What happens to all the wannabees?

[sv Winterlude]

We were "wannabees". We didn't ask our "wannabee" questions here, those were on the old AOL 2400 baud cruising forum and eventually the old Cruising World Bulletin Board (the original CWBB) - I'm sure I drove those folks crazy.

BUT, after actually buying a boat, one of the hardest things that we did was to actually LEAVE. In fact, I specifically remember Steve from Steve's Yacht Services (?) in Annapolis telling me "NO ... no more additions/renovations/upgrades - you need to GO SAILING and USE this boat!" So we left Annapolis.

And after six years cruising the Western Caribbean to Cartagena, we got blown back to SW Florida, supposedly for a one year refit ... and now two years later, we've only made it to the Exumas and back to SW Florida.

I'm amazed at the boaters in our marina say things like "you actually LEFT?"

Yep, but now we seem to be temporarily (I hope) "stuck in the muck" as Eileen Quinn would sing....

[CCBullseye]

Electronics? Does a $15 portable 9volt weather radio and a $10 wrist watch count? Spent a season sailing up and down and across the Chesapeake Bay with those and a boyscout compass and chart and 6volt flashlight and hurricane oil lamp as my navigation and lights a few seasons. Did have 7 foot oar for sculling and two anchors with 12 feet of chain each. All this on a 15'9" Bullseye. Had more fun cruising on that boat than any other.

[Mike OReilly]

As someone in that grey zone between working to go, closing in on the date, but not yet ready, I feel that the seductions of professional success, money, and comfort are the things working to keep us rooted to the land.

We have picked the date: Spring 2014. We have the boat, and she is nearly ready to go -- as are we. We've been sailing for close to 10 years now, and been seriously working toward the goal of sailing away for the past three. Both me and my partner are fully committed to the goal. But at the same time we've both become more "successful" in our professional lives. We're becoming more affluent, more influential, and more needed. On top of all this we're also getting older (45 & 50 now).

We are going, but I feel the hooks of this life sinking deeper the longer we stay. Stepping off the path our culture lays out for us is ... difficult. It's easy to see why few make the transition.

[Moe R]

Having a dream of sailing away to exotic destinations is everyones dream. Many wake up and realize they cannot fulfill these dreams. There is college for the kids,the mortgage, the unknown of seeing their dream through and a million other excuses. I'm afraid few suceed and wish they could make it happen. Others, make it happen and wish for another dream. It's good that they have a place to somewhat experence what others have and learn. I think this fourm is one of those places. Good for you. I'm still dreaming and hope to wake up but there always seem to be those obsticles we refer to as life or fear or excuses. Love and Peace. Just glad to be able to read the stuff that intrestes me. Truly, Thank You!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by stevewrye

The story is that 1% of the western world wants to go cruising and only one percent of those ever go....

Very true I think. The cruising community is a very, very small percentage of the total population. This also explains why, when out cruising, you run into the same people over and over again -- there really are not that many of us.

Do have a good wannabe story, but not about a poster on CF:

Years ago, had a sailing student who singed up for every class in the book, I spent about 14 days with him completing the training. He had recently retired, decided he wanted go cruising, signed up for all this training AND ordered a new boat. ...

A couple of years later, we were anchored in the Bahamas. I, as usual, was down in the engine compartment working on something. I heard a dinghy approaching and someone ask my wife if I was aboard...who could that be? It was the same student -- out cruising aboard his new boat!

[surfmachine]

Ahoy shipmates, I started on this forum 3 or 4 years ago, bought a very small cruiser in Malaysia and sailed off across the Malaccan Staits to the west coast of Sumatra and lost my yacht on a minor hit on the coral, keel fell off!!! 120 miles offshore... So bought an alloy yacht, not steel, and did it all again..
Now on the third trip along the West Sumatran islands, older and wiser, some hard lessons learnt. Like "trust your own judgement".."have your rules and stick to them"..."dont always follow the advice of more experienced sailors"..

The advice from this forum has always been timely, valuable, opinionated, friendly...

Now I try and be non judgmentla of posters and share my experiences with them.

Been on the yacht since April this year, a supporting wife, time, lots of money and a will to step into the unknown are pre-requisites for successful solo cruising??? I will have lots of memories to carry me through the autumn years.

Dont leave it too late, always see a fair few older people, dying, selling their dream boats. I have been sailing since I was 35,now 62, had a great birthday, 6th September aboard the Surfmachine, with the family from CaccaFuego, in the bay of plenty in the Pulau Banyaks, great surf that day as well!!

The break point in starting was to get ny children independent and having a supporting, loving wife, and enough savings to "just GO!!"

Fair winds from Keith... motor sailing down the west coast of Sumatra, absolute glass, eagles playing on the outside speakers etc..etc... after 5 weeks out on the islands. Back in Phuket in late November. The new yacht is a blast!!

[stevewrye]

I may be wrong, I am a lot but I see people putting obsticles in front of obsticles in front of obsticles.

This is our fourth go at long distance cruising in 40 years. You have to give up a lot and you have to be somewhat selfish too. Maybe you don't pay for the kids college education. Maybe you don't see the grand kids as much as you would like but you are living.

Doing this thing we talk so much about takes a lot of courage weather you know that yet or not.

Long distant cruising is wonderful once in your blood it is hard to stop.

Be a bit selfish and live.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by stevewrye

I may be wrong, I am a lot but I see people putting obsticles in front of obsticles in front of obsticles.

This is our fourth go at long distance cruising in 40 years. You have to give up a lot and you have to be somewhat selfish too. Maybe you don't pay for the kids college education. Maybe you don't see the grand kids as much as you would like but you are living.

Doing this thing we talk so much about takes a lot of courage weather you know that yet or not.

Long distant cruising is wonderful once in your blood it is hard to stop.

Be a bit selfish and live.

I used to think it was selfish then I realized that if we go as a family, my daughter grows up knowing that you can do anything you want to if you work your ass off. If we quit, then she learns that dreams are just that and when you get older you need to check them at the door and settle down.

Having people in the family who raise the bar a little higher for everyone is a good thing. A very good thing. We just about balance out my brother in law who sits around smoking pot and playing video games with his wife and two kids. And yeah, I'm sure he thinks we're "selfish", even though our daughter gets a chance to do things other kids dream about.

[Starbuck]

I can't say I'm enjoying the 30-footer any more than the 22-footer, but I am doing a lot more maintenance and sailing quite a bit less.

Ah, for the early days, when the dream was small, and the bay seemed a very big place...

[GaryMayo]

I was a wannabe last fall. I woke up out of a long 25 year nap, remembered sailing and drove to my local marina and purchased a sailboat. Made friends with the marina owner and squired a slip. The slip would hold a 32 foot boat, mine was 25 feet long. Over the winter I purchased two 32' boats, one for parts. Been enjoying my old hobby I nearly slept away.

It is ok to dream, but action is required or nothing happens.

[ksanders]

OK, I was a wannabe, and in some ways I still am.

I just found out about this forum a couple of weeks ago, and was invited by a friend.

But... about 2 years ago I started frequenting a forum devoted to trawlers, and ocean going cruisers.

I asked questions, learned, and started looking for my next boat. I had a 28' cabin cruiser at the time.

Well last august (2011) I bought a 47' pilothouse boat, with the potential to be a great coastal cruiser. I spent a mint last winter having it repowered and refitted for extended cruising.

Then this spring I took that boat on a 1500NM cruise up the inside passage and accross the gulf of Alaska.

Now I'm here at your forum as a cruising lifestyle wannabe. I'm stuck for winter in Alaska but plan on setting sail in the spring, and never being cold again.

So, some wannabes actually do go cruise the world, and some just dream about it, hoping for someday. The information experienced cruisers can share helps both groups.

[sparau]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I used to think it was selfish then I realized that if we go as a family, my daughter grows up knowing that you can do anything you want to if you work your ass off. If we quit, then she learns that dreams are just that and when you get older you need to check them at the door and settle down.

Having people in the family who raise the bar a little higher for everyone is a good thing. A very good thing. We just about balance out my brother in law who sits around smoking pot and playing video games with his wife and two kids. And yeah, I'm sure he thinks we're "selfish", even though our daughter gets a chance to do things other kids dream about.

+1

although at this stage, without any tangible floating objects around its a lesson of daddy has less time in exchange for a dream.

although as part of my weekend off we went to lunch yesterday, yup you guessed it, at a restaurant overlooking a marina.

so at lunch we are discussing what we could sail across an ocean in and Cleo pipes up, "so why arent you working today daddy?", followed by an evil laugh

she's certainly keen.

[terminalcitygrl]

We're still wannabees and we're still here... Sailing classes completed this summer and currently boat shopping. Baby steps.

[jgbrown]

Bought a much smaller boat than planned, on the good advice of many. On paper it was perfect, New engine, New sails, New head, New electrical. Supposedly the couple had been prepping to head south cruising when plans changed.
Paid a good price accordingly, and paid for a very costly survey(almost double the going rate) to get a known company to do it.

In the end it turned out the seller was either lying or clueless, the surveyor likewise.
Engine was 16 years old, sails a decade old, mast support beam delaminated, most tabbing broken, cheap plywood in place of a structural bulkhead. everything that had been touched by previous owners had been butchered from replacing all electrical with speaker wire right down to the cabinets and paint.
I ended up staying on land, working double full time jobs to try and keep afloat financially. Haven't had a single day off since April, a lot of days I'm at my first job at 8:30 am, at about 3 I leave to start my night shift.
If I have an evening or some daytime off I work on her.

So far this has pretty much soured me on the boat. Cost more than I'd spend to ride my motorbike around the world and I haven't yet raised a sail.

Maybe that makes me a wanna be. Mostly it just makes me a bit sad. Sure would have been nice to buy an honest boat and spend some time on the water.

I sneak aboard now, room on land gone, but with university and keeping both jobs I am just doing what I can to move forward a bit at a time.
Next owner of this boat will enjoy my labors, because I'm taking the time to do it right. The boat is getting an end to end refit, from all new marine wiring and blue seas panels to bedding hardware properly. Maybe I will too for a bit, but these days I don't know. Watching the thousands pour into fixing all the abuse has taken a lot of the fun out of it.

Perhaps I'll post more about sailing if I ever get there, I still hope I will, mostly I lurk the forums, and enjoy the sailing if others for now.

[markpierce]

More important. Are WE having fun?!