Horror vs Good stories

[Jimbo485]

Sra Doña Lucas:

Here is the good stuff...

Vavau, Kingdom of Tonga - YouTube

Sharks and Rays in Moorea low res - YouTube

Galapagos - Marquesas low res - YouTube

And here is the bad stuff... (Don´t watch it! Haha! Actually it´s not really that bad, just exciting or necessary.)

"The Best of Cruising!" or "How To Empty the Holding Tank" - YouTube

1201 Colombia to San Blas - YouTube

It is all worth it as long as you balance it out.

[sailorchic34]

Gee after 8 years living aboard and sailing single handed or short handed on boats its been pretty uneventful. Oh ran aground a few times and once the raw water impeller died while I was underway, but really nothing really bad. Lots and lots of good times and great memories.

Yes I hear about bad news stories out there. Most make me think and I hope are good lessons about what not to do.... But for 99.999 percent of the folks sailing / cruising it's all good karma.

[maxingout]

I took eleven years to sail around the world and never saw winds over fifty knots. Mostly we had good weather when sailing offshore in the lower latitudes.

People make their own luck when they are cruising. The same people seem to have trouble again and again.

[Cherp]

Last two times I crossed the notorious Bass Strait were overly uneventful. Second-last time motored the whole way with no wind at all. Last time little 10-15 knot breeze and no sea to speak of. Quite pleasant.

[Cormorant]

Jimbo -- awesome videos! You made my morning here in upstate New York, where freezing rain is falling.

We're just coastal cruisers, hoping someday to make the big jump, but already we have had countless happy days afloat. Insanely happy. Mind-bogglingly content and amazed and thankful for life. Those moments outnumber the tough days by 100 to 1, easy.

[sailorboy1]

Thanks for the good posts.

Of course my wife doesn't consider that we have never been out in really bad conditions and the worst was due to that "schedule" word. I just don't think she believes you can long term sail without going though the perferct storm, like lots of boat design "discussions".

So keep your good passage stories coming!

[Hudson Force]

When heading for the Dry Tortugas there was little wind so we stopped at Sand Key for some snorkeling. There were sea urchins with dangerously long sharp spines so we decided not to touch them! We saw barracuda that must have had very sharp teeth, but they swam away! We anchored at Boca Grande and, while bathing in the current, a huge piece of seaweed wrapped around my daughter's leg and made her scream! We sailed west to the Dry Tortugas thinking that with an course error we could have missed the whole island group! We anchored by Garden Key and, if the anchor had not held, we could have grounded! The water was so clear where we dinghied about Loggerhead Key that we could see the sharp coral so close to our inflatable that we could have torn the bladders! Anyone diving from the dinghy to the coral would have been severely injured! While sailing back we were passed by a Coast Guard vessel and we could have been boarded and inspected! Back in Key West at Sloppy Joe's we were over-served drinks! Cruising can be dangerous!

[zeehag]

horror stories are only horror stories if no one lives to tell them.....

[FSMike]

Getting into bad weather is just a fact of life, but not the end of the world. After the first nasty squall you run into the second one produces the reaction "Oh hell, I'm going to be cold and wet for a while". But it ain't no big scary deal because you know you and the boat can handle it.

On the other hand -
Some years ago my ex and I decided to go over to Conception Island (Bahamas) from Georgetown. The weather forecast was such that we could anchor on the east side of Conception, something we had always wanted to do. As we got to the island it was cloudy, but as we neared the break in the reef all of a sudden the sun broke through and lit up the Bahamas gin clear water, and a pod of dolphins came to meet us, playing around the bows as we sailed into the anchorage. It was so gorgeous I made the comment that I felt like we were in a Bahamas Chamber of Commerce commercial. We spent 4 days there and had one other boat for company during two of them.

I rarely tell that story because it's not as "amusing" as the normal war stories, and also because the memories involved are special to me. But that type of memory is why I go sailing.
It's ok Mrs Lucas, just instruct your husband that ladies do not sail to windward.

[Teknav]

Horror stories are always magnified; they get everyone's attention. Expectant moms always hear about bad baby deliveries, that never really occur. Millions of children are born everyday, with less than 1% with life threatening complications. It is that 1%, that gets glorified; ditto for horror stories everywhere. If you have a solid foundation in seamanship, don't worry too much about the unexpected as you will not be in the middle of it.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by stacy

When my wife an I first hooked up we took a yr off and sailed from San Francisco as far south as Ixtapa, Mexico, back up into the Sea of Cortez, and then back to San Francisco. We never had a bad weather day. We actually sailed from Mazatlan to La Paz flying the chute the whole way. Never saw more than 15knts. Magical.

I know that feeling.

We were on the way from La Paz to PV on a laid back crossing.

I was one of the HAM net controllers (WX gatherer with a small summation at the end of the net).

At the end of my summation I started my sign off as per Mexican rules at the time by using my call sign followed by my location.

The only problem was, the crossing was so mellow, I'd completely lost track of where I was, so I quickly looked out the portlight to identify the anchorage. Upon seeing our cruising spinnaker in full bloom, I said, "Oh yeah, Under way!"

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by zeehag

awesome news--where exactly are you guys?? i made zihuat with 1 1/2 OUNCES of diesel remaining ......hoooyaaahhhh...400 miles on less than 40 gallons diesel fuel with engine running on 3/4 gal per hour--we SAILED....in 6 kts breezes we got 3kts out of boat with all sails up for a change....
cool fishie--what is it?? i was able to catch 2 peanuts(small tuna) on this leg...
good work on getting all back together--now tell the sailing stories..

kettlewell--maine, as i remember, is even cold in summer......

Zee,
Please post a pic of Z town up the hill from the anchorage.
I haven't been there since 1996.
I'll be it's changed a lot.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Jimbo485

Sra Doña Lucas:

Here is the good stuff...

It is all worth it as long as you balance it out.

What kind of mast climbing gear is that at 5:42?
It sure looks like it would beat depending on someone winching me up the mast.

[Jimbo485]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

What kind of mast climbing gear is that at 5:42?
It sure looks like it would beat depending on someone winching me up the mast.

I think they are called JUMARS. I went into a rock climbing store, explained our situation and asked what I needed. The first time up took me about an hour, the same to get down. I am quite a bit faster now that I have learned the technique and how to get the rhythm going, but I am sure any decent rock climber would laugh at me...

[Jimbo485]

In fact they did have a laugh!