs, and spend a highly entertaining day watching boat owners perform comical maneuvers such as forgetting to set their parking brakes and having their cars roll down the ramp and disappear, burbling gaily, below the surface. — Dave Barry
I have no interest in sailing around the world. Not that there is any lack of requests for me to do so. — Edward Heath
You have to be careful on the deck, because of the hatches, which are holes placed around a sailboat at random to increase the insurance rates. — Dave Barry
It so happened that I was on a German sailing vessel on the way to Australia when the ship was captured, and on the high seas I was made prisoner by the French. — Fritz Sauckel
Less judgment than wit is more sail than ballast. — William Penn
Who is staring at the sea is already sailing a little. — Paul Carvel
Ports are necessities, like postage stamps or soap, but they seldom seem to care what impressions they make. — Elizabeth Bishop
The ship is a wonderful resource but extremely expensive and we want to ensure the long-term future of the vessel as an actual sailing ship. — Marsh Davis
Imagine hoisting a sail and being out there in space. It’s a beautiful idea, and it conjures up the idea of the great sailing ships and whole notion of exploration. — Louis Friedman
Every year I spend one month just sailing, but I still work when Im on the boat. You never separate work from leisure. A boat is like a magic world, like a little island. — Renzo Piano
When I hit it, I thought it was going to go, … Right before I looked up, it kept sailing and sailing and then at the last second it just didn’t get the last few feet. — Mike Nugent
We’ve just been focusing on the sailing and what we have to do out on the water. — Peter Gilmour
Those who want to row on the ocean of human knowledge do not get far, and the storm drives those out of their course who set sail. — Franz Grillparzer
We had been busy building up fibre infrastructure under the ground in Hong Kong and underneath the homes of people, so when we launched IPTV, it was relatively smoother sailing than in other territories. — Richard Li
You mustn’t miss the moment. There’s only one first sailing into Rio harbor. — Bette Davis
I still think we have got opportunities to improve that, but some of our other sports have got a lot of work to do. The reason why sailing does so well is because it has really got its act together and some others could learn from them. — Keith Mills
Clouds do not really look like camels or sailing ships or castles in the sky. They are simply a natural process at work. So too, perhaps, are our lives. — Roger Ebert
Sailing became one of the mainstreams of my life. I suppose my father was an influence. I remember seeing a photo of him at home sailing a big boat to Bermuda in his 20s. I still have it. — David Crosby
His quick thinking and knowledge of the system onboard Ericsson enabled him to lock the keel in the middle and keep sailing the boat to Cape Town … the safety of the crew and boat were in his hands and he did us proud. — Neal McDonald
Barack Obama has brought glamour back to American politics – not the faux glamour-by-association of campaigning with movie stars or sailing with the Kennedys, but the real thing. The candidate himself is glamorous. Audiences project onto him the personal qualities and political positions they want in a president. — Virginia Postrel
Sailboats are the slowest form of transportation on Earth with the possible exeption of airline flights that go through O’Hare. — Dave Barry
It isn’t lost on me that sailing with guys like Iain is pretty awesome, … Ben’s sailing with me in Sardinia. It’s good that we all get on; it’s a big contrast to British sailing 20 years ago. — Ian Walker
Only the guy who isn’t rowing has time to rock the boat. — Jean-Paul Sartre
The organization is great, I liked the sailing centre but the race conditions were very difficult. I am very happy that I could cope with the wind and win. — Ben Ainslie
To desire and strive to be of some service to the world, to aim at doing something which shall really increase the happiness and welfare and virtue of mankind – this is a choice which is possible for all of us; and surely it is a good haven to sail for. — Henry Van Dyke
And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein. — Bible Bible
The sooner we learn to be jointly responsible, the easier the sailing will be. — Ella Maillart
I think to a large extent, the sailing crew selects the sailing crew, and that’s what’s happened with James over the past few months, — Peter Gilmour
Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore. — Thomas Campion
It was the unique hull and rigging design of the Western Shore that gave her such fast sailing qualities. Those records have not been surpassed to this day by commercial sailing vessels. — Steven Priske
The governor personally came here, assigned a dozen staff members to work the hall like it was a political convention and it squeaked by with 11 votes. Unless they’re going to assign a dozen staff to every voter in California, I don’t think Prop. 76 is sailing very high right now. — Alex Padilla
Thought is the wind and knowledge the sail. — David Hare
The best that science can devise and that naval organization can provide must be regarded only as an aid, and never as a substitute for good seamanship. — Chester W. Nimitz
Say, it’s only a paper moon, / Sailing over a cardboard sea. — Y. Harburg
I am confident of sailing through. You can expect a miracle to happen by Jan 27. — Dharam Singh
We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty, driven from end to end. — Blaise Pascal
He doesn’t have to say it, i feel it too; it’s not subtle – like every bell for miles and miles is ringing at once, loud and clanging, hungry ones and tiny, happy, chiming ones, all of them sounding off in this moment. I put my hands around his neck, pull him to me, and then he’s kissing me hard and so deep, and i am flying, sailing, soaring… — Jandy Nelson
Many of the skippers said it was more like sailing in a real regatta. Rarely do you get to use all three sails, but we did this time. The wind created havoc as all boats came to the line for the starting gun. — George Domenech
Hopefully, this team will start winning and they don’t have anybody else to boo and it’ll be smooth sailing in San Diego for a while. — Phil Nevin
It takes a minimum of six people, working in close harmony, to successfully flush a nautical toilet. That’s why those old ships carried such large crews. — Dave Barry
He’s a boating enthusiast, although that phrase seems too weak to describe the level of his interest, kind of like describing someone as a heroin fancier. — Dave Barry
Sailing really forces you to be present and in the moment. You kind of forget about the bullshit of life. Your thoughts go away because you’re focused on making sure everything’s working. I like being in that place. — Daria Werbowy
My uncle was skipper on the old Claymore sailing out from Oban to the Inner Hebrides. My father worked for MacBraynes all his life, on freight boats and then on ferries crossing to Skye, Barra, Uist, the small isles and Iona. — Johann Lamont
We’re still sailing right now. We’ve done nothing yet. — Verron Haynes
There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea. — Joseph Conrad
What a little vessel of sadness we are, sailing in this muffled silence through the autumn dark. — John Banville
The green appeal of solar sailing – traveling by light, once chemical propellants have done their dirty job of orbital insertion – ought to be powerful. — Thomas Mallon
The romantic appeal of solar sailing has ensured that its advocates consistently come from the worlds of both science fiction and science fact. — Thomas Mallon
If a man is to be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most. — E. B. White
We have a number of sailboats in the club, and we don’t want to be known as just a powerboat club. We want sailing people, too. — Dave Taylor
Writing criticism is to writing fiction and poetry as hugging the shore is to sailing in the open sea. — John Updike
Your Constitution is all sail and no anchor. — Thomas B. Macaulay
No question it’s repairable. We’ll be sailing again before the trials and everything will be fine. We’re extremely fortunate. — Dennis Conner
People say that life is a cesspool of darkness and dispair. Well we of Van Halen are sailing through it in a yacht! — David Lee Roth
I wish I could get all the discourteous drivers on a ship and sail them away and make sure it’s a really horrible, wavy journey and when they get to where they’re going, keep them there. — Alvin Martin
Some things cannot be spoken or discovered until we have been stuck, incapacitated, or blown off course for awhile. Plain sailing is pleasant, but you are not going to explore many unknown realms that way. — David Whyte
Seeing that a Pilot steers the ship in which we sail, who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks, there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness. — John Calvin
I think if humans are really going to explore the solar system, or go beyond our immediate neighborhood, we are going to have to go with nuclear power. Nuclear power really is the development of the steam ship compared to sailing ships. — Steve Howe
Three fishers went sailing away to the west, Away to the west as the sun went down; Each thought on the woman who loved him the best, And the children stood watching them out of the town. — Charles Kingsley
Most sailing ships take what they call trainees, who pay to be part of the crew. The Picton Castle takes people who are absolutely raw recruits. But you can’t just ride along. You’re learning to steer the ship, navigation; you’re pulling lines, keeping a lookout; in the galley you’re cooking. — Billy Campbell
Strike the words white male from all your constitutions, and then, with fair sailing, let us sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish together. — Elizabeth Cady Stanton
The government appreciates that Kenyans seek employment in these ships for their livelihood and that many ships sail up and down the Somalia coastline without any incident. However, it advises Kenyans to avoid sailing towards the coastline of Somalia due to the kidnappings and hijackings which we are witnessing, — Alfred Mutua
There’s precious little to say between day and dark, Perhaps a few words on the implacable will Of time sailing like a magic barque Or something as fine for the amenities…. — Allen Tate
People are saying we’re playing very well at the moment but there are going to be up and down periods, it’s not going to be plain sailing the whole time. — Rodney Eade
There is no doubt we will be sailing Alfa Romeo right at the limit of her ability. That means there is always the risk of something breaking or the technology failing, whether it’s a sunfish hitting a rudder, a plastic bag blocking the cooling inlet of the engine or something simply breaking under the strain. — Neville Crichton
This is largely the methodology I’ve used throughout my career – that is, starting with a question as to what might be the properties of a set of compounds that could be invented which were unusual and unpredictable. Many times I’ve felt a bit like Columbus setting sail. — Donald Cram
We felt he still has what it takes to be a winner in the league and to be a leader. Difficulty is a part of the game. There are very few guys who have clear sailing in the National Football League. — Denny Green
Fortunately the boat we rented had a motor in it You will definitely want this feature on your sailboat too, because if you put up the sails, the boat tips way over, and you could spill your beer. — Dave Barry
Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it. — David Lee Roth
Their elegant shape, showy colours, and slow, sailing mode of flight, make them very attractive objects, and their numbers are so great that they form quite a feature in the physiognomy of the forest, compensating for the scarcity of flowers. — Henry Walter Bates
The whole legal issue has been a distraction, but since February we’ve really tried to isolate the sailing team from it, — Peter Gilmour
Being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned. — Samuel Johnson
Whether the boat you are sailing is big or small, the winds are the same. A sailor goes from one point of land to another, but in the circus we sail from one dream to another. With a smaller boat, it’s easier to navigate around the icebergs. — Daniele Pasca
As a cabin boy on a Norwegian sailing ship I earned five kronen a week in addition to my keep. — Fritz Sauckel
So far there have been few problems. A broken winch was readily repaired by the crew, as was a batten problem in the mainsail. Sailing winds have been excellent and at one point we were flying a hull, — Steve Fossett
We were sailing the boat faster and faster as the week went along. Boat speed is always the key and we were able to come back in a bunch of races. We were real deep today and worked our way through the fleet. — Russell Coutts
It is a ship with a great deal of sail but a very shallow keel. — Robert Bork
I grew up in a sailing family. My dad lived for sailing, and when we moved to Canada when I was a child, he really wanted us to learn. — Daria Werbowy
He who rides the sea of the Nile must have sails woven of patience. — William Golding
The fleet being thus more inclosed will more readily observe the signals, and with greater facility form itself into the line of battle a circumstance which should be kept in view in every order of sailing. — William Falconer
I think becoming an actor because it’s a ridiculously insecure profession to go into. I feel very comfortable but very lucky. I think any time that you imagine that it’s plain sailing for hereon in, then you’re kidding yourself. — Hugh Dancy
