Is Cruising on the Decline ?

[meyermm]

That's your opinion and your entitled to it I am not a politician telling people what they want to hear. Canada or any where else I travel to will not have noticed my presence as I will arrive and depart without criticizing there way of doing things. If that means it costs me some money so be it and if I cannot afford something like lots of things in life I will just do without. Obviously I will not run into you in French Polynesia will I? VirtualVagabond - Boat: if only - If only life was free, if only

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by catty

Having recently returned from Asia to Australia's East Coast , I have noticed that Australian anchorages that were chock a block full of boats in years gone by are now comparatively empty. Marinas are full to bursting, but fewer boats are actually out there cruising.Over exploited destinations such as the Whitsundays appear to still have their fair share of boats at anchor whilst the bays islands and towns on the ant trail south from cape York appear sparsely populated, comparatively, from recent years.

As with previous sailing crazes like the surf cats, the trailer sailors and the windsurfers before, is the cruising fad over?

Regards

This was the original post that started the debate
I have no idea whether there are less cruisers cruising down our coast but consider the following
1 Its been reported that up to 30000 jobs have been lost in the tourist industry since the world economy melt down.
2 Our dollar has gone up significantly against the US$ and Euro
3 English fans of their Cricket team (Barmy Army) are complaining how much dearer it is this time to come down under so the exchange rate must be having an effect.
4 Local Brisbane yacht broker that I spoke to some months ago commented that when times are tough boats become less of a priority.
Not sure what windsurfers, surf cats etc have to do with live aboard cruising but others may be able to enlighten me.
So I guess with all the above I would not be surprised if cruising is in decline.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by meyermm

That's your opinion and your entitled to it I am not a politician telling people what they want to hear. Canada or any where else I travel to will not have noticed my presence as I will arrive and depart without criticizing there way of doing things. If that means it costs me some money so be it and if I cannot afford something like lots of things in life I will just do without. Obviously I will not run into you in French Polynesia will I? VirtualVagabond - Boat: if only - If only life was free, if only

Well that was a brilliant bit of detective work.
I'm not sure of the relevence of this to whatever point you're trying to make. Have you never been between boats?
I've owned boats before, and I will again, soon. Right now I miss having one. Big deal. You wouldn't be being smug again would you?

You might well run into me in French Polynesia, if I buy in the USA/Caribbean area I'll come home via the SP run. If I buy in the Med, probably not.

This is getting tedeous... I'm out of here...

[sailorboy1]

I sense a thread closure coming!

[savoir]

Hopefully not.

The cheap entertainment on TV at this time of year is really lousy.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by meyermm

1 Its been reported that up to 30000 jobs have been lost in the tourist industry since the world economy melt down.
If UK backpackers are anything like the Aussie's that come here the only loss of employment is in the bars, hotels and tour guides... giving backpackers less to spend
2 Our dollar has gone up significantly against the US$ and Euro
But you were complaining when it was lower
3 English fans of their Cricket team (Barmy Army) are complaining how much dearer it is this time to come down under so the exchange rate must be having an effect.
But we're 'Poms'... we always whinge about Something
4 Local Brisbane yacht broker that I spoke to some months ago commented that when times are tough boats become less of a priority.
Yacht brokers always lie
Not sure what windsurfers, surf cats etc have to do with live aboard cruising but others may be able to enlighten me.
Accessories
So I guess with all the above I would not be surprised if cruising is in decline.

Stop hogging the Popcorn

[Palarran]

Maybe the answer to the problem is to start another thread where the word "Austrailia" is banned. Then the focus can be on what it should be, cruising and if it's declining.

[dana-tenacity]

If we accept that numbers are in decline, the next question will be "is this a good or a bad thing?"

[meyermm]

Sorry everyone but I could not resist this having decided to move on and leave this subject alone. I found this under Boat US magazine subject under new posts.

Hi all; I bumped into this thread while browsing for something else.
Not sure if a person being discussed ought to chip in on his discussion, but here goes. I wrote the BUS article in question, and at the time of writing, we were cruising our home-finished Cape George cutter on a small budget. In all honesty, I have to say (now that we've been cruising for over a year) that while the $500/month number is intermittently possible, it does not seem sustainable for longer periods. We manage to come in on or under budget roughtly one third of the time, but the rising cost of checking in/out of different countries, (average $200) and the soaring price of gas (though we have a very inexpensive 8-hp 4-stoke outboard for the big boat and a rowing dinghy for a tender) causes gross overruns at times. So when trying to cover a lot of ground and see many countries all in a row, the price naturally rises a good deal. Incidentally, no health insurance. But with careful selection of places visited, and judicious spending habits, cruising can still be managed on a surprisingly low budget. It may not always be so, so get out there while you can!
Best,
Ben

[Pblais]

Brings us back to the question.... Is cruising on a decline?

It was a point raised. Perhaps the question is unimportant. Either you are or you are not as well as you don't want to any more, you are happy cruising or you want to go.

In the extreme if no one else wants to go would you still go? Is the question of it being on the decline or increase an important factor to go or not go cruising?

I suspect that people that are cruising or want to go cruising don't care at all itf it is increasing or decresing in popularity.

[Brent Swain]

I would love to cruise Australia . No problem with the Aussies , great people, just the expensive bureaucracy.
I would miss being able to pick the ice for my drinks from alongside my boat year round, and the steaks cooked over an open buffalo chip fire, and the polar bear stew, and muktuk.
I meet increasing numbers of cruisers who are giving French Polynesia a miss, and sailing directly to islands further west, due to the bond ********. I have done that several times.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

I would love to cruise Australia . No problem with the Aussies , great people, just the expensive bureaucracy.
I would miss being able to pick the ice for my drinks from alongside my boat year round, and the steaks cooked over an open buffalo chip fire, and the polar bear stew, and muktuk.
I meet increasing numbers of cruisers who are giving French Polynesia a miss, and sailing directly to islands further west, due to the bond ********. I have done that several times.

Ahhh, Brent, how true! It would be a wrenching experience to forgo all those treats. But, just think -- In Oz you could have coffee heated on a hot rock, steaks cooked on an open fire of dried 'roo chips, Crocodile stew and be introduced to Witchity (sp?) grubs as finger food. New experiences beckon...

And the Fr Poly bond thing... it too is a PITA, but at least you get your money back when you leave (more or less, depending on changes in the exchange rate during your stay). And they sure are pretty islands...

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Church Point, NSW, Oz

[gettinthere]

Jim & Ann

I noticed you are from "NSW, Oz" What about East?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by gettinthere

Jim & Ann

I noticed you are from "NSW, Oz" What about East?

G'Day Gettinthere,

Well, dang... it's like this, mate: from here going east makes you leave Oz, so we often avoid that direction!

(Just in case you were serious... NSW= New South Wales. Turns out that the early explorers/exploiters of this continent had a habit of naming places here after places back home)

Cheers,

Jim

[speakeasy]

Originally Posted by meyermm

That's your opinion and your entitled to it I am not a politician telling people what they want to hear. Canada or any where else I travel to will not have noticed my presence as I will arrive and depart without criticizing there way of doing things. If that means it costs me some money so be it and if I cannot afford something like lots of things in life I will just do without. Obviously I will not run into you in French Polynesia will I? VirtualVagabond - Boat: if only - If only life was free, if only

Not sure why I've read through this whole thread. Probably hoping to find information on the topic. I am glad that I've met several dozen aussies prior to running across you and your snide ad hominem attacks or I'd have thought aussies were all complete buttwipes. You are clearly not stupid, so why the prickish attitude and deliberate misinterpretation of earlier remarks, particularly by your own countrymen?