Are all Sailors this Friendly?

[captain58sailin]

Your interaction is not unusual. As was said before, most are pretty good some are not. You always need to be careful of the ones that are constantly giving you their resume' they are either insecure about their experience or they are trying to coax you to do something. Don't listen to me, I am a jaded cynic. Best of luck and will want to hear about your adventure.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Really friendly in a big way is when you anchor out and dinghy to a beach with RV campers in the Sea of Cortez and are greeted by an expat RVer who says he used to sail and knows the hardship of getting ground transportation for provisioning and offers to drive you to town.

Some people we had never met, who we just heard on the morning VHF net, gave Charlotte and Lyra ride into Loreto yesterday to go shopping in the 12 passenger van. Drove around town, showed Charlotte where everything is, said anytime we need anything they'll take us up there. Really nice people.

[medicrene]

Sailors are a friendly crew. Once you are in the club, they will always take care of you. But remember, you should also take care of them. When a crew arrives via dingy to your marina, offer them a ride. You will be surprised how often I have been offered a ride. Help them with a line when your neighbor arrives in the slip. Offer a glass of wine to the stranger in the boat next to you. The results will be amazine. Good luck and welcome to the club.

[GordMay]

As Peter, Paul & Mary sang ("Rocky Road"):

"Red light, green light 'round the town
I found a penny on the ground
Met a friend I never know'd
Walkin' down ol' rocky road ...”

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Some people we had never met, who we just heard on the morning VHF net, gave Charlotte and Lyra ride into Loreto yesterday to go shopping in the 12 passenger van. Drove around town, showed Charlotte where everything is, said anytime we need anything they'll take us up there. Really nice people.

That is good to hear. As many times as I've been down there, I've never been there at this time of year. I was concerned that all the hospitality I received might not be available this time of year due to fewer visitors. But then I never had the secret weapons you have for this hospitality, and that is Charlotte and the cute girls.

[zeehag]

welcome to cf..

i found the louder they brag, the less they know....silent runs deep and safer... i try to check folks out on land before they come on board--is safer that way.
i also like knowing from observation that they actually do know how to sail...many who say they do actually do not.
same with special needs while on my boat. could be important to know even for a day sail.
happy sails!!!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Liunatic

Hi BozSail - We are in Rhode Island. Moving out of Foster to an apartment in Providence September first. The boat is moored in Bristol Harbor. My husband will be retiring September 13 , so until then we are weekenders.....I will still be working for another year or so, and then we hope to head south

Hi Liunatic,

Yes friendly is the norm for boaters at least in part because of the common interest. But as noted, even in boating there are occasional bad apples so normal caution is a good idea.

I moored my boat in Bristol for a season and lived on board most of the time. Except for the long drive to CT where I was working at the time I loved it. Very friendly harbor and nice town.

Since I was working every day and traveling fairly often on weekends I wasn't able to get too involved in the local boating scene but still managed to meet several neighbors who would keep an eye on my boat when I wasn't around.

There is a dinghy beach in the inner harbor (north end) next to the boat ramp. Dozens of dinghies on the beach and almost none were locked. I asked the locals who claim there is never a problem although I did at least put my outboard in the back of my truck when I left. Due to the tide you do have to drag the dink pretty far up the beach but otherwise no problem even leaving the dink for long term as far as I ever heard.

The other thing in parking. All the streets within a couple of blocks of the harbor are restricted to locals with stickers or very short time for shopping. However, if you go just 2-3 blocks east you can park with no restrictions and the walk back to the dinghy beach is very short.

Another option for dinghies and parking is to join the Herreshoff museum, especially if your mooring is on the south end of the harbor. I was told that you can leave you dink free at their docks as a member, plus you can tour the museum.

Enjoy and good luck.

Skip

[captain58sailin]

Look at their hands, do they have callouses? Squinted eyes? Deck shoes with holes? Usually means a sailor, doesn't mean a good person.

[SmartMove]

We have also found everyone to be really friendly and helpful. We have met some amazing people.

Yesterday when we went ashore to clear into Carriacou/Grenada, a young, local man approached me as I was tying the dinghy up and asked if we could give him a ride to his boat. While I went to clear us in, my hubby shuttled him to his boat. It never occurred to us to do otherwise.

There really is a great community out here, we love it!

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

That is good to hear. As many times as I've been down there, I've never been there at this time of year. I was concerned that all the hospitality I received might not be available this time of year due to fewer visitors. But then I never had the secret weapons you have for this hospitality, and that is Charlotte and the cute girls.

The "family card" is pretty powerful, especially in Latin America where even 250lb tank-built-men melt and crumble at the sight of a little baby.

Walking around by myself versus walking around with the girls yields a pretty different experience.

We've had a lot of people offering us rides and just in general being super friendly. Conversely we were warned about a child molester who lives on an anchored boat here and is quite friendly as well, so it's still reality.

On the subject of this thread it's worth pointing out that there really are some scumbags on the water. I have no idea what the percentages are but I saw some shady stuff in Ensenada with a guy who had random underage boys with him in the cabin a lot, and ditto on being warned about the guy around here (by several people).

[barnakiel]

Some cruisers are friendly, some less so. Many are friendly as this forms part of the cruising lore. Others are friendly just because they have friendly mindsets. Some are not friendly and bound to stay on the outskirts. Do not expect any rowing visits from them.

Many sailors are not friendly. They do not care about social implications as they are not much concerned with whatever happens before and after sailing.

This much said, I think most cruisers will feel more friendly than your national averages and most sailors will be likely somewhere below the benchmark.

b.

[rebel heart]

Another thing that makes many of them friendly, especially outside their home countries, is the simple desire to hangout with someone who is on their wavelength and speaks their language. Further, people doing long distance sailing generally have amazing stories and really colorful stories of how they got there and what's happening next. Rarely are you hearing "so yeah, we went to the mall today then checked out some new carpet for the guest room."

[Liunatic]

Thanks for all the info and thoughts. As anywhere else, bad people are everywhere, but so are good people. I find it is just as easy to be kind to people as not, and often a smile will get you one in return. That being said, I guess with all the changes going on in our lives (retirement, moving, downsizing, buying a boat -- all in 3 weeks!) I just needed some feedback from this awesome community to make sure my head was still on straight (straightish?)

Skipmac -- we are anchored just off the parking area/boat ramp/dingy dock. There is 5-hour parking there and that hasn't been a problem for us yet.

What I've found of interest in the more recent posts of this thread is the apparent difference between cruisers and sailors. I was thinking they are all in the same group, but apparently there are sub-groups I haven't thought about, unless I've totally misunderstood. I look forward to sorting out the dynamics of this interesting watery world.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by o_q

It's not lunatic, it's liunatic

Really.

[zeehag]

i have found some not so altruistic souls as i came into mazatlan my first time, in 2011 may--seems these individuals hang in sea of cortez, as gringos call the golfo de california.... they were the folks who went on board my boat to remove my charts of west coast from san diego to panama and thru into caribean. not so nice. do keep your eyes open and your pockets shut.
yes i do know who did it as i was able to see the guy in hi9s dinghy at my boat from the looking to see if i were home to the entry and plunder as i walked to club nautica from the bus stop....lol....in broad daylight...what a guy.

i have also met some very nice souls who help all who need help.
then there are those in middle--they will watch and look but not lend assistance when a boat drags at anchor, despite having a super power dinghy with engine......

it always takes all kinds---no matter where you are--just do not be too trusting with total strangers. you dont know what you will find.
i learned about the live aboards in san diego and ensenada--there are many rso--registered sex offenders on liveaboard boats in those bays.... seems the best place to live not near a school and cheap.
just be aware that bad souls are everywhere and be safe.