Anxiety from Offshore Cruising

[wjhutchings]

As someone who has sailed the oceans on both big (130,000 tonnes deadweight) and small 28 foot anybody how says they are not anxious when they commence a voyage is either kidding themselves or do not know what they maybe letting themselves in for. Being anxious means you are prepared

[jimisbell]

Originally Posted by wjhutchings

As someone who has sailed the oceans on both big (130,000 tonnes deadweight) and small 28 foot anybody how says they are not anxious when they commence a voyage is either kidding themselves or do not know what they maybe letting themselves in for. Being anxious means you are prepared

Absolutely, whether sailing, flying or driving. If you are not "concerned" you probably forgot something because you didnt do enough planning to realize the "dangers" of the task.

[oceanshoretiga]

I always joke that I don't fear the ocean because I lack imagination. I don't imagine the worst. I also say, as others above have, that offshore, out of sight of land, means fewer things to bump into. I crave the offshore, out of sight of land, but I also like the desert, the flat, 'featureless' nature of land or sea. I also live a few streets from the ocean where the next serious bit of land is Africa.

I got my experience through a variety of offshore crewing trips in the Pacific when I knew nothing and imagined the best. But, I learned about preparation, although I'm always a bit anxious a few hours before and after setting off. But, you have to trust your boat won't be the bit that fails.

Enjoy the 360' sunsets off shore!

[sonofasonofasailer456]

It's a state of mind, I have taken a 16 ft bass boat out 25 miles with just a compass, went cod fishing for the day and came back in, followed party fishing boats out and back, I had a VHF and a compass. I have done it in a 17 ft center console with GPS. I WAS APPREHENSIVE, but had great times and saw all kinds of whales, etc.

[Lance Reynolds]

Being out of sight of land is the aim of the exercise with any subsequent adrenalin a bonus.
If you dont go out of sight you wont get the thrill of first sight and calling Land Ho !.
However my main fear is what you have mentioned as a concern and that is sinking ,
I reduce this potential reality by only sailing on a vessel designed with POSITIVE BOUYANCY .
This most desirable safety feature is most easily achieved by choosing an appropriately constructed MULTI HULL , in contrast to the most definately will sink half boats that foolishly attach a ton of can you believe it lead ! ? under the boat, the most ridiculous design idea ever invented in sailing I reckon.

[sonofasonofasailer456]

Originally Posted by Lance Reynolds

Being out of sight of land is the aim of the exercise with any subsequent adrenalin a bonus.
If you dont go out of sight you wont get the thrill of first sight and calling Land Ho !.
However my main fear is what you have mentioned as a concern and that is sinking ,
I reduce this potential reality by only sailing on a vessel designed with POSITIVE BOUYANCY .
This most desirable safety feature is most easily achieved by choosing an appropriately constructed MULTI HULL , in contrast to the most definately will sink half boats that foolishly attach a ton of can you believe it lead ! ? under the boat, the most ridiculous design idea ever invented in sailing I reckon.

That's because the boat has too much positive buoyancy, been a problem since man sailed there deep blue, most boats want to float. How many stories do you hear about that the people abandoned the boat and have it wash up somewhere or its found in the open ocean just floating around. Make sure the boats ship shape and sail away.

[LeaseOnLife]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Yes and yes, but the initial anxiety is offset by the Euphoria of making your first land fall in a foreign country as a skipper.

Pete

Yeah right, you see land and it takes another 1/2 day to get there :-)

[laika]

Originally Posted by Lance Reynolds

in contrast to the most definately will sink half boats that foolishly attach a ton of can you believe it lead ! ? under the boat, the most ridiculous design idea ever invented in sailing I reckon.

Hahaha, well said sir!!

[Brad Smith]

We have cruised full time for 18 years and have sailed from Baltimore to New Caledonia via most of the available stops along the way. I am still keenly aware that once we leave the dock on a passage we are mostly on our own.

That said, when we began cruising we took it in small steps that were appropriate for our experience, skills, and boat. We were based in Baltimore. My very first offshore experience was a cruise to nowhere. We sailed down the Chesapeake Bay, stopping along the way. We turned left, and sailed ablout 30 or 40 miles east into the ocean. Then we sailed back and back up the Bay. We sailed up the coast to New England, stopping along the way. We sailed down the East Coast to Florida, stopping along the way. We sailed to the Abacoes in the Bahamas, and then offshore to New England. The next winter we sailed to the southern Bahamas and to the Turks and Cacios. Back to New England and to Nova Scotia from Maine. Then from North Carolina to the Caribbean, and by now I hope you get the pattern.

We are now 50,000 miles into it. But we started slowly. A wise person counseled us “sail in 10 knots before you sail in more. Sail in 15 knots before you sail in 20. Sailin .....you get it.

[JB0101]

Anxiety is a necessity for preventing complacency. As others have alluded to, making your preparations will keep the anxiety at a healthy level. Include drills in your preparations which is the quickest way to increase your confidence. While you are sitting at your house, think of what might go wrong and what you will do if it happens. Think of what equipment and materials you have onboard which can be easily adapted for a useful purpose during an emergency. Most drills can just be ran through the skippers mind without any physical action. Time critical issues, such as man overboard, fire, engine fire, taking on water, rigging failure, abandon ship, collision, etc; should be discussed with the crew and have the crew go through the motions.

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by Lance Reynolds

Being out of sight of land is the aim of the exercise with any subsequent adrenalin a bonus.
If you dont go out of sight you wont get the thrill of first sight and calling Land Ho !.
However my main fear is what you have mentioned as a concern and that is sinking ,
I reduce this potential reality by only sailing on a vessel designed with POSITIVE BOUYANCY .
This most desirable safety feature is most easily achieved by choosing an appropriately constructed MULTI HULL , in contrast to the most definately will sink half boats that foolishly attach a ton of can you believe it lead ! ? under the boat, the most ridiculous design idea ever invented in sailing I reckon.

Does every thread on this forum end up with a multihull/sailboat post?

[Pendrith]

Originally Posted by boatingnewbie

Hi all,

Quick question that I hope some of you experienced cruisers can give me some insights on...

I'm very new to sailing/cruising but really interested in getting a boat to be able to cruise from Florida to the Bahamas and around the Caribbean.

Did any of you initially have anxiety or minor fear when you first started boating and went offshore? (i.e. couldn't see land anymore).

If so, how did you get over it? Does it just get easier the more you do it and the more confident you feel in your vessel and in your abilities?

I would assume that for many people, the bigger the boat the more the anxiety eases a bit. I haven't been offshore much yet but it does give me a little anxiety of realizing "wow, we're way out here and if this boat sank we'd be in deep trouble."

I would sincerely appreciate any feedback on this and if you once dealt with this type of anxiety/fear and then got over it so you could totally enjoy the boating experience and just take it all in (including not being able to see land).

Thanks!

one of the great things about boating between Florida and the Bahamas is you are never more than about 2 miles from land...not so bad!.. now put the anxiety back in the closet

[Scotty Kiwi]

Originally Posted by Pendrith

one of the great things about boating between Florida and the Bahamas is you are never more than about 2 miles from land...not so bad!.. now put the anxiety back in the closet

Its the land that creates much of the anxiety. So much land to run aground on.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by boatingnewbie

Did any of you initially have anxiety or minor fear when you first started boating and went offshore? (i.e. couldn't see land anymore).

If so, how did you get over it? Does it just get easier the more you do it and the more confident you feel in your vessel and in your abilities?

Obviously over time it lessens and you want to retain some as the edge to help you perform. However, addressing specifically "couldn't see land anymore". You can always see land on your instruments, on your charts. Mentally adjust to seeing land electronically, seeing your location and movement so it's a distinct location and path, not just feeling like you're wandering in a world of water and lacking control.

We've been cruising the last five weeks with a 4 year old aboard. Both land and water distances are confusing and somewhat nebulous at that age. However, she has followed every mile, every thing we've done on maps and charts. So, in her mind we're never far from land, just a few inches, we're never directionless as she has marked where we were and where we're headed. Even after sleeping, she wakes anxious to see where we are now. You look outside and it all looks the same but she sees it on a chart or map and it's all so much easier. She knows where we were last night and where we are now that she's slept.

I know being able to map or chart it helped me a lot from the outset. Visually, it just feels like you're lost in the sea, but charted or mapped, you're in an easily identifiable location.

[Scotty Kiwi]

Originally Posted by BandB

Obviously over time it lessens and you want to retain some as the edge to help you perform. However, addressing specifically "couldn't see land anymore". You can always see land on your instruments, on your charts. Mentally adjust to seeing land electronically, seeing your location and movement so it's a distinct location and path, not just feeling like you're wandering in a world of water and lacking control.

We've been cruising the last five weeks with a 4 year old aboard. Both land and water distances are confusing and somewhat nebulous at that age. However, she has followed every mile, every thing we've done on maps and charts. So, in her mind we're never far from land, just a few inches, we're never directionless as she has marked where we were and where we're headed. Even after sleeping, she wakes anxious to see where we are now. You look outside and it all looks the same but she sees it on a chart or map and it's all so much easier. She knows where we were last night and where we are now that she's slept.

I know being able to map or chart it helped me a lot from the outset. Visually, it just feels like you're lost in the sea, but charted or mapped, you're in an easily identifiable location.

My (then) four or five year girl old often asked if she could still touch the bottom - in an ocean crossing, even when shown the charts - seemed to have no concept at that age. haha.