A small boat that sails the river is better than a large ship that sinks in the sea.

A sailor is not defined as much by how many seas he has sailed than by how many storms he has overcome.

You don't command wind in the direction it blows, but you command a ship in the direction it sails.

A great pilot can sail even if his canvas is rent.

Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.

If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.

Little boats must keep the shore, larger boats may venture more.

The winds and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.

Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.

There is no trick to being a captain as long as the sea is quiet.

In order to realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the stress of the storm.

In a calm sea every man is a pilot.

A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.

I'm not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.

Being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned.

The happiest hour a sailor sees Is when he's down At an inland town, With his Nancy on his knees, yo ho! And his arm around her waist!

There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.

Nowhere else than upon the sea do the days, weeks, and months fall away quicker into the past. They seem to be left astern as easily as the light air-bubbles in the swirls of the ship's wake.

Ports are necessities, like postage stamps or soap, but they seldom seem to care what impressions they make.

Land was created to provide a place for steamers to visit.