Why do you do it?

[bailsout]

I don't know what Pooh meant. This quote is not from him. And what would a bear know about boats?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by bailsout

I don't know what Pooh meant. This quote is not from him. And what would a bear know about boats?

Absolutely. A water rat is much more knowledgeable about boats than any old bear.

[thomm225]

It's because of the Sun.

It gives you a natural high if you spend some time outside on a nice sunny day, and on a sailboat, you can really get some good rays.

Even if your sailing trip was a hard one, you will look back on it and remember how good you felt.

Add beer to that and/or marijuana, etc and you can get double the pleasure.

I personally plan to add marijuana to my cruising supply list as soon as I retire.........

[mcastro]

Originally Posted by akprb

Liam, great reply. You reminded me of another reason why. Every trip, whether a week or a year is like a mini life. It has a beginning, middle and an end.

It reminds me that life is the same and to be aware and to make the most of it.

The boat in the video is our former Catamaran banging up from New Zealand to Tonga :-)

[alaskaflyfish]

I do not have much sailing experience, just commercial fishing. So, I can only relate it to the feeling I have when I fly my airplanes. I love the freedom. I am in command. No stop signs. I choose a destination and I go there with very little in my way. Lately though the govt has become odiously intrusive into those freedoms. I am hoping cruising will refresh those feeling of ultimate freedom,wanderlust, and self reliance. I was born on the sea and I love the sea. My Albin Vega has everything I need to go anywhere and experience everything there is to experience before I pass into oblivion. To me, real wealth is measured in the moments just before you die when you can say "damn I had a good life". Stay well, cheers.

[alansmith]

I was raised a military brat so we were always stationed by the sea. We moved every 2-3 years all over the world including P.I., Japan, Guam, Hawaii twice, East Coast, and West Coast. So, it has always been hard on me to feel comfortable in just one place. I never feel settled or maybe "rooted" is a more applicable word. That being said, boats can give you that ability to change locations quite nicely.

But the thing that hooked me on boats are the things that get so deeply etched in your mind. Like watching the pelicans hunt right before dusk. They glide over the water so quietly. So close to the boat that you can see the wing tips touch the water as they stroke downward. Not of this world type of stuff. Snorkeling off of Anacapa Island and seeing a black sea bass slowly swim away from you. So rare to see one...so friggin big it doesn't seem real. With a glass of wine or beer in hand...a friend or significant other close by...watching the sun go down and feel the softness of the evening air as it descends on the harbor. Laying in your bunk listening to the wavelets lap up against the hull. It just does something to my soul that I can't articulate. The magic of being transported by wind alone is just such a sensory experience. Sailing back to L.A. boat basin and surfing the waves all the way home...over and over again...stern lifts up, catch the wave, surf it for 30 seconds or more....it is orgasmic.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by alansmith

....it is orgasmic.

I think that's why I liked sailing beach cats so much because after sailing for a while and having a few beers, you could always beach your cat near one of the many beach bars there between Pensacola and Ft Walton Beach in the late afternoon and try and find a young (ish) lady to get orgasmic with......

[alaskaflyfish]

Hey alansmith, I was born a military brat too. I've been all those places as well . I cant seem to take my foot off the gas pedal and feel I need to move every 2-3 years. I noticed this behavior in a lot of my military brat friends, they feel the same way.

[alansmith]

Thomm, you are a bad boy today. Go the bathroom and wash your mouth out with soap. Smile. It is not that type of "orgasm"

[alansmith]

Alaska, yeh, it is true. There is a psychological condition that actually has a name...unfortunately, I can't remember what it is called. But it has been studied and named.

[alaskaflyfish]

Well I guess now I can say that sailboats are therapeutic to my psychological condition. Its a bonus being able to take a bed with me (in a boat) cause sleeping in my plane really sucks.

[Ted and Relinda]

We got into sailing accidentally after going out in brother in laws POS trimaran. It was so peaceful. I ran across a 23' Watkins and we taught ourselves how to sail it. What was so neat about it was it look so much work and concentration to make that boat move, that work ( cops) was never given a thought. We soon found that we could sail a couple miles away to our favorite Anchorage and be a thousand miles away. Turned off the cell phone and work couldn't find us. Over the years we have gotten biggeritis and two more boats later, the feeling is the same. A weekend or a month away has just been a start.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Thomm, you are a bad boy today. Go the bathroom and wash your mouth out with soap. Smile. It is not that type of "orgasm"

Oh, I forgot that some folks think sex is nasty.

It used to be a part of the sailing experience. You get orgasmic surfing a wave others get orgasmic ah................in other ways after surfing the waves

Doubles the sensation you might say.

It's like having sex after a long run......

[alansmith]

Thomm, u need to slow down on the ganja mate....he he he...it has affected your ability to moderate your responses. Just teasing you. No one believes sex is a bad thing.

[Kunyngam]

very few of us are lucky enough to have a job that is our passion all the time. I got into sailing because I didn't like being hemmed-in by fences (San Diego County) and I love drifting around casually and I've never delivered a boat but, when things don't go my way or it gets rough, I don't like it either.