What can I expect in my cruising life?

[nicollej]

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know how I am going with my new cruising life.

I have been living aboard the lovely "Sea Life", our Beneteau 393 with my fiance' Mark for 3 weeks now.

I have having the most wonderful time. I just love it! At first it was all very different and took a little adjusting but now I am really getting the hang of it.

I am feeling more and more at home everyday. It is just the most amazing life, so relaxing and simple!

We are still in the Caribbean and having a wonderful time. I am so glad we have started our cruising adventures and look forward to the many years or challenges and adventures ahead.

My favorite part so far is the drinks on our deck at sunset, watching the most beautiful and stunning sunsets I have ever seen in my life!

Happy Cruising to you all!

Smiles

Nicolle xoxo
Our Life At Sea

[schoonerdog]

This is Schooner-dog's wife here...

My best advice is to savor every moment. Take photos. Keep a journal.

We moved aboard when I was 25 and were not yet married (10 years ago, yikes!) and now we're still aboard and married with our almost 4 year old son and still LOVING it. But it's amazing how much I have forgotten of past adventures (having a kid sort of sucks your brain out in a lovely and miraculous way)
I am thankful for the sporadic journal keeping I did on our first time out cruising and many, many photos. I plan to be better about it from now on and when we leave again in a couple of years.

best to you!
Cindy

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by schoonerdog

... My best advice is to savor every moment. Take photos. Keep a journal ... Cindy

And, EXCELLENT advice it is !!!

[rtbates]

Rule number one: It WON"T all be fun, sorry Paul.

Have an understanding that in order to get to that wonderful island sometimes it's necessary to slog along in very nasty conditions. While the ocean is a wonderful and beautiful place, at times it can be down right miserable. So my best advice is to have a realistic understanding of what crusing is all about. Far too many folks get hooked on boat living by a two weeks cruise in paradise without any experience of the sometimes unpleasant aspects. They sell the farm, buy a boat, get into storm, think they are going to die and quit.. Don't be one... Have fun

[oldsalt_1942]

For really good bargains on sailboats, go to places like the Virgin Islands, Rio Dulce, Guatemala, places that are the first landfall of novices who, without previous crusing experience, sold the farm and bought a boat and took off for the cruising life. Lots of people don't make it beyond that first adventure when they decide that fixing broken things in exotic locations aren't what they were looking for afterall.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by oldsalt_1942

For really good bargains on sailboats, go to places like the Virgin Islands, Rio Dulce, Guatemala, places that are the first landfall of novices

How does one find out what is there without going there?

Please don't say "internet search".

[imagine2frolic]

Expect nothing, and accept everything that comes your way. Cruising is another facet of life. Most of our lives are full of good days, but bad days come along also. Just like being ashore we need to get through everything thrown at us.

I back the statement that you are fortunate to be so young, and healthy. Yes, take those pics, and keep a journal. Don't be afraid to express your fears along with your happiness. I too took a wife to St. Maarten to get a boat. She had only 2 afternoon sails before we flew to St. Maarten from San Francisco.

It has been 5 years now since first getting on Imagine. We moved ashore less than 2 years ago. Along with jobs, driving, and everyday hassles. One day my wife said to me...REMEBER WHEN OUR ONLY CONCERN WAS THE WEATHER...She thought she wanted a house, but now she looks forward to sailing again. Sailing is a wonderful sense of accomplishments. BEST WISHES with your new, and EXCITING LIFE!!!!!!!

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by rtbates

Rule number one: It WON"T all be fun, sorry Paul.

Have an understanding that in order to get to that wonderful island sometimes it's necessary to slog along in very nasty conditions. While the ocean is a wonderful and beautiful place, at times it can be down right miserable. So my best advice is to have a realistic understanding of what crusing is all about. Far too many folks get hooked on boat living by a two weeks cruise in paradise without any experience of the sometimes unpleasant aspects. They sell the farm, buy a boat, get into storm, think they are going to die and quit.. Don't be one... Have fun

Very true. It's really just a matter of "toughening up" and losing your ideas of what comfort is. If you are bashing around because of weather, it's good to be able to just accept that, take pride in your ability to handle it, and not get worried/worked up. That's what I've found was the biggest adjustment going from office life (land life) to living and working on the water.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by nicollej

What can I expect in my cruising life?...

Expect the unexpected, and be glad of it.

[Hud3]

Boy, Gord, that's it in a nutshell! You sure do have a way with (few) words!

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Hud3

... You sure do have a way with (few) words!

Actually, the words are not mine - I've read each and every one of them somewhere else.
I merely rearranged their order.

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Actually, the words are not mine - I've read each and every one of them somewhere else.
I merely rearranged their order.

OK, sounds easy! Let me try it!

Be the unexpected, and expect glad of it.

Hmmm! Not right!

Expect the unexpected glad, and be of it.

Better! Kinda Zen-like, don't you think?

Expect the glad, and be unexpected for it.

Oh, well, Gord, there's no topping you!


p.s. sorry for hijacking your thread, Nicole!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Hud3

p.s. sorry for hijacking your thread, Nicole!

Thats fine. Shes in the galley doing the dishes. Being glad of the unexpected! LOL

Actually she's still asleep. Thats the cruising life she expected. 9am and still asleep! By the way, we slept on deck again last night till dawn. Wonderful!

[Hud3]

Hey, Mark.

Do you have this blarsted Saharan dust over there on SM? Visibility is down to about 4 miles here.

Where are you moored, by the way?

[GordMay]

Back in the 60's, I tried my hand at copyrighting; but all my submissions were returned with “rejection slips”.
Unfortunately, many of my favourite compositions got re-worked by professionals, and I never got credit nor payment.

You might recognize some of my original compositions, subsequently rearranged & published by others:

For Pepsi, I wrote:
“Pepsi-Cola strikes the location.”

For Maxwell House (coffee), I wrote:
“Good to the very dregs.”

For R. Gunch, Exterminator, I wrote:
“Mr Gunch gets rid of rats, and, ants, and roaches, in a minut. Mr. Gunch will clean your whole house, and kill what’s ever in it. (Refrain)Mr. Gunch,. Mr. Gunnch, Mr. Gunch ...”

As French advertising guru, Jacques Seguela, said:
"Don't tell my mother I work in an advertising agency; she thinks I play piano in a whorehouse."