Why Every Sailor Should Join Facebook: Insights from Cap’n Fatty and Mark Zuckerberg
Discover how Cap'n Fatty Goodlander and Mark Zuckerberg share a common passion that has revolutionized how sailors like you connect, share, and plan adventures using Facebook.
What do Gary “Cap’n Fatty” Goodlander and Mark Zuckerberg have in common? You might wonder, “Who is this Mark guy, and what does he have to do with Cap’n Fatty?” The answer is: more than you think.
Sailing the World vs. Changing the World
First, Cap’n Fatty is sailing around the world, while Mark is changing the world; second, they both started following their passions at an early age with little or no money; third, both have achieved great success in their endeavors; and fourth, Cap’n Fatty has given us captivating stories and books, while Mark has given us Facebook! Yes, Mark is the 20-something founder and CEO of the revolutionary social-networking site Facebook.com. As both a sailboat captain and web developer, I find their stories equally fascinating and inspiring.
Facebook: A Digital Anchor for Sailors
Whether you live in one of the world’s greatest cities, like New York, London, or Tokyo, or prefer quiet, secluded anchorages while cruising around the globe, chances are you’ve at least heard of Facebook or use it daily to stay in touch with family and friends.
Facebook offers many useful features for sailors, such as Pages, Photos & Videos, Applications, Groups, and Events. These tools help us connect with other sailors, manage photos, sell services, advertise regattas and cruises, and much more—all from the comfort of our cabins or cockpits, often for the same cost as our precious wind…absolutely free!
Becoming a Facebook Sailing Enthusiast
I must admit, I’ve been a Facebook enthusiast for over a year now. I check it at least once daily and have over 300 “friends”—some of whom I can hardly remember.
To get a sense of how awesome Facebook is, just log on and check out the photo of the “Sailor’s Gathering at Icacos.” Downing Dark ‘n Stormies on our sailboat one lazy afternoon, we had 14 people from the United States, England, Spain, Nevis, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. They now enjoy this photo and each other’s updates from wherever they are, just by being Facebook friends.
Simplifying Life for Sailors
I used to spend countless hours resizing photos, creating web pages, and adding them to our website. Now, thanks to the Facebook Photo Uploader, I can create an album and load my photos in minutes right after I get home from vacation—or better yet, during vacation from my phone.
As a web developer, I appreciate how easy Facebook makes things for non-techies, and as a sailor, I love how easy it is to plan a cruise with my sailing buddies or enjoy photos from sailors in distant locations.
Connecting Sailors Around the Globe
My Facebook friends range in age from pre-teens, like my kids, to septuagenarians, like my parents. They include high school friends, teachers, the governor of Puerto Rico, power boaters, and sailors like “Cap’n Fatty” Goodlander. They’re scattered across the globe, from India to Spain, Bermuda to California, and Colombia to Canada. Just think of the possibilities and opportunities this provides.
Do a simple search for “Sailing Caribbean” on Facebook, and you’ll get hundreds of results—from the St. Lucia Yacht Club to the Kialoa V Offshore Sailing & Caribbean Adventures, sailing clubs, sailboat owner groups, regattas, sailing charters—sailing venues are all taking advantage of Facebook to let everyone know they’re out there.
Join the Digital Sailing Community
If you haven’t joined Facebook yet, why not do so today? If you decide to join, look me up, and invite me if you like—I’d be glad to be your first Facebook “friend.” But I must go now—I need to log into Facebook and see what my friends are up to today. Hasta la vista, sailors!
Capt. Tony Miró is a lifelong sailor, photographer, and web developer who lives in Puerto Rico with his family, where they sail aboard their Hunter 376 ¡Nada Mas! He supports three sailing websites: www.huntersailors.com, www.sailboatspecs.com, and www.caribesailingadventures.com.
Tony Miro has written for ALL AT SEA since 2007.
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