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MBLittle · 22-05-2014, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

why would a 30s cruiser want to hang out with a 60s cruiser, isn't one trying to get away from their parents and the other trying to get away from their kids?

Hahaha. Awesome.

My wife and I have always identified with people older than us, and as such, tend to form better relationships with people not our age. Although 60 is a bit high on the totem pole (most of the time) you'll see us around 40-50yo more often than 20-30yo.

As far as the 60yo wanting to get away from the kids, I dunno, we have a 2yo daughter, there are plenty of glad to be 'grandma and grandpa for the day' people out there

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MBLittle · 22-05-2014, 11:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by weavis

naah.
There is just a lot more tossers in the world now.
Age is not the difference. Lot of older people on here that others of same age do not want to be associated with.
Manners, attitude and politeness have all changed.
Few people observe yachting niceties anymore..... no more observing protocol, just a "me first' attitude.
NOt easy to trust anymore.
Im always wary WHOMEVER I meet. Looking for the shoe to drop......
ITs the way it is. People in my clinic making up diseases to get drugs prescribed.......
lots of whack jobs on the water too now.
ITs not the same. We have to be more careful. Its just trickled into this part of our world too.

I agree. There are way more people in the world. More and more every year. Mad consumerism insures plenty of new boats being built to drain wallets.

I also say that with technology comes more awareness. I don't think that there is necessarily more crime and such in the world (per capita), just that news of it is more readily available.

Just as many wackjobs in the 70s as the 2000s, but now we have 24 hour media pointing out every single bad incident.

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robert sailor · 22-05-2014, 12:18

Cruising has changed. When we started cruising most of the cruisers were our age (30-40) and now most cruisers are our age (60-70) We sailed simple boats with simple systems that most of us could repair but today very few people can or want to be able to repair the much more sophisticated systems and now I'm one of them.
Today we are in the Med, its a wonderful area to see history and experience unique cultures but there are so many boats here that it is difficult to find the voyagers. By that I mean full time sailors that cross oceans. For the most part 98% of the sailors we have met did not sail here from anywhere else. They either bought the boat here and are staying here or they had it shipped here from someplace else. We are having a wonderful time here but it does not even resemble in any way our experiences of the past in the South Pacific where beach pot lucks and cruiser parties were a normal part of everyday life plus no matter the problem if you were in need of help other cruisers pitched in. There were daily nets on the SSB and cruisers always kept in touch with each other but today only a few bother. I have been away from sailing and if the Med was once what Boaty describes then yes cruising has changed. We are heading to the Caribbean later this year and I'm told that cruisers there are a bit more like the old days compared to the Med but only time will tell. Either way, its what you make out of it that counts and we have met lots of friendly people here in the Med but its been work compared to past years in other parts of the world.

**Hudson Force** · 22-05-2014, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBLittle

From some observations (personally and through blogs) it seems the older crowd is a little hostile or bitter to the younger crowd.

Perhaps it's those second life cruisers you speak of being bent out of shape that a 30something can afford to cruise and they had to wait until retirement.

Perhaps it's the old salts being bent out of shape at newbies who like technology and couldn't possibly be as great as them.

Most likely a combination, but there is animosity against younger cruisers, even from those who have been doing it since their 30s as well.

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We don't see this animosity toward younger cruisers, but then I never... never read those boring blogs! We were young cruisers and later we were cruisers with infants. These were wonderful times for us and we are sad to see so few younger cruisers out today. We can't be more friendly and accepting of young cruisers!

I remember anchoring near Melbourne, Florida in our early thirties and some older cruisers (probably younger than I am now) complemented our technique of anchoring under sail. Later we met in West Palm Beach and they taught my five year old son how to fillet his catch. These same interactions happen with us today, but we are on the older side.

**weavis** · 22-05-2014, 14:11

captain58sailin · 22-05-2014, 14:28

If there are younger folks out there cruising and I come across them, I say "more power to them". Life is too short and uncertain, live your own way. My issue is with rudeness regardless of age group.

SimonV · 22-05-2014, 16:25

My observations are if you stay in your own country and seriously cruise, you tend to build a network of fellow Cruisers. Time is short for those still working for a living so when they get out they tend to keep to themselves or cruise in company. Once you leave your country and especially into distant horizons it's a whole different story. Everyone is in the same boat as far as being self reliant, so the meet and greets are a given when in far away anchorages. The comaradary is strong and knowing, knowledge and help are only a cooee away. Last year we spent 2 weeks in Vanuatu helping out a fellow cruiser who had emergency surgery in a 3rd no make that a 4th world hospital. True Cruisers are always there for one another in times of need, but it all starts with pot lucks, sundowners and party's.

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BandB · 22-05-2014, 16:48

The more things change the more they stay the same. There has never been a generation not to think some things have changed for the worse. They look back and remember things often better than they really were. Or when their lives were simpler. Some of the things that have made changes we perceive negatively are the same things that have benefited us in other ways.

One key to me is stay in touch with all generations. You read about younger generations or just see glimpses of them, you think one way. But get to know them as friends and you find far different. Same with older. At a distance the person who seems old and grouchy, up close becomes fascinating and funny. Really the only change I think that does make a huge difference is the number of people as the amount of space on the planet remains the same. More people, same space, that does change things some. Second is that as great as it is to see the world virtually or have such incredible communications we know what's going on everywhere, we also see and know more of the bad now. There were awful things going on a generation ago that we had no knowledge of, but the same things today we are aware of. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

We have to be careful as we see more of the bad to make sure we find more of the good. It's out there. And it's so easy to dislike "those people" whoever that group might be. People who symbolize something to you. But when you know people one on one, it's so much different.

I think I always had a love of people but way too shy to show it. My wife lacks any degree of shyness and has opened me up. People I never would have known, I've met and gotten to know. It really helps. I don't like the actions of many in the world. I detest the hate we see. But for the most part I do love people. All kinds of people. Including those with whom I on the surface have absolutely nothing in common with. We were at an art gallery a while today. There was this girl looking at the same item we were, but we couldn't figure it out. She proceeded to tell us all about the sculpture and what was behind the piece, what it was meant to portray. We have no tattoos, I change my mind way too much. Her body was a tattoo artists work of art. We invited her to lunch and then even on the boat for a couple of hours. It was fascinating to learn what each tattoo symbolized and how it represented part of her. Absolutely one of the most fascinating people we could meet. But also one with such depth, intelligence, and caring about the world around her. We can't wait to see some of her art. Probably going to be way out of our norm, something we can't grasp until she explains it to us, but then we'll see the beauty I'm sure. What an unexpected surprise to meet her today. Just forty miles from home. Came out of us just wanting to get out on the water, open things up and go fast for a change.

I think the changing life is what each of us makes of it. Some better, some worse. We just choose to let the better stay strong within us so the worse can't take us down. On those days we spend time trying to deal with some of the worse, we make sure we then remember the better as well. If my wife would let me I'd probably get down and dwell too much on that which I can't fix. But she is smarter than me. So I do what I can, but I enjoy the good.

tomfl · 22-05-2014, 16:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by robert sailor

SNIP

There were daily nets on the SSB and cruisers always kept in touch with each other but today only a few bother.

SNIP

First time I went to the Bahamas the only radio on the boat was a cheap AM portable that we would tune to WQAM and then turn the radio till it went silent so we knew we were headed to Miami. I doubt any cruisers had SSBs.

As for nets they do exist now in many places in the Bahamas but are more VHF than SSB and local.

As others have noted there are a lot more people cruising. One thing I have noticed is what I will call obvious bias against multihulls. Back in the day there you simply did not see any cruising cats.

Another thing I have noted is it is common to hear folks on the net saying they can fix things on the boat for a price. At the pot lucks it common for there to be folks who are clearly looking for work, and they can have widely varying skill levels.

Bottom line is the increase in the number of people cruising means there is an increase in the variety of people you meet, some of them are nice and some not so nice.

tomfl · 22-05-2014, 17:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by BandB

SNIP

One key to me is stay in touch with all generations. You read about younger generations or just see glimpses of them, you think one way. But get to know them as friends and you find far different.

SNIP

Maybe not cruisers but when I spent a couple of months in the Dry Tortugas last year I met several "younger" folks. Again not cruisers but I also own a condo near a large well know state university, obviously full of younger folks I get to know.

Any google search will confirm today's younger generation is in much worse physical shape than previous generations by objective measures like BMI and similar measurements. And this is not limited to the younger generation, way too many folks today are simply in much worse physical shape than in the past.

Maybe the biggest change not just in the boat owners but the population as a whole is the decline in physical abilities.

Adventurebound · 22-05-2014, 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by weavis

Of course not! Pushing aircraft in water is not really a good thing!

Now I know why I had to keep replacing rusty aircraft parts.

**Hudson Force** · 22-05-2014, 19:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by BandB

The more things change the more they stay the same. There has never been a generation not to think some things have changed for the worse. They look back and remember things often better than they really were. Or when their lives were simpler. Some of the things that have made changes we perceive negatively are the same things that have benefited us in other ways. ...................

I love your posts! If Band"B" is ever playing on a stage in our area I'm going to show up and rock out to your music! I'll probably even buy the t-shirt,- Thanks!

Blue Crab · 22-05-2014, 19:40

One thing that always puts me off about meeting people sailing or RVing or biking or kayaking or whatever is all the questions they ask me. This behavior is far more commonplace now than I have ever noticed before.

I don't do this to strangers even on the rare occasion when I may actually be curious. Mostly I don't really care what you do or did or how much money you make, and I have to wonder why folks seem to be in such a hurry to let me know those kinds of things, especially when I haven't asked.

If you are a doctor, lawyer, or Indian Chief that's great! Cool Fing beans! Me too! So what? I was also a teacher, contract killer, entrepreneur, conveyor salesman, cabdriver, comm'l fisherman, horticulturalist, fishing guide, scuba instructor ... blah blah blah... Why do ya need to know? To quote our next U.S. president, "what difference does it make?"

I meet people who absolutely insist on getting a tour of my boat. If invited, I might go aboard your vessel but in a million years, I wouldn't ask for a looksee! WTF? I have a female acquaintance who has her own boat but has actually badgered me about seeing my setup.

I have fended her off so many times I'd think she'd have realized by now I don't want visitors aboard. I'd happily concede that her boat is nicer than mine (if you like a certain brand of boat which I don't particularly) but she hangs in there. If she were just interested in getting laid, I'd have taken care of that long ago. I think she's just nosy.

I came into some dough awhile back, and several "friends" wanted to know how much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What has happened to common courtesy?

Mates, one thing I like about our virtual fellowship is that we have no need to share our personal information until there is some mutual interest. Let's keep it that way, eh?