Sailing—Philosophy for Everyone. Patrick Goold (Ed.). May 2012. Chapter Ten Weighing Anchor J. Ilundáin‐Agurruza, Luísa Gagliardini Graça, and J. Jáuregui‐Olaiz Ahoy! He who would go to sea for pleasure, would go to hell for a pastime. French Proverb Proverbs let on more than the popular “wisdom” with which they are often credited. They serve as heuristic shortcuts to more or less successful common sense solutions. They also reveal the communal psyche of a people and their culture. In Japan, where the katana was the samurai’s soul, the sword terminology and maxims dominate Japanese expressions. In seafaring nations such as England, Spain or Portugal, nautical idioms command the helm. So, while the Japanese speak of tsuba‐zeriai for a dogged fight to the end where sword guards – tsubas – hook, we say that things come to the bitter end. We needn’t get overly dramatic. We’re still moored! So, let the French saying unfurl for a bit, and allow its implications to luff in your mind. What does it say about us, sailing‐obsessed people? It intimates a certain lunacy, heading out to sea does require an inclination for the intrepid. It also bespeaks of women and men of a particular mettle: persons who enjoy when others are taken aback. Additionally, it suggests that whoever coined it forswore sailing due to a nasty bout of seasickness (many of us sailors have paid culinary tribute to Neptune at one wave or another, but by and large this is forgotten with the promise of another thrilling close‐hauled run). What’s in the offing? We’ve charted a four‐leg course for our essay that explores the rich aesthetic waters of a life on sails, specifically its sublime, tempestuous, graceful, and existential facets.