Packing for 4 Month Cruise

[Dkdoyle]

Ha ha. Some of the guys just like to have way to much fun. They aren't serious. More of a test to see of you can take it in humor.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

I gotta say, I am not enjoying this forum as much as I used to when I joined and members were kind, supportive and funny. Not so much any more. It seems this place now often turns into a Battle of the Bitches. . .
Please, guys... Can't you just start being nice?

No. Not going to happen . . . 2nd law of thermodynamics (and web forums).
CruiserLog went down when moderators started bad mouthing posters and now they have to talk to each other. L & A without its photos section would probably not keep much of what is left of a vague association with cruisers and boats. And the rest of the sailing/boat forums I have been able to access are likewise shallow in depth and wanting for serious cruising/sail/power posters. Even SSCA's forum is a shadow of its former self.

Add in the new ability of people anywhere, anytime to fire off "one-liners" or instant responses from their smart phones/tablets/pads without even reading anything or very much of anything in a thread and you get what you are noticing. On the positive side, all that poster traffic is definitely a plus for increasing advertiser rates.

The world on land marches on in one direction only and you can either enjoy the ride or buy a cruising boat and sail off out of range of instant wide-band access. IMHO, much saner "out there" and more real (old fashioned real).

[sarafina]

And yet... the help and assistance I have received here and over at sailnet has been invaluable, and the encouragement and support have far outweighed the idjits, who can be found anywhere, both virtually and in analog form.

So I (usually) ignore the idjits, thank the geniuses and enjoy all the rest.

My experience is there isn't much difference between the virtual and the analog, except for the ignore list... now if there was just a way to activate an analog ignore function... THAT would be sweet ; -)

[captainKJ]

It would be a very dull forum without the humor, sarcasm, and fun that we all have. What one person takes as sarcasm is humor to another. Sometime you have to read between the lines. Friends can make jokes at each other thinking it is funny while an observer might take it as sarcasm. It take all types to make a forum. If this was 100 percent serious forum it would be no fun. Some of these threads have gone on forever and it is all fun. That make a forum. I have received more QUALITY info on this forum than any other.

[mjwarner]

Originally Posted by captainKJ

It would be a very dull forum without the humor, sarcasm, and fun that we all have. What one person takes as sarcasm is humor to another. Sometime you have to read between the lines. Friends can make jokes at each other thinking it is funny while an observer might take it as sarcasm. It take all types to make a forum. If this was 100 percent serious forum it would be no fun. Some of these threads have gone on forever and it is all fun. That make a forum. I have received more QUALITY info on this forum than any other.

Couldn't have said that better myself! I love it when some light-hearted ribbing can liven up a thread. We aren't bickering... we poke some fun mixed with harmless sarcasm and/or ribbing at each other once in a while. We are pretty good at being able to tell who can take it, or who doesn't have a funny bone and should be left alone. We know DOJ can take as well as he dishes out, and it is all between friends, after all. Viva the camaraderie!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by mjwarner

Couldn't have said that better myself! I love it when some light-hearted ribbing can liven up a thread. We aren't bickering... we poke some fun mixed with harmless sarcasm and/or ribbing at each other once in a while. We are pretty good at being able to tell who can take it, or who doesn't have a funny bone and should be left alone. We know DOJ can take as well as he dishes out, and it is all between friends, after all. Viva the camaraderie!

i'm keeping quiet other wise i will be told to stand in the naughty corner again........

[delmarrey]

Yeah! But what about Mark?

Originally Posted by sarafina

And yet... the help and assistance I have received here and over at sailnet has been invaluable, and the encouragement and support have far outweighed the idjits, who can be found anywhere, both virtually and in analog form.
Sometimes one has to be mean, in a finessing way, for it to sink in.
So I (usually) ignore the idjits, thank the geniuses and enjoy all the rest.

My experience is there isn't much difference between the virtual and the analog, except for the ignore list... now if there was just a way to activate an analog ignore function... THAT would be sweet ; -)

Some husbands have become experts at that.

[cwyckham]

Sorry to bring things back on track on this rather hilarious thread, but...

A bunch of people mentioned bringing a sextant. Maybe not such a bad idea? A sextant and some tables won't take up too much room, and you can at least make some use of your time aboard by learning some celestial navigation or honing your skills. Most of us can't find a clear horizon to take shots.

And, as a bonus, the other passenger will think you're insane when you explain to them that you don't trust the captain's navigation because he's too dependent on GPS and you're just double checking, just in case.

Of course, if Sara's going up the inside passage there may not be a horizon anyways...

[rubyjean]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

Sorry to bring things back on track on this rather hilarious thread, but...

A bunch of people mentioned bringing a sextant. Maybe not such a bad idea? A sextant and some tables won't take up too much room, and you can at least make some use of your time aboard by learning some celestial navigation or honing your skills. Most of us can't find a clear horizon to take shots.

And, as a bonus, the other passenger will think you're insane when you explain to them that you don't trust the captain's navigation because he's too dependent on GPS and you're just double checking, just in case.

Of course, if Sara's going up the inside passage there may not be a horizon anyways...

Never hurts to learn a new skill, just have fun with it. If you were on my crew it would make me proud that you wanted to check your position aganist mine. It would show me that you have interest. When I started out on my first Pacific crossing in 1978 to Hawaii, they were the only tool we had. I'm still not to confortable w/ GPS, I have gotten no signal several times. Made me wonder what was going on w/ the DOD..Michael..

[rob d]

I don't wander on this board too much but enjoyed reading the whole thread in the past hour.
I'd have to say that a cruise on a cruise ship to Alaska for a week for two would cost more than I have invested in my 21 foot sloop, trailer and the truck that pulls them along with what we have spent cruising the boat on our limited cruising schedule for the past nine years. I'd have to think that is the reason most of us have just a bit of disdain for the cruise trip thing. We start thinking what that amount of money would allow us to do either cruising in the boat or to the boat.

Then there is the cruising schedule for the ships going from Vancouver to Seward 7-NIGHT GLACIER DISCOVERY - NORTHBOUND - HAL Zaandam Cruise Ship - Starting in Vancouver with stops in Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, At Sea (Gulf of Alaska), Seward That may not be the line or time but they cruise past all the things we deem interesting in the middle of the night while we sleep so the ship can dock at the next port at breakfast time to let the passengers out for the day and then load them up in the evening to head to the next stop overnight.
A coworker took one of The Alaska cruises a couple of years ago. He took a ton of photos but all that were taken on the boat showed the stateroom, dining room, table they were seated at and how close it was to the captain's table, the entry to the casino and a few of the performers in the nightly shows. Not one photo of scenery from the decks and in fact not one photo of the decks. He did talk at length about what they had for dinner and then what he saw when he was off the boat while he was hunting down the list of geo cashe sites he had printed out and marked off one at a time at each stop.

When we get the "real cruising boat" the plan is to spend several months of summer poking around the inside passage checking out the places we have rread about in Sea or Pacific Yachting or online or heard about from friends who have gone. Those off to the side spots that the cruise ships pass in the middle of the night are what we are planning on stopping at and spending time at.
Dinner will be what we catch if it is in season and what we dig out of the freezer or storage cabinet but that may be worth a photo at time along with the scenery around the boat at anchor.

Sara I'd suggest taking along the laptop with charts of the inside passage and a usb gps to track the voyage and be able to look up what you are cruising past. You may not see Princes Lousia inlet and Chatterbox falls on this trip but you will know when you went past on the ship and can mark it for a later trip up the inside passage on a much smaller boat.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

Sorry to bring things back on track on this rather hilarious thread, but...

A bunch of people mentioned bringing a sextant. Maybe not such a bad idea? A sextant and some tables won't take up too much room, and you can at least make some use of your time aboard by learning some celestial navigation or honing your skills. Most of us can't find a clear horizon to take shots.

And, as a bonus, the other passenger will think you're insane when you explain to them that you don't trust the captain's navigation because he's too dependent on GPS and you're just double checking, just in case.

Of course, if Sara's going up the inside passage there may not be a horizon anyways...

Bash said to bring one, so I am ; -) And hey, I hijacked this thread fair and square!

Originally Posted by rubyjean

Never hurts to learn a new skill, just have fun with it. If you were on my crew it would make me proud that you wanted to check your position aganist mine.

It's been 20 years since I touched one. I think I need a crash course!

Originally Posted by rob d

I don't wander on this board too much but enjoyed reading the whole thread in the past hour.
I'd have to say that a cruise on a cruise ship to Alaska for a week for two would cost more than I have invested in my 21 foot sloop, trailer and the truck that pulls them along with what we have spent cruising the boat on our limited cruising schedule for the past nine years. I'd have to think that is the reason most of us have just a bit of disdain for the cruise trip thing. We start thinking what that amount of money would allow us to do either cruising in the boat or to the boat.

Sara I'd suggest taking along the laptop with charts of the inside passage and a usb gps to track the voyage and be able to look up what you are cruising past. You may not see Princes Lousia inlet and Chatterbox falls on this trip but you will know when you went past on the ship and can mark it for a later trip up the inside passage on a much smaller boat.

I think you are so right about the money priority. It's not even my money and it's STILL killing me ; -)

And the charting idea is sheer brilliance! I love it! I have a tablet with gps built in and we have a handheld garmin. I'll have to figure out the best way to do it! That is just a very cool idea!

Oh, and I got a new dress last week. Thrift store cheap but really nice. and small so it will pack well.

(Paying lip service to the topic don't'cha know?)

[captainKJ]

Oh, and I got a new dress last week. Thrift store cheap but really nice. and small so it will pack well.


Modeling photos PLEASE

[captainKJ]

Hey Sara, do a little internet digging and you will find out that with BASECAMP,a free program from garmin that you take your track from the gps, download to basecamp, convert file, and load onto google earth. it is a neat program that garman puts out,,, enjoy the trip

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by rob d

. . .
Sara I'd suggest taking along the laptop with charts of the inside passage and a usb gps to track the voyage and be able to look up what you are cruising past. . .

That probably would not work - just saw a cable TV program on how they build these cruise ships. Each compartment is built in a separate factory and is a totally separate "box" of metal with everything installed in it. The "box" is then lowered into the skeleton hull and bolted in place and everything connected up. So you could say that each "box"/compartment is a sort of Faraday Cage and a GPS would not be able to receive any satellite signals especially for any "inside" (i.e., cheap compartments). The more expensive "outside" compartments all have balonies so the GPS antenna could be put out there. But I don't think I would want to leave a computer running outside on the balcony.

Or - you could spend the whole trip doing the "stand on the bow - Titanic movie" thing with your arms outstretched and a Garmin GPS76 in one hand . . .

[captainKJ]

Or - you could spend the whole trip doing the "stand on the bow - Titanic movie" thing with your arms outstretched and a Garmin GPS76 in one hand . . .


that would look good in the new mini skirt