Visit our Popular Forums

A CheeseHead · 08-08-2011, 09:58

Which is what I've just done, into this forum.

Intro: former dinghy racer, offshore racer (done both since the early 70s), have been bitten by the cruising bug.

Old competitors/friends called within weeks of my retirement, said "We're in Greece and have to get the boat to France. Can you help?" So I did, flew to Athens, took a bus to Kalamata, and hopped in 200 mile legs from port to port with the two of them. It was a different world, with sheets cleated and the helm lashed as the boat sailed itself.

They called again a year later, said they were going to be in the Canaries and needed a watch captain to get the boat to the Caribbean. The other two crew were grown-up women who'd never done this sort of thing before, so there was a certain amount of teaching involved, but all went well and we still all speak to one another.

Meanwhile I continued to race (South China Sea in '08), then sailed a charter from Thira to Piraeus, but I think I like cruising a bit better; more relaxed, can drink beer now instead of after the finish line. When anchored off Chaguaramas (Trinidad) I got introduced to the culture of cruisers and the morning radio net. Very impressed with the sense of community, hearing folks re-connect after thousands of miles apart. Now, to see if I can persuade SWMBO to give up gardening and sell the house ...