Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 23-04-2014, 20:26   #1
Registered User
 
klmmicro's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Encinitas, CA
Boat: Catalina 36, Mk I
Posts: 252
Images: 6
What constitutes coastal cruising?

Simple question that will certainly have many answers. I have a definition that works for me, but a friend disagreed with it.

I usually day sail with a longer trip thrown in here an there. The other day, we were out for a few hours and made our way off shore some distance. Land was still in sight, but far enough away that we could not see the shore or make out any detail. We were picking up VHF traffic without much issue, so we were still close enough to be in touch with help if it were needed. He started to say that we were out in to open water...this is where our definitions and thoughts started to differ.

My definition for distance out while "coastal cruising" is "within sight of land, even if optics are required". Once land is below the horizon, but VHF is still fairly consistent we are in "open water". "Blue water" to me is when VHF comms are lost. I know that there is a lot of room for interpretation here.

So when is one coastal cruising? Just looking for some opinions. Is it a specific distance, a certain goal or activity?
__________________
Thirty Six Seas, Ahoy!
klmmicro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-04-2014, 21:13   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: The Netherlands
Boat: Baltic 38DP
Posts: 333
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

Quote:
Originally Posted by klmmicro View Post
"Blue water" to me is when VHF comms are lost. I know that there is a lot of room for interpretation here.
What a strange definition. VHF lost with what? You can be water sailing">blue water sailing with plenty of VHF traffic, or coastal cruising with none in more remote areas.

To me, blue water sailing is defined as more than 24 hours of sailing time to get back into sheltered waters. In more populated areas this definition is roughly equal to "out of helicopter range". In other words: there is no immediate possibility of outside help. This equates to roughly 200 mile offshore in most cases but if you cruise the higher latitudes you could say that even within sight of the coast you are no longer coastal cruising.


Onno
JazzyO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-04-2014, 21:19   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: The Netherlands
Boat: Baltic 38DP
Posts: 333
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

Quote:
Originally Posted by JazzyO View Post
You can be blue water sailing with plenty of VHF traffic, or coastal cruising with none in more remote areas.
How weird. Above is what I typed but after editing CF publishes the strange sentence you can see in my post. Ghost in the machine?


Onno
JazzyO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-04-2014, 21:52   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: San Diego
Boat: Pearson 39-2 "Sea Story"
Posts: 1,109
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

My husband says we went to the ocean last weekend, I say we went to the entrance to the bay.

I believe that PDF and life raft manufactures claim 25 miles, while insurance covers up to 75 miles.

We are always out of VHF range, because we never remember to take it with us on our 18 footer. That will change when we take delivery of our 39 in the next few days
Greenhand is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-04-2014, 23:49   #5
Moderator
 
carstenb's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: May 2012
Location: At sea somewhere in the Pacific
Boat: Jeanneau Sun Fast 40.3
Posts: 6,346
Images: 1
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

Quote:
Originally Posted by klmmicro View Post
Simple question that will certainly have many answers. I have a definition that works for me, but a friend disagreed with it.

I usually day sail with a longer trip thrown in here an there. The other day, we were out for a few hours and made our way off shore some distance. Land was still in sight, but far enough away that we could not see the shore or make out any detail. We were picking up VHF traffic without much issue, so we were still close enough to be in touch with help if it were needed. He started to say that we were out in to open water...this is where our definitions and thoughts started to differ.

My definition for distance out while "coastal cruising" is "within sight of land, even if optics are required". Once land is below the horizon, but VHF is still fairly consistent we are in "open water". "Blue water" to me is when VHF comms are lost. I know that there is a lot of room for interpretation here.

So when is one coastal cruising? Just looking for some opinions. Is it a specific distance, a certain goal or activity?
I'm not sure there is a "definative" definition. My definition is when ever you are so far from land that it is impracticale to reach harbour/anchroage for the night. Then you are ocean sailing
__________________


https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=carsten...ref=nb_sb_noss

Our books have gotten 5 star reviews on Amazon. Several readers have written "I never thought I would go on a circumnavigation, but when I read these books, I was right there in the cockpit with Vinni and Carsten"
carstenb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 00:18   #6
Moderator
 
Jim Cate's Avatar

Join Date: May 2008
Location: cruising SW Pacific
Boat: Jon Sayer 1-off 46 ft fract rig sloop strip plank in W Red Cedar
Posts: 21,135
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

This is becoming a kinda pedantic discussion, but what the hell... here's my take on cruising, coastal or otherwise:

Cruising for me has a first requirement... ending up somewhere other than where you started out on that sailing day. When we first were sailing in our new to us Oday Osprey dinghy we did our first "cruise", sailing from San Leandro marina to Pete's harbor in Redwood City (all in the southern part of SF Bay). Spent the night there and sailed back the next day, learning about tidal currents, shallows, and trying to beat upwind and upcurrent in a 15 foot dinghy when we hardly knew how to hoist the sails. That was a VERY educational day that I still remember with some horror! But it was a start, and I learned that "going somewhere different" was important to me... and it still is!

So, I reckon that coastal cruising is not so defined by how far off shore one is, but rather by sailing to a distant (relative to time available and boat size) destination, along a coastline rather than by making a crossing of some body of water.

Back then (1969) almost no one had VHF radios on board, and we had no thoughts of summoning a rescue if we stuffed things up. So, all this talk of daring to go out of VHF range, or helicopter range or whatever seems contrived. Counting on outside efforts to save your ass was poor judgement then, and still is today.

But I digress. It doesn't matter how you define these terms, going out there and sailing to somewhere else is cruising to me, and I still enjoy it after all these years.

Cheers,

Jim
__________________
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
Jim Cate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 00:43   #7
Moderator
 
JPA Cate's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: aboard, cruising in Australia
Boat: Sayer 46' Solent rig sloop
Posts: 28,400
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

I'd like to add to what Jim said, 'cause I think what JazzyO said is extremely relevant---to where he cruises.

But Encinitas, is Southern Calif. So Cal is characterised by light airs, except in winter storms. Most folks don't go cruising in winter storms unless they're shaking down to go offshore. So, From Encinitas, there are limited destinations for day sails and long weekends, and all of it is green water.

My two cents.
__________________
Who scorns the calm has forgotten the storm.
JPA Cate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 03:49   #8
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Hudson Valley N.Y.
Boat: contessa 32
Posts: 826
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

In past the distinction was defined by depth. I.E. : Coastal waters were "on soundings" which meant a depth of less than 100 fathoms (600 ft). when the sounding lead did not reach the bottom "off soundings" then the ship was no longer in coastal waters but in blue waters. Not sure however, if the "blue " part was used as loosely then as it is today.
mrohr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 03:54   #9
S/V rubber ducky
 
sailorboy1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

It's 2014, time to update definitions to fit the times. So, you're coastal cruising when you can still get a WiFi and/or a cell phone signal.
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
sailorboy1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 04:09   #10
Registered User
 
Cavalier's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Houston, TX
Boat: Beneteau 461 47'
Posts: 927
Images: 1
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

I think it's fair to take the direction the thread has: not to ask what IS coastal cruising but, rather, what is NOT coastal cruising - access to VHF/WIFI/access to the Kardashians or not shouldn't come into it. Insurance companies differ in their treatment too. I took me a couple of weeks to get my own insurance company to define what they meant by "within US waters".. 12miles or the much larger Economic Exclusivity Zone. I finally got them to concede that the EEZ is under the control of the US so that's "US waters". However, if I was 200 miles offshore and a storm hit which I couldn't avoid, then I wouldn't be feeling very "coastal".

As mentioned above, the quorum typically appears to define the limit of Offshore as being "if weather comes along and you don't have enough time to get back to a safe harbor then you just have to deal with it, by yourself".

I believe the concept of starting off one place and ended up somewhere different isn't a clean enough definition: one could always run 3 straight days and nights in clear sight of the coastline without stopping, it'd still be coastal!
__________________
"By day the hot sun fermented us; and we were dizzied by the beating wind. At night we were stained by dew, and shamed into pettiness by the innumerable silences of stars."
Cavalier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 04:44   #11
Senior Cruiser
 
boatman61's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 30,561
Images: 2
pirate Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

For me... a non stop run from Falmouth to Gib would constitute Coastal sailing... never more than 200 miles from land..
__________________

It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
boatman61 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 05:07   #12
Registered User
 
oldragbaggers's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Wherever the boat is
Boat: Cape Dory 33
Posts: 1,021
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

I agree with Jim Cate on all points. For us also, if we started in one place and ended up somewhere else we had cruised. If we started in our slip at the marina and returned to our slip we had been out for a day sail.

Likewise, if you start out and end on the coast of the same landmass, regardless of how far you ventured off shore to get from, say, San Francisco to San Diego, you are still coastal cruising. Crossing a body of water = offshore/blue water cruising. (But....even when we sailed from Long Beach to Catalina Island, to me that was still coastal.)

We also agree with his view that the call range of your electronics has no bearing on the definition.

That's just my take on it.
__________________
Cruising the waterways and traveling the highways looking for fun and adventure wherever it might be found.
oldragbaggers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 05:21   #13
Senior Cruiser
 
StuM's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Port Moresby,Papua New Guinea
Boat: FP Belize Maestro 43 and OPBs
Posts: 12,888
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

To me, I'm blue water sailing as soon as I clear Basilisk Passage and am in 1000+ meters of water in the Coral Sea (that's about 5 miles from the marina).

More generally, blue water is anything beyond a continental shelf and more than a couple of hundred metres deep. In some parts of the world, you hit blue water almost as soon as you leave the dock - in others you have to go several hundred miles to find it.

That said, I am also "coastal cruising" while in "blue water" anytime I track outside the reefs along the South Papua coast to Milne Bay.

(and even if only a couple of miles offshore, there ain't no VHF land stations anywhere on that coast, so there goes another "definition" ).

IOW, the terms are not mutually exclusive.
StuM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 05:28   #14
One of Those
 
Canibul's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Colorado
Boat: Catalac 12M (sold)
Posts: 3,218
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

I can swim from the beach here and be in a thousand meters of blue water within a few hundred yards of land without a VHF radio. Does that make me a blue water cruiser?
__________________
Expat life in the Devil's Triangle:
https://2gringos.blogspot.com/
Canibul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-04-2014, 06:06   #15
Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,002
Re: What constitutes coastal cruising?

The way I see the terms used typically (there is no formal definition):

If you return to your home port the same day, it's day sailing.

If you anchor/dock for the evening or at least have the option to do so while traveling to new ports, you have moved up to coastal sailing.

If there is no option to anchor/dock for the evening, it's blue water.

Then you have gray areas such as an overnight run, a faster boat could do a hop could make port in a day but your boat can't, you are within a few miles of shore but there is nowhere to anchor/dock, etc...

Just going out on the open ocean for the afternoon is not typically considered blue water sailing.
valhalla360 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
cruising

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Affordable Offshore and Coastal Cruising Trimarans kjbsail Multihull Sailboats 22 02-01-2015 13:59
Your Coastal/Near Coastal Vessel - And Why You Chose It. Shibumik Monohull Sailboats 20 17-03-2013 17:40
What Constitutes a Rebuild ? sweetsailing Engines and Propulsion Systems 18 24-05-2011 21:33
Coastal v Ocean Cruising DtM Multihull Sailboats 20 13-11-2006 05:25
coastal cruising in a small boat bayoubouy General Sailing Forum 3 31-07-2005 22:35

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:02.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.