280NMI-第七期｜爸爸的小宇宙
桂格的興趣是賽車。他會來這裡學習航行，是因為有一回，為了空出時間去征服某個賽道，他「丟包」孩子去參加一旁的帆船體驗。沒想到，這一場短暫的分離，卻意外開啟了他自己的航道。
我還記得，在課程剛開始的某一天，桂格接到了孩子打來的電話。電話那頭落下了眼淚，因為擔心爸爸即將面對惡劣的風浪。桂格溫柔地安慰著孩子，並答應：等爸爸回到台灣，就教你們一起學航海。
這一路上，桂格飽受暈船所苦。他在航海日誌上畫下自己抱著馬桶嘔吐的模樣，馬桶裡有星星——是海水倒灌進馬桶時，伴隨著擾動而發光的藻類，像一整個宇宙。
也許幾十年後，孩子們各自成家立業，有了自己的生活與伴侶，兒時嘗試過帆船的記憶也許已經模糊了。但也許，在某個出乎意料的瞬間，他們會想起：自己的爸爸，曾為了靠近他們的世界，參加了一場硬核的航海課。想起那個在星空下吐得一塌糊塗，卻拼命想走進他們宇宙的爸爸。
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桂格仍在征服世界各大賽車場的路上，期待下次見面時，分享更多賽道的傳奇故事了！
280NMI–Session 7｜A Father’s Tiny Universe
Quaker’s true passion is racing. He first came to sailing by accident—on one occasion, in order to free up time to conquer a racetrack, he “parked” his kids at a nearby sailing experience camp.
What was meant to be a brief separation ended up unexpectedly opening up a new route—his own passage toward the sea.
I still remember one day early in the course, when Quaker received a phone call from his child. On the other end of the line were tears—his child was worried that Dad might encounter dangerous weather ahead.
Quaker gently reassured them and promised: “When I get back to Taiwan, I’ll teach you how to sail.”
Throughout the journey, Quaker battled relentless seasickness. In his logbook, he sketched a drawing of himself clinging to the toilet, throwing up—inside the bowl were stars.
They weren’t just in his mind—the toilet had taken in seawater laced with glowing plankton, stirred into luminescence by the motion of the sea. A whole little universe, swirling in the dark.
Decades from now, his children may have lives of their own, with families and routines far from the sea. The memory of that childhood sailing camp may blur with time.
But maybe—just maybe—at some unexpected moment, they’ll remember: their father once joined a hardcore sailing course just to move closer to their world.
They’ll remember the dad who, under a starry sky, was vomiting his soul out—but still trying with everything he had to step into their universe.
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Quaker is still out there, chasing racetracks around the world.
We look forward to hearing more of his legendary trackside tales the next time we meet.