Journey or the Destination

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by JK n Smitty

Can't vote though, my choice isn't there. For me is the freedom of the life-style. Both the journey and the destination are part of that. To live our lives simply, traveling where we want within the reach of the wind and sea and the ability of our skills and boat.

My sentiments exactly .

So the answer to your question is neither ... or both. For me it's all about the lifestyle. Travelling and living on a sailboat is an entirely desirable way to live a simple and interesting life. It's my perfect platform to explore, to learn, and to live a life with a modest impact on the world.

As one one wise person once said: "Where ever go, there you are."

[nautical62]

A few random thoughts:

1. If it was only about destination, nobody would circumnavigate since the beginning and destination are the same place.

2. When I cruise from the U.S. to the Bahamas and back, it's really about the time I spend in the Bahamas. The ICW doesn't really do much for me.

3. For me, it's often the journey that creates the experience, but it's a destination that gives it purpose. It's one of the reasons I prefer cruising to day sailing.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by nautical62

For me, it's often the journey that creates the experience, but it's a destination that gives it purpose. It's one of the reasons I prefer cruising to day sailing.

I can't say it any better....so I won't try!

[oldragbaggers]

Lots of interesting insights in this thread have really given rise to some introspection. I guess I would have to change my answer to both. And I agree, that it is the lifestyle...the total lifestyle. (While it's true we have yet to be full time long distance cruisers, we were boat dwellers for a number of years so had a taste of the live-aboard boat life while local cruising.)

I love the sailing. I love how it makes you slow down and pay attention to life around you. I love the simplicity of boat life compared to the frenetic complexity of my land life. When I'm ashore I am always distracted. I go like an ADHD chicken with it's head off from one thing to the next. You can't do that when you're sailing. It just takes you away, really away, from all that.

I love the exploring. I have always loved traveling, even in my pre-boat days. Since my early 20's, jumping in the car and driving cross country just to see something I had never seen before was so attractive to me. I have always had a vagabond spirit.

I love the views from almost anywhere on the water. That buffer zone between you and the little imperfections. You see the beauty in broad strokes.

I love meeting new people and experiencing varied cultures, seeing the remnants of history in the places I visit.

We camp also and do a bit of land travel with our little teardrop trailer. I also love the peace of the woods and seeing all the inland sights. The community of campers is very similar to the community of boaters. But I guess the saltwater has gotten into my veins because it really is a very distant second to life on the water.

And the beauty of it all is that I get to share my life with an adventurous man who feels the same way. How lucky am I??

[Dennis.G]

Originally Posted by nautical62

A few random thoughts:

1. If it was only about destination, nobody would circumnavigate since the beginning and destination are the same place.
...

I think most people that circumnavigate would consider the many places that they stop at along the way as being destinations. I guess a matter of how the word is used.

A non-stop circumnavigation, for the pure joy of the voyage, is something that has never been on my bucket list and never will be. Experiences with other cultures, meeting new people, and seeing new lands are the major reasons for cruising in my opinion.

[southpaw]

On the 28-footer, on a long passage, it would be the destination.
On the 42' gaff schooner, definitely the journey. So many sails to play with!
On the new boat, 1969 Mariner 31 ketch...I'll let you know.

[Amapola]

I look forward to the journey but sometimes regret it if the seas are not in my favor

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

This made me laugh out loud, Sailboy. If I took all the money we have spent on boats over the past 35 years and divided that by the actual miles traveled in those years I would probably puke when I realized what the cost per mile was.

You say that you spend $10K per year on your boat? How many miles did you actually cover in your boat this year? Could you have gotten to the other side of the bay or pond or whatever any cheaper? I'm sure that your boat expenses per year would pay for a whole lot of travel. And you have those expenses even when you're not traveling. All these years you're maintaining and paying to keep a boat that you are going to cruise on someday is just payment in advance on future travel. It all counts.

I agree with the previous poster who said that if you don't love the sailing there are much cheaper and faster ways to get where you're going.

I love visiting new places and meeting new people but I am also perfectly happy to just take the boat out, find a good point of sail, sit back and go absolutely nowhere at all. The fact that I arrive somewhere interesting at the end of the day is just icing on the cake.

Bu the boat isn't just a means of transport. It's also your accommodation when you get there. For as long as you like. And if you want, it can be in places where there is no other accommodation.

We've stayed out on the outer barrier reef for several days at a time. To charter a boat to do that would have cost a fortune. We've stayed (for free) at islands where the resorts costs were over $1200 per person per night.

[oldragbaggers]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Bu the boat isn't just a means of transport. It's also your accommodation when you get there. For as long as you like. And if you want, it can be in places where there is no other accommodation.

We've stayed out on the outer barrier reef for several days at a time. To charter a boat to do that would have cost a fortune. We've stayed (for free) at islands where the resorts costs were over $1200 per person per night.

Understood....and I stand corrected.

[sailorboy1]

It's hard for me to believe the results, but they are what they are.

79% of responders prefer to be underway compared to sightseeing and enjoying the destination. Puts the years of CF reading into terms for me.