Universal Sailor

In nursing theory there is a concept of mutuality. It has two parts. First, it describes other people acting on one's behalf because they would do the same thing for themselves. The second part describes a health professional doing what a patient would do if they had their faculties....sort of doing the right thing for a patient even if the patient is currently antagonistic. An example might be keeping a self-destructive person from acting out and harming himself.
We didn't need the second type of mutuality, but benefitted greatly from the first part. Today we met an older sailor named Doug Daniel and he sort of took us under his wing. He provided transportation to the boat chandlery, helped us negotiate a good deal on a whisker pole, and brought us back to the boat; then he counseled us on trouble shooting the alternator, and gave us a lot of advice. No expectation. No payment in kind demanded or even considered. We did take him to dinner, which was wholly inadequate.
We come to realize that this is the crux of cruising sailors. We are all vulnerable and subject to the complexities of trying to keep modern systems running on our boats. The knowledge and scope of the work often exceeds the man or woman. So, akin to pioneers on the prairie or an Amish community, mutual aid is given and accepted. Strangers do the mundane to help each other out, but also go to heroic and extraordinary measures in a crisis. Because we are all nomadic the reality is that you can only pay it forward. This HUGE mutual aid society or compact is the best of cruising. Thank you, Doug. We will pay it forward in full, we promise.