Cruisers Who Fail...

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Christian Van H

You are quite right, Paradix. Now that I look back on it, Failure was probably not a good choice. I cant change the thread title now, but we are on the same wavelength. Example: A husband and wife work and save for years to buy the "perfect" catamaran for their retirement cruise. They take off from the East Coast, and by the time they get to the V.I.s he or she has had enough. They thought it could last forever, but it was over in 8 months. Failure? Not really, but a story I'd like to hear the particulars of...

I don't know; I thought the topic as originally stated was interesting. I do some teaching at business schools using the case method; the cases on projects or ventures which were failures are 10x more useful, contain 10x more instructive lessons, than the ones on projects or ventures which were successes.

It's difficult to get anyone to write that kind of case, however, for all the same reasons discussed here.

[Jack Tar]

The only way to fail is quit.

[Not Sure]

Originally Posted by Jack Tar

The only way to fail is quit.

Well, no....you can die...that's 'failing'. The idea is to neither quit nor die, but reach down for some intestinal fortitude and come up with a plan, including backup plan(s), that successfully extricates yourself from whatever position you've gotten yourself into, without doing harm to others in the process.

The funny thing is, you can never tell who's going to buckle under or who's going to buck up and become the 'hero' regardless of all of the tough talk, training, and self-assurance. We'd like to think we'd all be strong in such circumstances, but like it as not we wouldn't be. Many times it is luck that determines who survives and who doesn't, or who succeeds and who fails. And I am forever amused by those who mistake their own luck and good fortune for wits, training and/or 'hard work'.

[sailvayu]

Originally Posted by Not Sure

Many times it is luck that determines who survives and who doesn't, or who succeeds and who fails. And I am forever amused by those who mistake their own luck and good fortune for wits, training and/or 'hard work'.

I agree, there is a lot of truth and wisdom in this statement. The best of us can easliy be beaten down while the fools sail on with little effort. But remaining humble is never a bad thing.

Wayne Canning, AMS

[Irwin325]

Maybee we can see things the same way as I can see the knoledge in some one who has done it the wronge way and is willing to share it with us. I just took your post as wanting to hear form those failures out there and what it was that was the last straw on the proverbial camels back and other sticky details that all to many of us are cursed with in wanting to ditch the normal US buisness life. I can say for one ond atleast a few others that it can be done and on the cheap,
here IT COMES,, if your willing to do what it takes, stop asking when th eeconomey will turn, dont blame what ever is isn the news tonight. There is a mmarket for what ever if you willing.
Im trying to relocate from west texas to Houaton area and am having hell cause I refuse to take a job that ios bellow what I want to earn or doing things that I feel are past
So CVH you may not fall in to this and most of these will probabl fall in to your OP. Get off your ass and reduce, reduce , reduce then

[Irwin325]

I for one know that I can get to my goal of spending 1-2 years easy in the Bahammas/Caribbean before I turn 40 cause I dont mind reducing my lifestyle to get there. I may have to stay in West Texas for a few more months or longer but thats what needs done to continue in the dream.
They dont post there stories cause they didnt get there plans off the ground and the majority of the ones that do post em are just cryin Or better said pissin in the wind. (now let me save myself from my last statment. I know there is the exception and I want to say thanks for the insight on the experiences from the ones that have sailed and came back to tell us about there miss adventures and how we may make better on there mistakes.)
Hey what the heck do I know I just dislike Pessimism.

For those that find the life incompatable though why do I need to here from them, what can we learn from them. If they find this incompatabl,e it sounds to me that all you want to hear is how they F*#@ed up

[Sahara]

Originally Posted by Irwin325

I may have to stay in West Texas for a few more months or longer

Where in West Texas are you?

I think some people have a vision of cruising as an escape from reality. When you get out cruising, you find it's far more "real" than any city or suburban life could ever be. Like or not, you're responsible for making it work. That's a level of self reliance that some folks relish and thrive on, others just can't handle it.

[imagine2frolic]

Originally Posted by Sahara

Where in West Texas are you?

I think some people have a vision of cruising as an escape from reality. When you get out cruising, you find it's far more "real" than any city or suburban life could ever be. Like or not, you're responsible for making it work. That's a level of self reliance that some folks relish and thrive on, others just can't handle it.

This is one of the things that makes cruising so attractive!........i2f

[Boracay]

In terms of keeping the going free from distraction I find my "old" SD Topfield PVR invaluable.

Now, if the big game (That's AFL to all yous non believers) is going to interfere with my rebuild (or even worse, "sailing") I simply tell the machine to record it for me.

I'm even starting to wonder if I could take it cruising with me ...

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Christian Van H

To save us the trouble, could you just tell us the secret?

Originally Posted by sneuman

Apparently by thinking positive thoughts you attract positive "energy" or some sort.

Originally Posted by sneuman

Yeah, its that sort of stuff thats all hogwash...
It needs translating back into real words.

First is setting the correct goals.
"Hey I want to be rich!" Being rich is only a facilitator to what you really want. What is that thing that would make you happy? I always thought "When I was rich I would go sailing". Sometimes I would look at a photo of a $5M Oyster and say 'If I get rich I'll go sailing on that'
The Secret says don't worry about the 'rich' or 'that boat' just focus on your ultimate goal: I want to go sailing.

If then I focus totally on my goal, NOT 'I'm going sailing', but 'I'm going sailing now' and being totally immersed in planning to go sailing NOW

The Secret says that if you are totally immersed in your goal (dream, call it whatever) you attract positive energy.
My experience is that when totally immersed in the goal our mind creatively thinks of ways to achieve it and how to get around barriers: the barriers do seem to fall away.
OK, I can't do the Oyster, but thats not a real part of the dream, the real part is to go sailing NOW so what boat can I afford to go NOW.

This energy from the universe crap is just your mind being more open about it: you meet someone who is into sailing and automatically they become your best friend because your mind is sapping up their knowledge. You join forums like this and dump facebook, and the dating website, your next GF is from a sailing club because you just joined the sailing club and are 'out there' happy and asking questions - chics dig that. At work you have a boat on your desk and after a few months the others in the office say: Theres Mark planning his big cruise! Mark we really want to visit you in Santorini! WOW!

Over a period of time your all consuming goal starts mucking around with 'time' itself! I'm going sailing in 2 years... all of a sudden you realise if I cut this, or do that it will be 23 months, I do this and its 20 months!

From when I saw The Secret it was 12 months EXACTLY before we flew out of Australia and bought a boat 10,000 miles away and were standing on her deck.



My LIFE LONG DREAM WAS ACHEIVED IN ONE YEAR!!!!!!!

Is it because of The Secret or good goal setting?
I have studied a bit of business management and know about good goal setting, but The Secret made me change the parameter of my goal to the ultimate life goal.

Now, back to this thread: What happens if my life goal changes? Then set another course and pluck it down!

When we have done sailing we want to get a farm and have lots of pets we can't have here. I have never been a farmer. Can I do it? YES!!!!!!!!! When? After my sailing goal has been achieved

Mark

[James S]

Generally speaking, I believe that we always make the right choices...since the choice is made on the information at hand at the time the decision is made and, of course, our ability to process it, how can it be wrong?
We are only human and have the tools we have.

Sure, the results of those decisions can be disasters...but that’s something else.

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by James S

Generally speaking, I believe that we always make the right choices... .

Ah!..its all clear as glass now

Now I know why you live bigger then I do..

[James S]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Ah!..its all clear as glass now

Now I know why you live bigger then I do..

I wouldn’t say I live bigger....may be louder

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Christian Van H

Where are the couple's stories who saved and dreamed, only to have a miserable time and soon packed it in? Personally, I have gone cruising before, and know what to expect, but many have waited years, and ventured out after retirement, etc... not everyone who shoves off can have what it takes, or even a clear picture of what to expect.

I have wondered about this before......especially folks who appear on this site with "the dream" to sail off into the sunset forever in 3 / 5 / 10 years down the line. It's always seemed rather impolite to ask "so, WTF you gonna do if you don't like it?"

In my case I wouldn't mind doing some extended boat travelling, at some point......but I have never understood the attraction of "the dream" - maybe comes from having grown up "messing around in boats", so for me it's only a boat ? Plus I have done a little bit of extended land based trips, so sitting on me backside in the tropics with a beer and beach isn't special (hell, where I come from I can easily do that). I dunno really?, the boat travelling thing just doesn't seem that special to build one's dreams around......must be folks who when they (finally) venture out decided that their dreams lay elsewhere (no criticism meant - life & dreams do move on).

[S&S]

Great post. From a lot of posts on the sailing boards (a lot of them from newbies) these's talk about "living the dream". The problem being that reality rarely conforms to preconceptions. Too many IMO think of cruising as the cure for all the troubles of their present life- and find out too late that they're the same people on a boat as they were off it.

There's places I've gone and others I'd like to see that require quite long passages to get to, but I like passagemaking and seeing new places. Like DOJ, I've never really thought about "sailing into the sunset forever". For me, all trips (no matter how extended) start and end in Waukegan.

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I have wondered about this before......especially folks who appear on this site with "the dream" to sail off into the sunset forever in 3 / 5 / 10 years down the line. It's always seemed rather impolite to ask "so, WTF you gonna do if you don't like it?"

In my case I wouldn't mind doing some extended boat travelling, at some point......but I have never understood the attraction of "the dream" - maybe comes from having grown up "messing around in boats", so for me it's only a boat ? Plus I have done a little bit of extended land based trips, so sitting on me backside in the tropics with a beer and beach isn't special (hell, where I come from I can easily do that). I dunno really?, the boat travelling thing just doesn't seem that special to build one's dreams around......must be folks who when they (finally) venture out decided that their dreams lay elsewhere (no criticism meant - life & dreams do move on).