Cruisers: how long do you stay?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

...By contrast, we've spent most of the past several cruising seasons in the San Blas islands of Panama. We were there March thru June this year. Had an awesome cruising season. Of course, there are almost 400 islands spread out over more than 100 miles of coast line. ...

Sounds like my kind of cruising . My tag line ain’t just aspirational .

Originally Posted by conachair

For many it seems to change on how long you've been cruising for, first few years it's like an exciting holiday and a lot rush around trying to see and do everything then it mellows out a bit, boats might do longer passages then hole up in an area for a while and get to know the people and culture a bit better.
Both great fun

Agreed. We (my spouse and I) both love staying put and getting to know the places we end up. But our places tend to be more remote anchorages. I love getting to know a wild semi-wild area. And I love getting to know the local cruisers who pass through.

[zeehag]

the actual saying is familiarity breeds contempt. not content.
too long and too dronk, i find folks did not like the results. i donot drink, but many cruisers/vagabonds under sail/ voyagers under sail, wtf you wish to call selves.... do. to excess.
i help folks. i stay as long as i feel like staying, familiarize with locals, not folks playing at part time party hearty cruising. i have repairs effected and more repairs effected--by locals. not english speakers out to clamp onto a wallet.
i enjoy my life. no one can place parameters on this. it is reality. no 6 month part time play, this is full time life.
life is awesomely good. life is an adventure meant to be LIVED.

[TheThunderbird]

Word of disco.

Boating is about floating and enjoying outdoor with a personal living system (boat, systems, crew).

In all' that, sailing from A to B (to no particular purpose, quite often) is an accessory.

I try to reach places WORTHY a 3 to 9 months stay. Boat is, or works for, a house, not a car

[RaymondR]

One of the great things about cruising in your own boat is that you get to choose how soon you get to go or choose to stay.

"Bloody anchorage is full of noisy tourist boats, let's get to hell out of here"

"Nah, it's too early to get out of bed today, we'll go tomorrow"

[Hasbeen]

In the pacific Islands it is much more fun if you stay long enough to become part of the community. I stayed off & on so long in Rabaul, [New Britain, New Guinea], they co-opted onto the comity of the yacht club.


I visited one atoll plantation so often over a few years the planters wife tried to marry me off to her sister, & a Family in Honiara, Guadalcanal would see my yacht coming down iron bottom sound, & be down to great me at the yacht club as I arrived.


When I got back to Oz, I got involved in the tourist day trip & bear boat charter industries in the Whitsunday Islands, & was there for 6 years.


That is what I call cruising.

[JanetGroene]

As a liveaboard I found it was usually about two weeks before the inside story began revealing itself to us. Locals ashore and afloat want to get the cut of your jib before trusting you with the real who's who and what's what. On a related note, when we were looking for a monthly or seasonal rate at a a location where we wanted to spend some time, there was often a No Vacancy sign at first until they looked us over. Only then did a favored rate open up. Take tie to smell the flowers.

[Cheechako]

Might be overnight, but sometimes 5-6 weeks.

[Mike OReilly]

Just hauled up after seven or eight weeks. Had to clean serious barnacles off the first 20 feet of chain, so perhaps this has been too long.

[Greg4cocokai]

Usually when cruising the tropical Pacific, you cross the equator every six months. Nine times for me.

[rognvald]

We never sail to experience other cultures. We sail because we enjoy the passages, the natural beauty of the target area and the wildlife. We leave when we want another experience. It rarely exceeds two weeks but usually is only a few days unless there are weather, mechanical issues or the fishing is especially good. Rognvald

[Bill_Giles]

A good question, much like “how long is a piece of string”. Is it a cheap, clean, comfortable and happy mooring? Is it expensive with grumpy, noisy neighbours?Are there fishing boats going to and fro day and night? Have you decided that you are no longer a sailor or someone who has a caravan (mobile home) which goes from pitch to pitch?

[Hasbeen]

Originally Posted by rognvald

We never sail to experience other cultures. We sail because we enjoy the passages, the natural beauty of the target area and the wildlife. We leave when we want another experience. It rarely exceeds two weeks but usually is only a few days unless there are weather, mechanical issues or the fishing is especially good. Rognvald

I wasn't cruising to look at other cultures, but it is very nice when you pull into an isolate atoll plantation you haven't visited in a few years, & the planter greets you with 'Hasbeen, nice to see you. Come & try some of my new brew"

If I wanted oysters I didn.t go to a restaurant, but would sail a couple of hundred miles to an island which I knew had great oyster beds. The same went for lobsters or Spanish mackerel.

The scenery at your first few coconut palm fringed anchorages is pretty exciting, but after 499 of them, I found number 500 did not do all that much for me. It was the people who were more interesting.

[benzy]

When you consider all the variables, then there are many ways to mix and match them to “experience” a place: how long you stay; how efficient you are with your time; what of the local area you want to experience (eg: food, people, nature, etc); your ability to be alone with yourself; weather; boat problems; sailing seasons; flights home; bank balance; life plans

There is no “right” way to do it. As long as you are enjoying yourself.

But yes it’s probably that the vloggers need new material and you only see the highlights.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Hasbeen

I wasn't cruising to look at other cultures, but it is very nice when you pull into an isolate atoll plantation you haven't visited in a few years, & the planter greets you with 'Hasbeen, nice to see you. Come & try some of my new brew"

If I wanted oysters I didn.t go to a restaurant, but would sail a couple of hundred miles to an island which I knew had great oyster beds. The same went for lobsters or Spanish mackerel.

The scenery at your first few coconut palm fringed anchorages is pretty exciting, but after 499 of them, I found number 500 did not do all that much for me. It was the people who were more interesting.

Hi, H,
Thanks for the feedback. My point in the above quote was to emphasize our main goal for cruising: adventure, sailing, and wildlife . . . not that we are misanthropes. We, also, have met some wonderful people in our travels but that isn't the reason we cruise. Our wild areas are quickly disappearing and for those of us who relish this beauty . . . the clock is ticking . .. and, of course, none of us lives forever. Good luck and safe sailing . . . Rognvald