A few years ago, Point Loma son Scott Atkins could have been found catching some waves off the San Diego coast. Now, 21-year-old Atkins has taken his love of the ocean global as he sails around the world surfing the waves of life. His experiences up to this point have allowed him to write an autobiographical account of a young crew member aboard a 68 foot German Brigantine, the Atair. The Atair set sail for Germany from San Diego in November of 2002. “Voyage of the Atair” is the detailed account of that voyage.
His most recent travels currently have him just outside Panama as he prepares to set sail to the South Pacific during the spring. He plans to stop by the Galapagos Islands, home of Charles Darwin’s giant tortoises for which the islands are known. From there, Atkins plans to cruise the South Pacific to Australia, up through the Indian Ocean to South Africa, then the Caribbean and the Panama Canal until finally setting a course for home. All the while, he collects adventurous memories with which to write for his next work.
The ambitious world traveler was able to respond via email to The Beacon in order to tell his story of a young boy who took control of his own life so that he may learn life lessons that can’t be taught in a classroom.
Atkins was born July 5, 1985, in San Diego and attended Sunset View Elementary and Correia Junior High.
“[ I attended] Point Loma High School reluctantly for one year before switching to home-schooling and truly beginning my self-education,” Atkins wrote in an email.
Disenchanted with the education system, Atkins began studying on his own and quickly surpassed his peers, passing the California High School Proficiency Exam at the age of 16. He started his self-education, he wrote, by delving into the great literary works of western civilization, beginning with the Greeks, including Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plato, and continuing down through the ages to Lucretius, Virgil, and Marcus Aurelius. He continued with reading the works of William Shakespeare, the novels of Melville and Dickens, and the plays of Ibsen, Molierre and Shaw among many others.
“Through this reading I was able to multiply my existence far beyond the here and now and adventure to faraway places and ages long past,” Atkins wrote.
But whatever “far away places” his teachings led him through, Atkins had always been drawn back to the ocean, his affinity for the water magnified by his father, Martin, and older brother Lance, both of whom also loved the surf.
In 1999, tragedy struck the Atkins family. The passing of Scott’s older brother, Lance, deeply affected Scott’s view of life. The two had been inseparable at times; Scott loved everything his brother did. The brothers shared a love of the ocean and everything about it, oftentimes having “more fun than any mortal should be allowed.”
“The death of my brother had a profound impact on all aspects of my life. It has driven me to live every day to the fullest, and to live my life in such a way that will allow his memory to be carried on”¦he loved life, and knew how to get the most out of it.” Atkins writes.
The loss of his brother gave Atkins renewed vigor for life. At 17 years of age, Atkins joined up with Captain Klaus Kurz aboard the Atair to set sail for Germany. There, amid a literal sea of possibilities, Atkins found his passion for life on the water. From November of 2002 to June of 2003, the young seaman gained a wealth of skills, including sea handling, meteorology and basic celestial navigation, All of which came in handy as he currently the captain of his own ship, the 37-foot Tayana named the Avventura.
For the better part of the next year, Scott will be sailing around the globe in the Avventura. Now his crew consists of himself and his cousin Ryan Forster. Together they have sailed to Cabo San Lucas, passed through Panama Canal and have surfed the legendary waves of Costa Rica. Right now Atkins is gaining a wealth of adventurous tales to write his next book which he intends, so far, to write as a guide for future travelers. He cites Wanderer by Sterling Hayden, among other literary works, as part of the reason he has embarked on this voyage. Atkins seems to truly live a life of his own, answering to no one but the vicious nurturing of the sea.