What happens to all the wannabees?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by -jeff

I've been a wannabe for 20+ years and finally in FL this week looking at boats.

About to transition from a wannabe to a broke-be.

[emoji6]

[capn_billl]

Wannabe here. Finally saved up enough to buy a really big boat, sailed it from Ft Lauderdale to Naples my first month of ownership.

Now after several trips up & down the Florida West coast, I'm planning a deep Caribbean sail, from Naples to Key West, then Bahamas, Exumas, then Turks & Caicos, and maybe to UVI, BVI if they are open by then.

Still learning what those big white cloths hanging off the mast are for, but I've found if I just pull the right rope, the boat goes where I want it to.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, -jeff.
Good on ya!

[Piscis]

wannabe here...

Made my first offer to buy a BALI 4.0 last week. Rejected... continue wannabe. LOL

[gpshephe]

My attitude was always buy a sailboat and figure it out. Learn as I go. Dont listen to naysayers. Thats exactly what happened with me. Bought a 40 ft sloop and never looked back. Love bobbing up and down.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by gpshephe

My attitude was always buy a sailboat and figure it out. Learn as I go. Dont listen to naysayers. Thats exactly what happened with me. Bought a 40 ft sloop and never looked back. Love bobbing up and down.

With no animosity, how many other boats have you hit? I ask because in our area the newbies who jump into boating tend to use the marina like a pinball machine.

[OldManMirage]

We were such noobs when we started. I had been reading and dreaming about sailboats and sailing for years before we finally bought our first boat, a Skipper's Mate 17. I sort of thought I knew what to do, my wife had no clue. She says "I want to go over there !" and I'm like "Well, I'm trying, but first I have to go this way and that way and maybe we'll end up where you want."

Graduated to a Catalina 27 and moved aboard for 3 years. So many learning experiences ! Never hit another boat but dinged a few pilings and docks. Dragged anchor a couple of times. Scared the crap out of our cat - literally - when we went offshore for the first time.

But man, I wouldn't trade all those times for anything. I can't wait to have some more times like those when I get the chance to really cruise in the not too distant future. I just hope I can keep her off the reefs !

[aqfishing]

Amazing how some “old salts” forget that they were also beginners who made mistakes and are now so scathing of newbies.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by aqfishing

Amazing how some “old salts” forget that they were also beginners who made mistakes and are now so scathing of newbies.

Precisely,

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by aqfishing

Amazing how some “old salts” forget that they were also beginners who made mistakes and are now so scathing of newbies.

Even old salts make stupid mistakes, and newbies have some laugh / fun with them too.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by aqfishing

Amazing how some “old salts” forget that they were also beginners who made mistakes and are now so scathing of newbies.

Yes, but my mistakes were in a 16’ boat in daylight and didn’t endanger anyone but myself and my boat.

Seen plenty of new 40’ owners playing pingpong in the marina, and I’m a bit tired of being hit at anchor.

Aside from which, I’m also tired of hearing stories about rude and entitled palagis. It reflects poorly on me. In some cases it’s put me in danger because some ignorant tard effed things up before I got there.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

... I’m also tired of hearing stories about rude and entitled palagis ...

What's a 'palagis'?

[aqfishing]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Yes, but my mistakes were in a 16’ boat in daylight and didn’t endanger anyone but myself and my boat.

Seen plenty of new 40’ owners playing pingpong in the marina, and I’m a bit tired of being hit at anchor.

Aside from which, I’m also tired of hearing stories about rude and entitled palagis. It reflects poorly on me. In some cases it’s put me in danger because some ignorant tard effed things up before I got there.

Unfortunately ignorant tards are everywhere no matter what you do! It’s like how I am teaching my boys to drive…always assume the other driver is an idiot, did not see you, will do the unexpected and what he shouldn’t do! Same for pedestrians on the side of the road.

But to keep on topic…I have taught them to apply the same logic when
skippering!

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by GordMay

What's a 'palagis'?

Good morning Gord, That’s plural for Palagi, which is Polynesian for white person. Though the term is recognized and sometimes also used in Micronesia and Melanesia as well. It’s pronounced “Palangi” with an N; the silent N is actually more common in Fiji and Melanesian languages.

Like many languages, Palagi can be used many ways, with the tone indicating intent. Palagis in general are viewed as naiave and spoiled.

And use is perspective: a black Solomon Islands friend one referred to me and a Tongan friend as “you Palagis…”. From the SI perspective it makes some sense because the Tongan certainly is closer in color to me than our SI buddy. Either way it left me laughing in tears because the Tongan had been lumped in with white people, and in his language! He of course protested, but only dug his own hole as our SI friend kept going on about the “white” color of Tongans. Damn that was funny.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by aqfishing

Amazing how some “old salts” forget that they were also beginners who made mistakes and are now so scathing of newbies.

For sure. Thank God video cameras were so much rarer back when I was learning. I remember a couple of incidents that would definitely have made a “Dumbest boaters of the week” episode on YouTube these days.