Into the wild: sailing through leisure hybridity and self-other interculturality upon an ocean-crossing tall ship

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study explores the in-betweenness and the temporal freedom in leisure and intercultural experiences, particularly in the outdoor setting of a sailing expedition. An ethnography study was conducted to explore the in-betweenness of liminoid leisure space and self-other interculturality during an EU-exchange tall ship sail-training voyage. The physical confinement of the sailing ship blurred the boundaries of the participants’ perceived and experiential leisure space, the pre-determined ship schedule and routines provided an unconventional sense of time fluidity, and the assembled socio-cultural diversity onboard formed a stage of unfamiliarity. The finding reveals that the spatial, temporal and relational features on a sailing ship enabled individuals to go through leisure hybridity together and co-negotiate meanings that promote diversity and understanding, participants’ perceived and temporal freedom and satisfaction, and relational harmony.