The True Stories Of Cruising

[Randyonr3]

I've been reading about all the wonderful stories of cruising her on CF but there is a hidden side of full time cruising or living aboard your boat, so

Be Honest,
Lets hear ONE good experience about cruising BUT also add One Bad experience.. And Please, use your own stories and be truthful..


To start,
The Good,
Sailing with a pod of Orcas out of Friday Harbor in the San Juan Island on a bright sunny day with a little breezz of about 10 knots, Auto Pilot in control, and the wife serving wine and cheeze in the cockpit.
The Bad,
Reefing the sail in a blow off Point Conception at 3am and rain blowing in from the side, cold, wet, and nasty conditions. And the smell of the oil riggs in the area, Not a good day..

[robert sailor]

The good....snorkeling in the Marshall Islands over beautiful coral beds, giant clams and fish as far as your eye could see. Hand feeding sting Rays and drift diving with dozens of sharks you could almost touch.
Spending a full year with my Son just having great times and enjoying his company on 2 offshore passages.

The Bad.... Sailing 150 miles off the Wa/Or coast in 40+ knots of wind for 2 days, big seas and having to hand steer because the autopilot was not able to handle the boat..one hour on and one hour off for over 36 hours. You couldn't write me a cheque big enough to get me out there. I've been in stronger winds but never in bigger seas.

[Ex-Calif]

Good - Spotting two grey and one albino dolphin right off the coast of Singapore - whoda thought! Any night on the hook or away from home (still a weekend warrior)

Bad - Anytime the wind drops below 3 knots. Almost washing my 12 y/o kid overboard from his seat on the forward quarter rail as I ignored the building sea state...

[a64pilot]

Good, beautiful multicolored sunrise in the Gulf of Mexico on our way to Sarasota from Panama City,
Bad, Being in one of the worst lightning storms I have ever seen later that same night, say more than one strike hit the water, knew it was a matter of time before we were hit, got lucky.

[capt-couillon]

One of my earlier CF contributions on this topic....

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1355956

[Scot McPherson]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Good, beautiful multicolored sunrise in the Gulf of Mexico on our way to Sarasota from Panama City,
Bad, Being in one of the worst lightning storms I have ever seen later that same night, say more than one strike hit the water, knew it was a matter of time before we were hit, got lucky.

Tampa Bay Area is the lightening capital of the world.

I know, I used to live in Sarasota and Bradenton.


Scot McPherson
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[tbodine88]

Good: Anchored off the beach on Barbuda on a night with a full moon. Moon in the sky and on the water as florescent plankton float by

Most days pottering around Decker Lake near my home in Austin

Bad: After replacing all the seals in the motor, but not the pumps first the saltwater pump packed it up in St Thomas, and the fresh water pump failed in Clearwater Florida, couldn't find parts. My Jury rig was a POS so I hauled the boat and gave up on sailing from Florida to Texas, then had to go to hospital with appendicitis

[Bestathook]

Good: Laying anchored in mirror flat water enjoying a magnificent sundown, watching huge shoals of fish feeding along the surface, as I sipped a bit of rum and coke.

Bad: On the way from Key West to Dry Tortugas in a Compac 16, becalmed, with a dead motor, as not one, but two waterspouts came straight at me.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Scot McPherson

Tampa Bay Area is the lightening capital of the world.

I know, I used to live in Sarasota and Bradenton.


Scot McPherson
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

I can believe it, this one was odd in that it barely rained and the wind didn't even get up, but the lightning was fierce.

[Hudson Force]

The good:


The bad:

[Prairie Chicken]

The Good: A shower, a real shower! Inside the boat. Not outside in the wind, or under the watchful eyes of the big flybridge next to you. And not down at the public showers either.

The Bad: Cleaning the shower filters every week. Filling tanks a lot more often.


The Good: Mosquito screens over ALL the hatches! NOT laying awake under the sheets, sweating, listening to the buzz of the little blood suckers.

The Bad: Putting screens in every time you wish to open or close a hatch. Not being able to easily poke your head out the companionway because of the mosquito screen velcro'd in place.

[JPA Cate]

The good: still night, whales spotted from their phosphorescence and hearing their blows. Jump into dinghy, paddle over near them, one big phosphorescence, one little one.

The bad: Sheer terror--the sudden realization that we might be in danger from the Mom! and the subsequent hasty retreat!

[DoubleWhisky]

The good... when my Dearest start to smile, with Her long hair flying on the wind , while the boat is accelerating and heeling gently and speedo is showing double figures...

The bad... when I first engaged my water-maker, my generator went dead short after, followed by the main engine and after vigorous inspection of (well hidden, of course) pipe runs I discovered that some debilitated idiot of contractor connected the water maker to the fuel, not to the water tank

The worst... when my Dearest got food poisoned (what appeared several hours from nearest harbour). She was dehydrating so extremely fast that I was close to calling Hellenic Coast Guard - only time for thirty something years of sailing. Happily I got her stabilised after couple of hours (more liquid in than out) and we reached the harbour (and hospital) on our own...
Never before I imagined how terrible can be combined effect of food poisoning and induced by it sea sickness...

[TacomaSailor]

The Good
Six hours of 35 - 50 knots in warm weather and great down wind sailing
South Sea of Cortez. Taken on our boat.

The Bad
Puerto Refugio in the North Sea of Cortez - Hurricane Marty - our freinds lost their un-insured boat and everything they owned was on it. Our boat survived, albeit with a bit of drama, in a cove about a mile SW.

[Sanman60]

The Good: Having a pod of Pilot whales come surround the boat for a half an hour on our way from Sardinia to Majorca, Sun was shining Sails full making about 5 Knots. Having them roll up right next to me on the rail as if to Say "Hey! what's up Human?"

The Bad: 3am in the North Atlantic out of Villamoura Portugal, headed to La Coruna Spain, 35 knots on the nose, Motorsailing with Double reefed main, Deep reefed Jib, 2 meter seas breaking over the bows, making about 1.5 knots, when not being stopped altogether, Go below to try and get a coffee or hell even just a bottle of water. The wife is up she looks at me and says dead seriously "I'm not ready to die tonight."

(of course, I should also add another good: we didn't die that night. )