What do you actually do While Cruising?

[biscuitsjam]

I have a family friend whose parents attempted a circumnavigation when she was a child 50 years ago. I listened to a lot of her stories, and I started reading these forums. I've read a lot of discussions on picking the right boat or how to budget and so on. Here's the question that I have rarely seen addressed:

What do you actually do when you go cruising? So, you sail to some island in the Caribbean or Atlantic or Pacific...

And then what? Do you go hiking up the local volcano? Scuba diving at the nearby reef? Read a book while sitting on the beach and looking at the sunset and listening to the sound of the surf? Watch your Teen Mom 2 DVD collection again? Invite all the other cruisers over for Margaritas and a 5-star home-cooked meal?

Personally, in my non-cruising life, I take my family out to activities when I can (camping, swimming, jetskiing at the lake, hiking, etc.). I also spend a fair bit of time bicycling and working on MBA classes. One of these days, I plan to get into hanggliding and get back into pistol marksmanship.

So, what do you actually do on these trips? What is it that makes life so much better on a boat than on land?

[Stu Jackson]

That's like asking a question: "What do you eat when you're on vacation?"

Folks who go cruising are either sailing on their home or out for a number of years with a home at, er, home.

What folks do depends a lot on where they go. Activities in the South Pacific would be a tad different than those on the Inside passage to Alaska.

And some actually get on their computers and come HERE!

All you need to answer your question is to read a few books and maybe a couple of blogs.

[model 10]

Drink coffee then beer and read. Work on the boat, go swimming. Think about where you are going to get dinner. Same old thing day after day.

[tomfl]

Everyone I know who lives on a boat is a slave to the weather. There are days when it is cloudy, light misty rain, kinda chilly and I usually stay in the bunk till noon, get up and fix some coffee and get back in the bunk.

If the weather is nice I do something else.

[MarkJ]

I made a video called "What We Do When Cruising".


I think it pretty much explains it.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r3HwEBD2Ias

Well, it explains it to me

[bobconnie]

Don't know about any on else on here, but I seem to always have things that need fixing!! Some of them did not need fixing at sea, so were left till making an anchorage. Mostly I clean the boat from top to bottom, then catch up on those little jobs that need doing when the boats a bit more stable ! We cook everyday no matter the weather, but if we were able to get some fresh veggies, then we have big veggie fix !! LOL Sometimes it seems like cruiseing is going to new places to fix stuff !! LOL

[SimonV]

To answer your questions. its a simple YES to all of them except the 5 star meal. but any meal served up by someone else is bliss.

[markpierce]

One example:

[Pato]

While cruising I try to keep up with boat chores, cleaning and provisioning after that I like to hang out with the locals learn their ways and what makes their world go around. I like different cultures and seeing the world from a different perspective. Hiking, snorkeling fishing reading and having a few beer is a given. There are so many cool little things if you look close and so many little details that make everywhere special in their own way good or bad. Ahh can't wait to get back out cruising only one more year till refit is done. I also found time passes quickly when cruising. Little things can take a while so days pass by quickly. then time to sail again and do it again in a different venue and different quirks. So much fun love it

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by biscuitsjam

----
So, what do you actually do on these trips? What is it that makes life so much better on a boat than on land?

Nothing. You wouldn't like it. Don't go.
There are too many of us out here already.

[cruiser_wannabe]

One does most of the same things as on land. It just takes longer, involves more walking and talking, more likely to have a scrape here and there, more likely to get wet (on purpose or by accident), and there is a lot of sunset watching.

[BandB]

First while moving on the water. We relax. Feel the wind in our hair. Enjoy the purest of nature at it's best. Watch the dolphins play. When close to shore, watch birds and wildlife. Just enjoy the peace.

Then when in port, we explore. We see the beauty of each town along the way. The history, the culture, the art, the artisans. We listen to the music. We see things we've never seen before, have experiences we've never had. We meet people and experience differences in places. We enjoy every moment of it. We remind ourselves how lucky we are and how thankful to be able to do it. We learn something new each and every day. Something that we would not have learned sitting at home.

I think we experience the softer side of the world. Not just in our contact with those on the water but those who have businesses or live near it. To some it's an escape but we think of it in more positive terms as it's an immersion in the best of the world. It reminds us (and I know many here may not feel this) but of the innate goodness of mankind, of the humanity. It strengthens our beliefs in the kindness of our fellow man. While it's easy to lose faith in many things of the world, we still believe in mankind. We meet people with whom we may have nothing in common other than our basic love for the water and in those times and those places that's all that matters.

[cruiser_wannabe]

Wonderful post by BandB. You mentioned thinking good of mankind. That reminded me of the great amount of gratitude I felt to the people who operated a small "store" on a remote island, where I was able to buy a cold orange soda. It felt like they we there for me, they made a decision to open a business and stock the shelves so I could walk in one day and buy that soda, and I loved them for that. Crazy, I know.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by cruiser_wannabe

Wonderful post by BandB. You mentioned thinking good of mankind. That reminded me of the great amount of gratitude I felt to the people who operated a small "store" on a remote island, where I was able to buy a cold orange soda. It felt like they we there for me, they made a decision to open a business and stock the shelves so I could walk in one day and buy that soda, and I loved them for that. Crazy, I know.

Each person who helps you is someone to thank. And for those who are rude or angry, then you don't know what they're going through. Whatever it is, just hope things get better for them.

Even when boating on a lake, we always felt we saw people at their best.

[TacomaSailor]

My experience has been that those who ask the question never really learn to be laid back "no schedule" cruisers.

Those who don't bother to ask the question or even think about it are happy with the cruising life because the life is what is important and now what you do.

At the end of each day cruising in remote locations, or even not so remote ones like the San Juan Islands, I frequently puzzled over how I spent 16 happy hours and "did" so little.

Just some late night rumminations.

Things we did/do
- bicycling (mountain and road)
- sailboard
- snorkeling
- fishing
- boat work
- hiking
- cards
- beer
- socializing
- HAM net stuff
- photography
- computer games
- reading, reading, and more reading
- studying plants
- studying rocks
... etc

On any given day we were able to do about 1/4 of the things we had hoped to accomplish