Sailing or Cheating/Motorsailing?

[markpierce]

I often think many sailboaters would be better served with motorboats.

[robert sailor]

The delivery skippers are the ones that motor a lot as they are on time restrictions. Coastal cruising we sail every chance we get but we also do motor in the calms. Offshore we do not motor at all.

[charliehows]

as far as im concerned, the sails are auxilliary when it comes to harbour sailing and about a thousand other circumstances. If you think thats cheating, good luck to ya. While you're still hacking and tacking i've already got the best spot in the anchorage and the billy is on.

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by charliehows

... and the billy is on.

What is a "billy"?

[markpierce]

I appreciate/respect sailors that sail their boats.

[robert sailor]

Problem is that many sailboats don't really sail very well in lighter airs and its understandable that these folks motor a lot.

[Jacques2]

@senormechanico :
"10 years ago the USA had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash.
Today, the USA has no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash."
Great, I love it !!!

[svseachange]

We switch to "trawler mode" whenever suits us. It's usually schedule related but sometimes it is also comfort related.

My observation - the bigger the boat, the more likely it is to be in trawler mode.

[ullar]

I don't like engine noise and I don't have money to burn so we sail a lot. Except if there is a deadline (rare) or really bad weather coming (more frequent) or weak wind bang on the nose (quite usual) then we motorsail. And of course, we motor if there is no wind and we feel like moving ourselves for few miles. Nothing against motoring, just like to sail

[sailorboy1]

what gets me is when I've sailing at 6 knots and see a sailboat motoring, and they don't intend to sail as the sail cover is still on

[Scott Berg]

I've noticed a difference between sailing cruisers and power cruisers...

The sailing cruisers only power 80% of the time...

The elitism some exhibit regarding powering or sailing has no place in an offshore voyaging yacht. We're all in the same ocean after all.

Fair winds and Calm seas,

Scott

(M/S?) CHARDONNAY

[valhalla360]

The sound of an outboard with the smell of 2cycle oil in the air brings back warm memories from childhood...Going fishing with my dad and the old 15hp evinrude or in the winter, he would put me in front of him on the snowmobile so my face was right up against the carb.

A sailboat is a means to an end. If we are simply going out for a day sail, that's fine and we will turn off the motor but if we are trying to get from point A to point B, we use what makes sense to move the boat in that direction (sail, motor or combination).

[beverley]

I prefer not to use the engine, but I am not precious about it. If I need the engine then I turn it on and use it.

[zeehag]

hahahahaha we can all say thou shalt and thou shalt not..
for whom are these rules being made.

we each and individually go from point a to point b or not. we each make our own minds as to the general overall speed pf boat we will tolerate..
lol if ye wanna go fast, take a 747....same to weather...
sailboats are not for speed.
who is in a hurry...this is cruising, not racing.
kinda like muddy waters--built for comfort not for speed....
i do see many sailing boats coming into ports and bahias under power with furled and flaked sails, as if no sailing was done...but that is the desire of the owner of that boat. i also see boats under sail only coming in and anchoring.
gotta admit, the splashiest ones come in under sail alone...rodlmao....looks better and is more fun to watch.
each to his own.
just give me more room than anyone else.

[Hudson Force]

I can't imagine being concerned about how someone else is underway unless they are risking collison or producing a harmful wake. I'm never disturbed by someone else's choice of sails. Although I do make choices. I often motor early in the day during lighter winds when I expect better wind later in order to make a daylight lndfall under sail. I might choose to sail with light wind and little progress if I have no plans to be anywhere. Doesn't everyone just do as they please. I'd be disappointed if sailors thought they had to behave a certain way to show "proper" form.