Sailing or Cheating/Motorsailing?

[a64pilot]

Unlike almost any other forms of transportation, any idiot that can afford to do so can buy a boat, and with no training at all, pilot it at will. Throw in a little alcohol and dehydration into the mix, and your in Panama City Fl on a Summer weekend..
Jet ski's I have referred to as "sea lice". A whole lot of them are being operated by people who's only experience is in the last ten minutes since they rented it.
Truthfully I see the large Sport fishermen rolling that HUGE wake behind them being among the most dangerous vessels out there, jet skis just seem to bounce off most things

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Sure, it's having fun and sailing! Who would choose disappointment? Having fun can also be sailing into the slip... or having fun can be the food and drink without raising a sail. Having fun can be ghosting in the fog! Who's the Grinch that put some rule upon having fun in your boat?

no one...Just over the years when on the bay passing through I often get questions from guests aboard like" do they just sail around all day? What are they doing? What the point in sailing in circles?" I always try to explain. Three weeks ago when the ARC Gloria arrived it was a mad house and I got this one, " Wow, look at all the sailboats out there and they seem like they barely miss hitting each other." I laughed cause it does appear like that but they were forgetting that we were out there as well basically doing the same thing welcoming in the barq? and flagship of the Colombian Navy A.R.C. Gloria A.R.C.GLORIA - Sailing Vessel: current position and details | MMSI 730010001, Callsign 5KMT | Registered in Colombia - AIS Marine Traffic

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Kiwi399

[QUOTE
I also might mention that a fair number of power driven vessels disregard all thoughts of being burdened when encountering a vessel under sail. Whether this is due to ignorance, truculence or poor vision is up for discussion, but the practice leads me to tread lightly in waters frequented by weekend motor-boaters.
Jim

Hey, Jim,

What are the jet-skiers like in your part of the world? For me, jetskis and the nutjobs on board them are the most dangerous thing invented, especially in confined waters.[/QUOTE]

G'Day Kiwi,

Sheesh, I dunno! I view them more as annoyances than hazards, but yes, they can do severe damage to other vessels. It is a pity that brain removal is part of the purchase package for so many PWC operators, but it seems to be the case. We try to avoid the places where they congregate, but it ain't always possible. We dread going to the Southport area (Qld) due to the swarms of jetskis and herds of Rivieras, but that is our favoured take-off spot for trans-Coral sea voyages, and sometimes waiting for wx is required.

There are not so many of them in Tasmania... one of the reasons we like it there!

Cheers,

Jim

The watery world would be a better place without them

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Bilge pump! Say it's the bilge pump

Nah, it's the captain kneeling down in the cockpit facing aft.....

[Ocean Girl]

There are worse things than jet skies, which in the right place and right driver looks pretty fun.
if this doodad ever got popular.....

[thelifenomadik]

I read ALL the comments and made myself a little statistic.

Most said "depends". They sail OR motorsail depending on wind speed and level of impatience.

4 captains turn on the motor when the boat speed is under 3-4 kt

2 captains do it when the boat goes with 2 kt

3 captains DO NOT USE ENGINE AT ALL (respect!)


This is all fine, I guess, I just don't like when people motor when they don't have to.

Like the other day, we were sailing, 5.5 kt, and we see a dot on the horizon. Everything else disappears, we now only see the dot.
The dot gets bigger and bigger, but very slowly, it takes hours for it to become a sailboat going in the same direction. The race is on! We are clearly catching up! A few more hours and we will pass them!
Long story short, the other boat wins the race. Cause they cheat, of course, they see us coming, like a white stallion but slower, and turn the MOTOR ON!


Keep confessing!


The Life Nomadik | Chronicle of a Lunatic VoyageThe Life Nomadik | Chronicle of a Lunatic Voyage

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by thelifenomadik

I read ALL the comments and made myself a little statistic.

Most said "depends". They sail OR motorsail depending on wind speed and level of impatience.

4 captains turn on the motor when the boat speed is under 3-4 kt

2 captains do it when the boat goes with 2 kt

3 captains DO NOT USE ENGINE AT ALL (respect!)


This is all fine, I guess, I just don't like when people motor when they don't have to.

Like the other day, we were sailing, 5.5 kt, and we see a dot on the horizon. Everything else disappears, we now only see the dot.
The dot gets bigger and bigger, but very slowly, it takes hours for it to become a sailboat going in the same direction. The race is on! We are clearly catching up! A few more hours and we will pass them!
Long story short, the other boat wins the race. Cause they cheat, of course, they see us coming, like a white stallion but slower, and turn the MOTOR ON!


Keep confessing!


The Life Nomadik | Chronicle of a Lunatic VoyageThe Life Nomadik | Chronicle of a Lunatic Voyage

you are wrong! You won when they turned on the motor they were admitting defeat but felt a need to not be knocked down by your wake as you flew past<smile>

[David M]

Pleasure boating is supposed to be for fun and enjoyment. Whatever makes you happier is the right answer.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by David M

Pleasure boating is supposed to be for fun and enjoyment. Whatever makes you happier is the right answer.

not so. Should be reworded to say, whatever makes you happy and dosent infring upon others around you and their enjoyment of the water but does not include jetskies.

[rtbates]

Originally Posted by thelifenomadik

This is all fine, I guess, I just don't like when people motor when they don't have to.

L]

I know that you have a life so what gives? Why do you care how others operate? Does it make you doubt your style of sailing?

in·tol·er·ance
inˈtälərəns/
noun
1.
unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behavior that differ from one's own.
"a struggle against religious intolerance"
synonyms: bigotry, narrow-mindedness, small-mindedness, illiberality, parochialism, provincialism; More

Each to his own said the man as he kissed his cow...

[LBW399]

Originally Posted by rtbates

I know that you have a life so what gives? Why do you care how others operate? Does it make you doubt your style of sailing?

in·tol·er·ance
inˈtälərəns/
noun
1.
unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behavior that differ from one's own.
"a struggle against religious intolerance"
synonyms: bigotry, narrow-mindedness, small-mindedness, illiberality, parochialism, provincialism; More

Each to his own said the man as he kissed his cow...

So, in your 1579 posts, you have never challenged the views, beliefs, or behaviour of other sailors or the way they sail? Really, never? You really just don't care what others do, as it is fine if they just do their thing? You have never passed not one comment in disagreement in all your posts? You have never stated you dont like something that others do on the water? Not one thing?

If this is so, I commend you, and what you say in your latest post has a lot going for it.

Personally, sometimes someone having views and stating them, even if you disagree with them (although you would never say that you do disagree, because afterall, why would you care?), can be a good thing as it raises discussion, gets minds thinking and after all, is probably the lifeblood of forums such as these.

And I would add, and ask you, why do you care what lifenomadiks cares when it comes to lifenomadiks views on sailing, motors etc?

And for the record, I do care, I like the discussion and the various opinions, disagreements, agreements etc (not just on this topic but all topics), and I would never say to someone what I feel is a rather patronising comment of "why do you care".

But as you say, each to their own, right.

[LBW399]

And I just realised in a complete paradox, I just asked RT Bates the same patronising question (in my view) of why they care what Lifenomadik cares about....which probably goes to show that telling someone they shouldn't care, or asking them why they care on a forums such as these is as daft as asking someone why they get up in the morning.

[chris_gee]

I prefer sailing. However in variable winds which seem often to become on the nose I must say I am glad to have made the decision to turn on the motor and reach an anchorage in a third the time.

[s/v 'Faith']

Depends.

Onboard s/v Faith, I have sailed most of the ICW. I once sailed down the dismal canal in the morning, and it was one of the most magical experiences I have had. I once entered Hopetown harbour under sail and ghosted around the mooring field to pick out and snag a mooring ball. Now Faith is only 26' and an exceptionally handy boat..... . Makes a huge difference. I anchor out a lot more too, easy to simply drop and raise the hook...

I am typing this from s/v Emerald Tide. She is a Pearson 424, I am going down to the Bahamas this year, and went to the Virgin Islands last year. Sailing aboard "ET" is mostly reserved for off shore, although I will unfurl the jib going down the waterway when conditions permit. I would not likely enter a crowded harbor under sail in this boat unless the circumstances were perfect... Not fair to the other boats who I might put at risk.

Last week I took another boat south, it was a Southern Cross 31. Handy sailor, but the owner was aboard (I was just crewing on that trip). The owner did not want to sail at all.... We motored the entire 575 miles I was onboard, often getting bogged down by current... Trip likely took much longer then if we had at least unfurled a bit of jib.

Deliveries are on time, and on the owners dime.... I generally try to figure out what the owners real expectation is with regard to fuel use and time to get there.

[thomm225]

Looks like the OP and family are in nice friendly waters. Sometimes it's different when you haven't slept all night (due to an unsheltered anchorage) and the wind has just come down from a heavy blow and you are dealing with close up, steep 5'-7' bay waves throwing your boat every which way.

Then engines are nice. Oh and the temp is low 40's. Water temp 50 degrees...........

Btw, the blog is a fun read and the pictures are really good. Looks like you folks got by your earlier rookie mistakes. Don't forget though the weather can change fast ...............