Cruisers Who Fail...

[Christian Van H]

Marisa and I were discussing this last night; We read blog after blog and magazine article after article about cruisers having a wonderful time and following their dreams. People who save and refit and dream, who shove off and live the dream "out there". There must be another side to this story, as there a thousands of times more readers, dreamers, and refitters, then are actually out there cruising. 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'm not referring to those who pile it up on a reef or drag ashore. More like those who find the life incompatible... We would be interested in hearing some of those experiences... Thanks, Chris

[Paul L]

Look at the boats for sale at the end of the standard cruiser's runs. Boats in San Carlos, Mex, the Virgin Is, FL, etc. There are lots of tarnished dreams to pick from there.

Paul L

[Dave the Canuck]

Great idea! When making choices we should analyze our failures as often as we analyze our successes.

[David M]

Good reason for taking babysteps.

[maxingout]

I don't think cruising is much different than most areas of life.

The dream house becomes a money pit and nightmare for many people.

The dream vacation turns into another chorus of "Is that all there is?".

The dream car turns out to be an expensive maintenance nightmare.

People who are healthy with a good dose of commonsense, an affordable yacht, and good economic times probably will have a good cruise.

If you lose your health, or if the bottom falls out of the economy, then the dream fequently sinks as well.

When people change, their dreams change as well.

I enjoy stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. It inspires me to live my dreams. Stories of people who are beaten down by life and who surrender their dreams don't do much for me.

A good example is the story of Ardel Lien who did a solo circumnavigation in a Norsea 27 a couple of years after undergoing a double transplant - heart and kidneys - at the Mayo Clinic. I need as much encouragement as I can get, and so I don't read stories that pull me down and make it harder to get through the day.

Everyday that I go to work at the hospital, I see people struggling with endstage disease whose dreams have crashed and burned. Not very inspiring. On the other hand, when I tell those same people about my sailing trip around the world, I see their eyes light up as they ask questions about our voyage. I give them a spark of inspiration that gives them hope that they can take charge of their life and their challenges and start living some of their scaled down dreams.

[s/v Beth]

That was heartwarming Dave. I am glad that you inspire your patients. Its funny that you mention health, economic health, a healthy boat and common sense (a healthy attitude) as requirements for good cruising. I think a lot of us are trying to hedge our bets in becoming experienced in boat repairs(a healthy boat and $$$ savings) and are trying to acquire boat sense by talking to others on this forum. Then there is staying healthy- which is another topic altogether.
Really this is just a big meeting of boat addicted anonymous, only we are trying to learn to live with our addictions rather than break from them.
Hi, I'm mark and I have been a sailing addict for 20 years.....

[maxingout]

My sailing addiction is over forty years and counting. I don't even want to think about the money I have spent feeding this addiction. I suffer from selective amnesia and selective focus when it comes to my sailing addiction.

[Dune]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

Hi, I'm mark and I have been a sailing addict for 20 years.....

HI MARK

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

Hi, I'm mark and I have been a sailing addict for 20 years.....

"I spent most of my fortune on fast boats and pretty woman, the rest I just wasted"

Hi Mark another 40 years here.

[Irwin325]

C V H
Did you start the Watson FAIL page cause why would you care if some one started or finished there dreams. Or further want to hear there sad stories of how they became failures unless your attempt is to learn from there mistakes.Unless your point was why are there so many direlect boats that no one cares for in my marina, or why dont they sell to someone that would try to care for them and make a new dream of an ole failed one it just seems a quwstion that has already answered it self. Unfortunately some people have dreams bigger than there fortitude. Not a reflection of ones self for most of em' but just human nature. the reflection starts when they continue to pay there slip fees for decades and let there water lines drop deeper and deeper.

These dreams usually fail due to a lack of knowledge or some times just flat out lazyness. I dont like to think much about the latter end cause there is'nt much to do about it.
IF

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by Irwin325

C V H
Did you start the Watson FAIL page cause why would you care if some one started or finished there dreams.

Thanks for the post, Irwin. If your dream was to make a creepy post, you've finished it.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by maxingout

I don't think cruising is much different than most areas of life.

The dream house becomes a money pit and nightmare for many people.

The dream vacation turns into another chorus of "Is that all there is?".

The dream car turns out to be an expensive maintenance nightmare.

I agree Dave, but I think there's much to learn from those who tried and failed. I doubt many would have dedicated so much time, effort and money into the dream if they could've seen the writing on the wall. I'd like some hind sight, I guess...without having to bear personal attacks from Texas...

[Ocean Girl]

I know you said no reef stories but I think the main reason people don't go or stop cruising is because of a "breaking" story ( boat breaks, bank account breaks, relationship/marriage breaks, body breaks )

1) Dated a guy that had built a 40 ft warrem cat. He sold all his belongings and sailed off into the horizon. He lost his boat and everything aboard when he hit a reef off Belize a year later.

2) A couple on a Hans Christian left to go cruising. After a big fire aboard the wife bailed and the husband soon followed. My friends and I delivered it back to Texas from Guatemala.

Never met anyone that just stopped cruising cause they didn't like it.

Erika

[rebel heart]

For whatever it's worth...

I've seen a lot of people fail not because of anything related to the boat or cruising, but just general life. We had some friends who went up the coast, and ended up getting a divorce. Lord knows what happened to the boat.

It's pretty easy to just keep living in shore life. Have a car, have a house, have a job; rinse/repeat day after day. Cruising requires much tighter tolerances. You (generally) have to be smart, have enough money, have a lot of determination, etc.

It really made me feel better when I realized that a healthy marriage does a lot more than brightwork or installing a genset.

It was actually someone on this board that said it really well. You have to be happy with who you are, and able to make the best of bad situations. You can't always be running away from one thing, with the idea that sailing is somehow easy or an escape. It's usually a hell of a lot harder than land life both physically and mentally.

I don't think a lot of people are expecting the difficulties, and rather than hunker down and work as a team when the tough times come up, they get frustrated.

The same minute you have a big victory is the same minute you lose it, so you can't get caught up in this "the next thing will make me happy" mode. Gotta be happy with where you are, wherever you are.

[John A]

This thread is a very odd request.

I don't think you'll hear from those that had their dream of sailing die. They won't be here joining the ones who still dream, or the ones who have made their dream come true.

Better that you ask that boatowner in the slip next to yours, in your home marina, why he never takes his boat out sailing.

If they realized that sailing/cruising was not for them, they wouldn't want to subject themselves to the harsh judgement of the self-righteous.

Who would want to admit failure, to a stranger? When the only thing that would be accomplished is to give that stranger a sense of self-worth.