I’m currently sitting in Maui, Hawaii, with a couple days left on our family vacation, waiting for it to get light out so that I begin my search once more. I’m staying on Sugar Beach, and there is a rumor of a sunken sailboat just a little way offshore in water shallow enough that it can be seen. A couple here claim to have seen it who told me approximately where it is, so I have been paddling back and forth head down trying to spot the elusive boat. 

I’m up against a few factors in finding this boat. One, if the wind picks up at all and there are ripples on the water, I can’t see to the bottom where the treasure lies, which means I get a short search window in the morning. Secondly, no one is exactly sure where this sailboat is. The couple that claims to have seen the boat came out with me, and they couldn’t find it either. Thirdly, it has apparently been a couple years since anyone has seen it, so sand may have covered the entire ship leaving the ship to nothing but tales of those who once witnessed it. 

At this point, the odds of finding this elusive sailboat seem slim. Still, as I go back and forth enjoying paddling on the Pacific Ocean, I realize that I will be just fine if I don’t find it. The journey, like most things in life, is the real treasure. The thrill of the search has led to more time on the water and the wondering of my imagination of what this sunken ship must look like. In my mind, it is some ship that was associated with Captain Cook, which I’m sure is far more impressive than the little catamaran that is probably slowly being buried in the sand. 

There are thousands of quotes about life being a journey, but it’s good to occasionally be reminded of it. I am fortunate that I have a couple more days remaining on this journey before I return to my journey back home. Whatever journey you’re in the midst of, enjoy it. In the end, the journey may be all there is. 

Ok, I wrote the whole post above, and I didn’t want to change anything I wrote because I feel it is all valid, but right after I finished this post, I went back out and actually found the boat! It was not some explorer’s ship searching for lands around the world but cool, nonetheless. I am happy I found it, but to keep my journey going, I heard there’s a car in the water that drove off the pier. I’m going to try and find that tomorrow. 

To see more of this trip check out Adventure Within Reach on Instagram or YouTube.