So.... You want to cruise on a sailboat

[Hesti]

The truth? It's a mixture of great experiences and stripping down the bog.


A taoist approach to life, being thankful for all experiences, helps to enjoy it.

[tradrockrat]

oops double post

[ArtyB]

Originally Posted by LauraleeG

But... F’king up royally is how one learns. I have learned so much about sailing from doing the WRONG thing first. Thankfully might boat is very forgiving....
Edison invented thousands of lightbulbs that didn’t work, till one did.

What he said! [emoji106]

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by theDangerz

Oh man... I literally saw this topic pop up from you in the middle of our 3days crossing (while updating emails looking for the weather update... and hove to waiting for a massive gnarly squall to pass by) couldn't wait to get back to shore/online and see where this went!!



Here's the truth at least from this boat (despite the fact it's coming from a VERY tired couple of newbies who just had 3 days of 2hour shifts, of big winds and rough seas without land in sight, ample moments of terror and where the number of lures stolen by fish/ocean well outnumbered the number of fish we pulled aboard (never a good sign))....

truth about cruising: IT'S WAY BETTER THAN WE EVEN EXPECTED!!!

Good response to those downer posts made by unsatisfied misfits.

I remember an "ah-haa" moment shortly after we arrived in Kaneohe Bay, finishing our first offshore passage... I realized that for the first time in my life, there was nowhere in the world that I would have rather been, and that the planning, practicing, persevering, moments of fear, moments of exultation, expense, manipulations of work schedules, arguments with friends... well, they were well rewarded, and I was truly hooked.

Jim

[goboatingnow]

You spend what seems like weeks beating the boats systems into submission , usually in my case with blood sacrifice , then you sit sipping a home made pina colada , anchored in a beautiful bay , and it’s all worthwhile , my wife reckons it’s the male equivalent of childbirth !!

[Hardhead]

Back in the old days of books, and even magazines, IMO, there was a fair bit of realism. As a consumer, it was hard to just see the very best side of things - when sorting through sailing material that has actual titled Chapters, and gives a pretty round view of the lifestyle. Look at all the well-worn sailing authors of 50 years ago - many were solo sailors, and wrote in a diary style format, so it really showed the bad with the good. You see that same format with a lot of YT sailors, but it's easy to emphasize the beach times, and gloss over the worst with an appeal for viewer donations. It's kinda easy now to just see the best possible side of it, and the drama in the abstract.

[Tsalta]

Wife #1 and I are about to spend our first couple of overnights aboard. We are not venturing very far and will just float around Moreton Bay. Whilst we have done loads of day sails over the years, there has always been the hot shower at the end of the day and a big wide comfy bed.

After lipping off about cruising for years, I’m petrified I will be the one who doesn’t like it.

I hope the “Truth” is somewhere close to the dream.

Will advise.

[chris mac]

Yup, this pretty much sums it up.

Originally Posted by theDangerz

Oh man... I literally saw this topic pop up from you in the middle of our 3days crossing (while updating emails looking for the weather update... and hove to waiting for a massive gnarly squall to pass by) couldn't wait to get back to shore/online and see where this went!!



Here's the truth at least from this boat (despite the fact it's coming from a VERY tired couple of newbies who just had 3 days of 2hour shifts, of big winds and rough seas without land in sight, ample moments of terror and where the number of lures stolen by fish/ocean well outnumbered the number of fish we pulled aboard (never a good sign))....

truth about cruising: IT'S WAY BETTER THAN WE EVEN EXPECTED!!!

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by Tsalta

Wife #1 and I are about to spend our first couple of overnights aboard. We are not venturing very far and will just float around Moreton Bay. Whilst we have done loads of day sails over the years, there has always been the hot shower at the end of the day and a big wide comfy bed.

After lipping off about cruising for years, I’m petrified I will be the one who doesn’t like it.

I hope the “Truth” is somewhere close to the dream.

Will advise.

Worst case scenario, wife #1 goes off sailing with wife #2. Best case scenario, all 3 of you like it. I bet you'll like it.

[Tsalta]

Originally Posted by Hardhead

Worst case scenario, wife #1 goes off sailing with wife #2. Best case scenario, all 3 of you like it. I bet you'll like it.

Lol,

I hope so. I’m a little anxious about it. Previously it has always someone else’s responsibility as it was their boat. I’m fully happy with the sailing and navigation part, it’s mainly the bits at either end.

I went out and practised getting on and off the dock, but it’s been years since I have set an anchor. I just hope there will be loads of space and I don’t get yelled at for parking to close to someone else.

If we can have a couple of chill nights out, it will be a success.

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by Tsalta

Lol,

I hope so. I’m a little anxious about it. Previously it has always someone else’s responsibility as it was their boat. I’m fully happy with the sailing and navigation part, it’s mainly the bits at either end.

I went out and practised getting on and off the dock, but it’s been years since I have set an anchor. I just hope there will be loads of space and I don’t get yelled at for parking to close to someone else.

If we can have a couple of chill nights out, it will be a success.

Just take it easy, and practice where it's easy to practice. Have fun, and don't set unreasonable expectations.

I always set the bar extremely low, and have never been disappointed. Makes me nothing but happy at the end of it... next time, you learn a trick or two. Usually a lot.

[TJ D]

Fun concept for a thread. I got a bit sick of full time living aboard after 23 years, so we are now splitting our time between the boat and other pursuits.


I did find that I got a bit tired toward the end of full time living aboard to be told often by the non-boating folks we knew that we were 'living the dream'.

This was usually delivered while I was covered in grease, sweating, cursing, trying to change some inaccessible doodad.



Now the boat's hauled in Antigua and it looks like this Caribbean season will be a bust for us, so of course I can't wait to get back.

[Hardhead]

I try to look at it this way - if it was all fun - it really wouldn't be fun anymore.

[Mike OReilly]

What's funny to me is the mere expectation that the cruising lifestyle is somehow above all the normal grind of life. It's all just life, after all. No one expects any life choice or lifestyle to be all giggles and kittens, so why should the cruising lifestyle be any different?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

What's funny to me is the mere expectation that the cruising lifestyle is somehow above all the normal grind of life. It's all just life, after all. No one expects any life choice or lifestyle to be all giggles and kittens, so why should the cruising lifestyle be any different?

Well on general if you are cruising , you’re not working , so that’s why people feel the lifestyle is what’s it is