Tunes that tune the mind…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the days we work after returning from a regatta really are the hardest you have to deal with. The depression kicks in and you close your eyes and dream of being in the happy place you were just one week prior…

Whilst driving home from work yesterday afternoon, in the dark and in the rain, two songs came onto the radio that propelled me further into a dream studded state of past living.

These songs captured moments in time that will forever remind me of the times I have experienced whilst sailing.

The first was “Four to the Floor” by Starsailor. Each and every time I hear this tune it reminds me of the delivery back from Hamilton Island in 2004 aboard the classic yacht “Koomooloo” with two of my closest friends. That trip was an eye opener as it was my first delivery home from a regatta. Normally I take a plane. The sailing was fantastic and the company made it even better. That particular song came from the Ministry of Sound CD which was played over and over again as it was the only one we had on board for the entire five day trip! However there were two moments when the song came on that just sum up the entire delivery. The first was leaving King Fisher Bay at 0300 hours and sailing in the pouring rain down the Sandy Straits. It felt as though we were in a disco rather than on a 41’ racing yacht. The second time it evolved into my memory bank was just as we departed Mooloolaba. We had a brief stop to wait for the tide so decided to make an actual trip to the discos, however we were out of clean clothes so our only option was to make an appearance in our wet weather gear. Boots and all! When the tide finally decided to turn into our favoured direction it was back on board for the final journey home. We stepped onto the boat and blasted the tunes. The song came on again so the order to boom dance was given!

The other song that captures a moment for me is “Comfortably Numb” by the Scissor Sisters. A cover of a classic yet with its own unique styling that sticks in your mind like rum sticks to the disco floor. This song takes me back to when I was working on the super yacht “Silvertip”. One of the most amazing eras of my life all captured within a few beats and lyrics to make the mind ponder. Each and every time I hear this song I close my eyes and dream of the yesteryear when I was cruising across the Pacific bound for Fiji (except when I’m driving of course… I pull over first, and then close my eyes…). When this song was belted over the sound system the crew would hit the deck and just start dancing. Ten days at sea really can make you loopy… Once we arrived safely in the clear waters of the tropical Fijian islands the entire CD would be played on repeat for hours on end. To this day, I never get tired of hearing it due to the amazing thoughts it massages through my mind…

But am I the only one that experiences the mood altering thoughts that a song can portray? Is there a song you hear that pin points an extreme experience you once had whilst sailing or during a regatta that sparks a fire inside of you? Perhaps if I learn there are more unique tunes out there that encourage memories of sailing experiences we could compile an LSD CD.

Close your eyes and take yourself back to that happy place you once found with a backing track that set the mood and captured a moment that mattered…

In the mean time… I will work through the pain of returning to reality…