When to Leave?

[colemj]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

3) "We Have No Plans and We are Sticking To Them" thats is the worst statement I hear and it means those people have nothing to achieve and will become bored. So have a plan - it can be changed - but don't just sit and wait to die as many cruisers do (esp in the Bahamas and Florida). Make sure your plan get you moving on before you get bored.

.....

In general the most exciting cruisers, leading the most exciting lives, having the best experiences, making the best memories all have one thing in common: They are going somewhere!

I guess we are missing all of the fun and excitement and are just bored. We are on an open-ended cruise with no plans at all - we simply make it up as we go along. Sometimes staying only a few days, and sometimes staying a few years. Getting bored is what moves us on - why move before you are bored? There is nothing wrong with reaching that point, and it seems natural to us as the proper dividing line.

On the other extreme, the world ARC slings around the globe in 14 months. Those are goal-oriented, forward moving, never bored cruisers. I pity them and do not believe they are having better experiences and making better memories than we are.

The last world ARC spent 3 days in the San Blas islands - an archipelago containing 400 islands spanning 150 miles. I talked to several of those cruisers and they all said "check, done it, next...".

Meanwhile, our almost 3 years there allowed us to become friends with several Kuna families (Michele still yaks on the phone with them). I explored and discovered several uncharted offshore reefs teeming with fish to hunt. We shared fish with Kunas and received invitations to private celebrations and dinners in return.

Oh yeah - we also actually saw the San Blas islands and not just the 3 most popular ancorages.

Yes, we have met people waiting to die, but these are not really cruising people. Their lack of particular goals are usually not a choice, but a situation (sometimes a situation resulting from prior poor choices).

Mark

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Richard5

Now you asked of when to leave a place so lovely without being forlorn for it. There is penance to be paid for vowing to return. You'll break their hearts and in so doing yours too. If it should come to pass, let it be a grand and happy reunion.

In general I think I agree with that but the flip side I've seen is so you say these big and permanent good byes, only to stay around in town fixing something for the next two weeks so you keep saying good byes and people are surprised to see you.

[Sid at SailAway]

For us the reasons for moving on have been as varied as the cruisers we meet. Sometimes it's a schedule thing, for example we needed to be in Miami in Feb. to work the boat show">Miami Boat Show. At other times it's been weather driven. Most of the time however, it's been a feeling that it's time to move on. Sometimes after just a day and sometimes much longer. Hard to explain the feeling, but you'll know when it comes. As for crying when you leave, yes, there have been times when the tears flowed from us and the cruisers we have met. It seems that bonds form quickly and strong. Right now we're on the Chesapeake to help out some family and business obligations, but we're chomping at the bit to get outa here....

[Cheechako]

It's usually the weather, and schedule. Hard o leave some places , but hurricanes arent fun!

[Hudson Force]

We have friends and a sense of community in about thirty different places that we have cherished during about two dozen trips along the US East Coast and Bahamas. Seven of these places are friends with private docks where we sometimes make a brief visit. Six are specific marinas where we know the staff an enjoy returning for a few days or sometimes longer. More than a dozen are anchorages where we have access to a town dock or landing and we know the local shopkeepers and other boaters. Most are places where we rarely stay for more than a few days at a time. Goodbyes are easy as we arrive with expected departure. I guess that we are neither "checking places off the list" or staying anywhere too long. There's no right or wrong or better way to cruise. We do what we enjoy.

[Teknav]

In "our" situation, we look at remote islands on several charts. Then, wee look at nearest airports to these remote islands. We check refueling and aircraft's service facilities. Usually if an island has an airport, supplies are not going to be too distant. We also look at SCUBA diving facilities within 150 miles radius, an operational hyperbaric chamber and nearby medical facilities; the crew is made up of engineers, physicians and techies/Dive Masters. We gather all that information, before deciding these are the places to visit/dive. Then, we start tabulating the total cost of the trip, divided by 10, for each person... When the day arrives to fly/float away...we all get a natural high. After the trip, we start planning the next one... Life is an adventure! Live it to the max!

Mauritz

[zeehag]

our world is too small for good byes---we all meet many times before good bye can be said