The article recounts the author's challenging childhood spent aboard the sailing vessel Wavewalker, where the contrast between their parents' idealistic view of freedom through sailing and the harsh realities faced by the author creates profound tension. The author experienced significant physical dangers, including a severe accident resulting in head injuries, and emotional challenges like lack of proper medical care, isolation from peers, and the absence of a stable home life. With no means of escape, the author's youth is portrayed as a form of captivity, despite the boat symbolizing adventure for their parents.
While Wavewalker represented freedom for my parents - they could pull up the anchor and sail away whenever they wanted - it was a prison for me.
I fractured my skull and broke my nose in that accident and had to endure multiple head operations without anesthesia on the small atoll that we eventually found in the middle of the ocean.
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