Friend scared to fly but wants to sail instead

[tanya2015]

Hello everyone!! I thought I would throw this out here to see if anyone can help or if it is just not done. I have 3 of us that are wanting to go to Belize for the winter starting in October or november.. (negotiable) but ny friend is deathly afraid of flying. I don't want to drive through Mexico, etc..but all three of us would happily sail. Contacted all cruise lines that go to Belize on hopes to leave from US and get off in Belize and of course was told NO on all of them..lol. so I thought I would try one last ditch effort. Does anyone sail from the states preferably from the TX or close and take passengers? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[bill352]

Have you looked at cargo ship travel? That might work.

[MarkJ]

I sure wouldn't take someone with an irrational fear on a boat.

[tanya2015]

I have emailed several of the cargo ships that state they go to Belize and ask if they offer passengers..no one ever gets back with me. I must be doing something wrong.

[tanya2015]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I sure wouldn't take someone with an irrational fear on a boat.

She travels everywhere on a boat..I know..it's strange!

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by tanya2015

She travels everywhere on a boat..I know..it's strange!

Has your friend thought of attending a fear of flying clinic? It's worth calling an airline to see what they've got. I know several people that have gone and no longer have any problems flying.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by tanya2015

Hello everyone!! I thought I would throw this out here to see if anyone can help or if it is just not done. I have 3 of us that are wanting to go to Belize for the winter starting in October or november.. (negotiable) but ny friend is deathly afraid of flying. I don't want to drive through Mexico, etc..but all three of us would happily sail. Contacted all cruise lines that go to Belize on hopes to leave from US and get off in Belize and of course was told NO on all of them..lol. so I thought I would try one last ditch effort. Does anyone sail from the states preferably from the TX or close and take passengers? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi have you or your friend contacted any of the airlines to ask if they have a fear of flying program ?
I used to work for an airline , they had a very sucessful program where the participants were shown behind the scenes, engineering, an empty aircraft that they could become familiar with on the ground, they viewed a cabin crew emergency procedures profiency day that included an evacuation and the sucess rate was extremely high.
Ask, you never know what you may find.
Just a thought that may make your proposed trip a whole lot easier.
Cheers.

[Panope]

I used to have an air taxi service (small Cessna aircraft). Twice I was approached by people who were enrolled in fear of flying clinics. Part of thier recovery was to first go to a small airport and just stand next to or perhaps sit in a plane. One of the people that did this eventually hired me to give them a short flight on condition that I would land immediately if the were uncomfortable. The flight went fine and the person was actually surprised at how it was really no big deal. The person went on to fly in large commercial aircraft without problem.

Steve

[Fishbreath]

I hate flying ... So I take a lot of pills and drink.. Jack Daniels... Get hammered.. And fall asleep ....I can't really remember getting in the last plane I flew on... Job done... I woke up and the plane was over Ireland ...London has almost coming up fast... ..for some strange reason I don't mind landing.. It's the take off I don't like..

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, tanya.

[ryon]

Put your friend on a bus. The three or four days of boredom and inconvenience and snack food will probably force a spontaneous rehabilitation.

[Kenomac]

I certainly wouldn't take anyone on our boat with an irrational fear. Might be best to refer your friend to a psychologist or psychiatrist and move on.

The bus idea is a good one, but then they'll probably develop a phobia for Mexican buses. But I wouldn't want them on a boat.

[ex-12m-guy]

Here is a useful resource for travel by ocean freighter:


The Internet Guide to Freighter Travel :: FREIGHTER AGENTS

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by tanya2015

She travels everywhere on a boat..I know..it's strange!

everywhere on a boat??? you're asking a bunch of sailboat owners if they might take you and your friends along on a trip from the states to belize. does, "she travels everywhere on a boat" include late nights on watch battling rough seas and howling wind? and then something breaks?

i recently relocated my lancer 36 from san diego to oxnard, less than two hundred miles, and a friend who had been day sailing and racing with me for a couple years asked if he could go along. he had become a capable deck hand so i said, sure, knowing such an uphill climb would be a lot of work even for a competent single hander like me. long story short, he completely lost it after dark as the wind and seas continued to increase as was forecast. he literally went below and curled up in a fetal position. i decided for his safety AND MINE to sail into long beach and get him off my boat. came to find out that he too had a fear of flying.

so now i've added yet another rule to follow during my sailing adventures. anybody who can't figure out that the most dangerous segment of a trip in an airplane is the drive to the airport is not welcome on my boat for even moderately long passages.

[Howelllee]

Originally Posted by tanya2015

Hello everyone!! I thought I would throw this out here to see if anyone can help or if it is just not done. I have 3 of us that are wanting to go to Belize for the winter starting in October or november.. (negotiable) but ny friend is deathly afraid of flying. I don't want to drive through Mexico, etc..but all three of us would happily sail. Contacted all cruise lines that go to Belize on hopes to leave from US and get off in Belize and of course was told NO on all of them..lol. so I thought I would try one last ditch effort. Does anyone sail from the states preferably from the TX or close and take passengers? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

I am curious. It has been repeatedly documented that flying is far safer than driving on highways. If your friend is unable to assimilate this fact, the is not a potentially competent sailor. It requires the ability to assess factual information and use it well to be a safe sailor. I believe you should inform your friend that you do not want to endanger your life because he will not make the common sense decision to throw away his emotionally weak attitude toward flying.

The ocean is a serious game. No room for irrational behavior if you want the odds of living to be maintained at the highest level.

Meet your friend for a drink at a safe bar when you return safely from your trip.