The Downside of Cruising

[jackiepitts]

I have seen several boats leave because the boat was ill-prepared to cruise from the start. Many times the issues become overwhelming for the captain and when he finds out how difficult and expensive it can be to get parts he decides to take the boat back home "to get all the kinks worked out" which unfortunately never seems to happen.
I have to wonder if this is just a excuse and if it is just that the captain has found out the downsides of cruising......

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by jackiepitts

I have seen several boats leave because the boat was ill-prepared to cruise from the start. Many times the issues become overwhelming for the captain and when he finds out how difficult and expensive it can be to get parts he decides to take the boat back home "to get all the kinks worked out" which unfortunately never seems to happen.
I have to wonder if this is just a excuse and if it is just that the captain has found out the downsides of cruising......

In trying to decide whether or not to leave Ohana in Mexico the decision finally came down to the coast of parts in Mexico. I can get the parts I need much cheaper in the US. Also it at least three or four times longer to complete a project in Mexico. Parts availability, finding the correct sub contractor, etc. I decided to bring my boat back to SD so that I could work on her and get her all fitted out to continue cruising. Now I don't know when/if I'll be able to get Ohana back to Mexico.

[w1651]

Originally Posted by zeehag

since i wake up in my own boat, same place i go to sleep , i believe that isnt going to be an issue--i donot do marinas so that is not a problem--i could well be safe from that ... whatever fate..(as re--waking next to 1651 whatever--lol-)----

my boat is comfy---cozy with the teak and oil lamps and character ..... i am looking forward to sailing her...

ZeeHag
I have read a few of your posts from the past threads I have watched and responded to them occasionally. With that in mind I leave you with this.
you are two much of a lady for me to ever expect the day of the fore mentioned to occur. I will leave it at that

[w1651]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Love it! Go for it! I've been there, done it, got a closet full of tee-shirts . . .
I especially love the part about - "Forget the job and the government and the electric bill from now on."
- - Unfortunately, reality is an ugly mistress that you cannot scream at the morning "GET THE HELL OFF MY BOAT" . . .
- - What I am saying is that you will find your dream - to the maximum possible extent - if you keep a little corner of your attention on the reality of the cruising life. If you heed the "downers" mentioned here and use them as a starting point to adjust your thoughts and attitudes to deal with them effectively - then the rest of your experience will be that "ideal dream experience" - most of the time! And to cruise long term you definitely need to massage your attitude to deal with normal human psychology as best expressed as "the grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence."
- - Learning to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the experience is not something that is normal to the majority of 1st World citizens. It takes some adjusting and slowing down. But after awhile the constant supply of new "roses" and gorgeous honeys to wake up with starts to get tedious.
- - How long you last out there is pretty much determined by how flexible your attitude is and how much you pay attention to all of the pesky little bureaucratic B.S. and stuff you have to swallow to be allowed into the various "gardens of eden." Entry is not free. It costs money and flexibility to deal with the various owners of each "paradise."

I will go for it and I will see things and do things most only dream of. And there will be good days and there will be bad. The majority of them good I think. Just give me a tall ship and a star to steer her by and I'll be fine just Fine!

[w1651]

Vasco and Vagabond

Thank you for strengthening my resolve to get this thing going and off the ground.
It's people like you that make life worth living. You're unwavering caution and sense of self preservation only makes me want to go sooner. But alas all things in their own time I'm afraid but thanks again.

[w1651]

Originally Posted by Charlie

I think that the downside has more to do with incompatible defintions of cruising. If one partner wants to go do long ocean passages and the other wants to do Marina to marina crusies there is a problem.

Keeping the boat working with all of the different systems is a problem too.

Comfort -- I remember in my twenties racing sailboats in the ocean and sleeping on top of sails because there were no more berths on the high side of the boat. I don't think I would do that any more. I like my comfy berth.

Zeehag you have the advantage since there are more men who like the dream then women.

Thanks Charlie but I am single and planning to stay that way so that shouldn't be a problem. I enjoy my single life and my sanity to much to go mucking it up.(or hers for that matter) As for the racing I kinda like the idea of not having to much as far as luxuries. I think everything in balance is the way to go here,
I don't need or want a washer or dish washer on board. However a warm comfortable bed will be a must have item.

[w1651]

Mark J
I read a lot of your posts here and enjoyed them all. You are living a dream few ever get to do. I have gone to your blog/website and I am very impressed with where you have been and seen.
I appreciate all your input and information on how to do things and the challenges that it presents. That is why I have decided to not take the beaten path when cruising. steer away from the normal places and ports of call. I don't need to see the tourist traps I live in Florida after all. But i see little island chains that are off the beaten path that are remote and rarely visited. I hope this should keep the costs down somewhat and it should make for a nicer trip not having to climb over everyone in the marina just to get to the shore.
Also a newspaper here and there will be a normal procedure, and the internet to keep in touch with friends and family once in a while will be a great help.

[captain58sailin]

There is the dream & the reality, if you can reconcile one with the other then you will be fine. Living on the water is a way of life for me and I wouldn't have it any other way. As far as quitting goes, you'll know I am done, when you find my boat sailing around with out me aboard. I'll leave the title on the galley table with my signature on the transfer so someone else can continue on where I have left off.

[anotherT34C]

I've traveled quite a bit (mostly by plane at this point) and many tourists I see seem to regard touring as something of a chore (climb to the top of the temple, snap picture, climb down, rinse-repeat).

I think you really need to have a passion for history, culture, geography, and biology. Oherwise, touring is just going to become a chore.

As for the boat, unless you're specifically planning to tour deep lattitudes, buy the large, comfortable, production boat, with the walk around queen berth, large galley, and the separate head and shower. You're going to be carefully planning your passages anyway (if you have half a brain) around appropriate weather windows. If you think you *might* want to sail the capes, buy that boat at that time.

Just IMO.

[capcook]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

Some people go cruising as a way to travel and see the world . . . but you are constantly looking after the boat and if you are really looking to travel there are probably better way.

While I have considered all the issues rasied here, this comment did catch me by surprise.... I was actually thinking a Cruising Catamaran might actually be the perfect way to travel. We have taken a lot of 2wk trips around the world... fly in, suffer from jet lag for 3 days... sleep in a different bed almost every night, can only take the stuff you can carry, hurry up and see everything then fly back, suffer jet lag for three days and try and unpack... Not to mention the cost of air travel, resturants and hotels for 4 people...tired of this kind of traveling and really can't afford to do it once I retire.... but we still love to visit new cultures and places...

Cruising by definition is slow so you are never going to have Jet Lag... you get to take your Bed and your "stuff" with you where ever you go in the world... like dragging your condo from place to place... Yes lots of work and up keep, but there is lots of work and up keep to a house too and it doesn't go anywhere...

I did find the POV interesting in one post that mentioned as the years go by you become more reluctant to ever move the boat... always looking for better and better weather windows... A smart fellow told me "if you aren't going to sail anywhere, than a small condo on the Land will always be a heck of a lot more comfortable than any boat I could ever afford" I think that is wise advice... so if you aren't looking to travel and see new places, why live on a boat ?? Traveling is the point afterall...

JMHO...

Cheers

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by capcook

Traveling is the point afterall...

JMHO...

Cheers

It might be for you but not for me. By traveling you mean seeing other countries, sights, cultures etc. Did that many years ago. For me cruising is sailing, living in my little floating home, and warm weather. Frankly if you want to "travel" fly to where you want and then rent a RV. A few of my cruising friends are doing that in NZ right now. A lot easier than sailing there.

[zeehag]

lol---travelling may seem to be the point--but there is a lot involved with that travelling---the experiences gained at sea are far beyond those gained in a jet over the sea 35000 feet--ye cant see the flying fish from up there nor the dolphins swimming with ye---lol----among so many other experiences ---lol-----cant fish from an airplane. dont have to be in a hurry---dont have to do anything but sail!!!! so--where is the down side of cruising under sail???!!!! LOL!!!!

[captain58sailin]

Sailing is about the going, not the getting there, something about a journey on the sea that puts one in touch with the inner - self, there is time for introspection, not just "can I have another cocktail please while I endure this 22 hour misery until I arrive." I would rather spend three months sailing somewhere on my vessel, than spend 3 hours on a jet.

[capcook]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

Sailing is about the going, not the getting there, something about a journey on the sea that puts one in touch with the inner - self, there is time for introspection, not just "can I have another cocktail please while I endure this 22 hour misery until I arrive." I would rather spend three months sailing somewhere on my vessel, than spend 3 hours on a jet.

Couldn't agree more... but I can also see the POV of folks who just like the lifestyle right where they are....

cheers

[osirissail]

And that is the distinction between those that see the journey as the objective and those that consider the destination the objective. I call the former "sailors" and the latter "cruisers." Both are involved in the same two aspects but have different viewpoints about which is the "best part." Between the two camps are a few who enjoy both aspects.
- - I suspect more and more "sailors" are in the weekend, short journey trips chosen to maximize the sailing experience and the destination is chosen merely as a minor aspect. On the other hand "cruisers" look and research "places" accessible by water that they have always wanted to explore in depth. The cruising boat is their means of getting from one to the other. And they want to have a comfortable "home," not a hotel room, to live in while exploring these destinations.
- - Generally speaking a sailboat moves through the water (over the water for Cat's) and is common to both groups, but how they outfit the sailboat is sometimes radically different and even the model/style of the sailboat chosen is significantly different. As has been hammered to death - different strokes for different folks.