Why do cruisers quit cruising?

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by Kinkircating

This is actually a subject that I've studied closely over the past few years and discussed directly with those out doing it or who did it. Here are my findings from these conversations:

1) It is only one of the partners dream, having both be on the same page it crucial, and more importantly you get along when spending all of your time together.

2) No breaks/spending nearly 100% of your time on the boat. Those who are successful I've found a common trait to be getting off the boat a few times a year for a month or two.

3) Money - leaving young and needing to return to work or leaving later but buying too much boat for the money you have saved then having to consider money at every turn. Money is going to be a consideration, but if you have to even think about $ if you need to replace a sail or heaven forbid go to that beach bar and have a burger & beer for dinner, you probably should not go cruising.

4) Boat is just too damn slow or have to motor too much- This is one that was mentioned by almost every single couple I spoke with that quit, they hated that they had a big heavy slow beast of a boat that needed 20knots of wind to sail and it took the fun aspect out of the actual sailing part of it. Also on the flip side those who are still out there doing it have switched over to boats that can sail in light wind and make faster than average passage times.

5) Health - the common theme was "I wish I would have started sooner" Cancer, arthritis, hell you name your ailment, I heard or read them all. There is a balance of going too late and too soon, but nobody regretted going.

6) Not being able to afford a nice boat - this sort of goes along with 3 & 4, but was a common theme that if you were on a boat that is just one notch above camping and it was constantly breaking (more so than the normal 50% of the time lol), it was a recipe for cruising not lasting very long. Keep in mind I'm not talking about the 20- and 30-year-old somethings out there vlogging, I'm talking about the 40-50 somethings that made a go of it with what they had.

7) Bad seamanship - this is sort of a catch all, but Captains who yell or don't get along with their crew, sailing out of season, not picking proper weather windows, in-ability to perform even basic boat repairs. Lack of experience prior to starting. Lack of confidence is also a biggie here.

8) Family - kids having grandkids or parents aging drew some back.

9) Turns out you just are not that into it after all once you got the taste.

I'm sure I omitted a few items, but it was super important when my wife and I started down this path to set us up for success. Even with all of that, life happens when you are busy making plans. Good stuff to keep in mind though.

That is a good great list. I'd like to add a few more that I have personally seen.

10) Alcohol/Drugs An unstructured life with lots of spare time and lots of opportunity can lead to a total catastrophe. This can happen both ashore and afloat.

11) A Complete Relationship Breakdown (perhaps covered in item 1 above) A couple can discover that even after a long and successful marriage that they can not stand to be together without breaks. Total togetherness can be a total disaster. She says, "I can kill him", and it is not a joke.

12) The Children Need a Conventional Upbringing The kids need to be socialized with a larger group other children of their own age, develop skills and experiences similar to their land raised peers, be taught by teachers more skilled in their subjects than their parents, and learn to play land based team sports. The kids just need to be more normal to be successful.

[chubby]

Originally Posted by Shrew

This seems kind of obvious, doesn't it???

Young people largely return for money, or to chase a different dream.

Middle-aged people are a rarity because most focus on careers and family. Even those that do go, money and /or family become a deciding factor.

Retirees: Health, stability and mobility eventually cause them to come back home.

In all three groups, will be a faction that found it was more work then the palm trees, rum drinks in coconuts, and hammocks that they dreamed about.

my 1st time cruising.. i was in late 30s.
sold the business.. attempted to do the early retirement thing.
after 2 seasons i learned i loved the sea..the cruising lifestyle and the lovely people i've met along the way (and retirement is not for me yet...it was REALLY hard to do "nothing" everyday)




i ended up starting up new projects and going back ashore to work my (normal) 12+ hrs everyday (again).



these days, it is possible can get away for much more time to more or less wherever(thanks starlink&peplink)..but without needing to sell out or feeling that i'm neglecting things..





the primary limit on my time cruising is primarily determined by the female (again).


i'm cool with that

[MicHughV]

Cruising is often depicted as this idyllic, carefree, fun-filled lifestyle.

The reality is quite the opposite.
It's a lot of work, maintenance, money, etc, not to mention a pretty big investment up front.

As mentioned above, it's often a relationship breaker as well.
For these, and many other reasons, many cruisers quit. Some after only a few weeks or months, some after a period of years.

From my perspective, it's really an adventure for the young, when you will still live forever, have no health problems, no kids and can live on $5 a day and "roughing it" is a norm.

Those that attempt to do this in their retirement years face an uphill battle, as health, family, etc, take a big toll.

But, at the end of the day, whether you cruise for 6 months or 6 years, is irrelevant. No man can foresee his/her destiny. You throw the dice and play the odds as you see fit.

[Sailor Sailor]

I am curious about Kinkircating's methodology in creating the survey results. How many people did you sample for your results? Where did you find them? How do you locate a representative sampling of people who give up cruising? What is your background and training in surveys?

Please tell me you actually followed some recognized procedures in arriving at results of a survey.

[HeywoodJ]

For me, pretty much always comes down to money. Go cruising for several years (until the money runs out). Come back, work, put some money aside, refit the boat, go cruising for several years. Wash, rinse, repeat.

[JPA Cate]

Medical issues have curtailed our cruising.

At some point, we will have to move ashore. The process is in the early stages.

Friends have stopped cruising when they moved ashore, some to take up something new and different; others to return to local cruising only. One couple set about retiring from cruising very practically: involvement in a local sailing club; keeping their world cruiser, and using it locally; crewing for someone in local races; taking up other local activities keeping themselves occupied in "good deeds" and sports.


Ann

[MicHughV]

Well, when you've done one circumnavigation, what do you do for an encore ?
It's a rare cruiser that does it twice.

It becomes a case of, been dere, dun dat..time to move on to new adventures.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Well, when you've done one circumnavigation, what do you do for an encore ?
It's a rare cruiser that does it twice.

It becomes a case of, been dere, dun dat..time to move on to new adventures.

I think that’s a whole different crowd right? The circumnavigation crowd? They often do it quickly. As a notch on the belt or something.

Those ones move on pretty fast to something else.

How are to do a circumnavigation, if I had a boat that was ready, it would probably take me the rest of my life. I don’t like to travel quickly.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by wingssail

The underlying problem, in my opinion, ….

Herein lies the fallacy of your premise - how is finite cruising a problem?

This is largely an academic exercise, the result of which can be only one conclusion - reasons vary.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Sailor Sailor

Wow, that seems really scientific and all, like a real survey. So what is your solution for the problems to ##4 and 6? What kind of boat should people buy?

4) Boat is just too damn slow or have to motor too much- This is one that was mentioned by almost every single couple I spoke with that quit, they hated that they had a big heavy slow beast of a boat that needed 20knots of wind to sail and it took the fun aspect out of the actual sailing part of it. Also on the flip side those who are still out there doing it have switched over to boats that can sail in light wind and make faster than average passage times.

Originally Posted by Sailor Sailor

Wow, that seems really scientific and all, like a real survey. So what is your solution for the problems to ##4 and 6? What kind of boat should people buy?

4a) Get a modern, lightweight, fin keel boat that performs well in light airs


4b) You do have some kind of spinnaker or cruising asym or something, right? And are comfortable using it?


4c) Reduce windage. No davits. No solar arch. No kayaks, jugs, surboards, or netting on the rail.

6) Not being able to afford a nice boat - this sort of goes along with 3 & 4, but was a common theme that if you were on a boat that is just one notch above camping and it was constantly breaking (more so than the normal 50% of the time lol), it was a recipe for cruising not lasting very long. Keep in mind I'm not talking about the 20- and 30-year-old somethings out there vlogging, I'm talking about the 40-50 somethings that made a go of it with what they had.

6a) Realize that nobody ever saved any money by cruising on a $40k boat. Accept that the costs and prices are what they are and figure out a way to come up with the money. Can't do it? Pursue another dream, there are lots of other ways to run your life.


6b) If money is tight perhaps you can cruise on other people's boats for a time. There is always someone mildly dysfunctional looking for crew and if your coping skills are strong it may be a good tradeoff. If it doesn't work out at least you'll get lots of stories


6c) Maintaining a land-based existence that you do not use is expensive

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Surely anyone who has bought a cruising sailboat understands that sailing is pretty much the slowest way to go anywhere .

Comfort is a very different that speed.

Yep.
Sailboat cruising = "Slowly going nowhere at great expense".
Sailboat racing = "Stand in cold shower whilst tearing up $100 bills".
Kind of glib, but a small kernel of truth.

Every Oct. in SoCal harbors there would be boats waiting for their insurance policies to allow them to head into Mexico when the "official" end of hurricane season arrived.
A few months later there were always a few of them for sale at some port in Mexico or further South.

[double u]

...could it be one stops "while the going is good"?
When, in one's sixties, after more than 3 rtws, there is no more "hand over hand climbing up the halliard" & one decides that one does not want to be forced off the boat because of decreptitude but rather wants to, still somewhat jauntily, jump off?
(& not to forget: cruising on the coconut-milkrun has been a victim of its own success...)

[arsenelupiga]

here are actual reasons from 8 years give or take

- money run out
- lost boat
- wife disliked boat
- couple cant stand each other full time together
- sickness, all regretted why not start earlier
- realization that physical health is not adequate
- grandkids
- had enough
- sick of watching for grandkids
- covid

well that covers most.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Captain Graham

I think it is mostly that the reality does not match the dream.

Most people when dreaming about cruising do not think about all the stress there is in cruising.

I would say this describes the folks who decide out of the blue to buy a boat and go cruising. 9 out of 10 are done in 3-6 months. Many never leave their home port.

But even those are a small subsection of cruisers.

At the other end of the scale are the die hards but even then it's the rare one that dies at the helm. Most eventually come to the realization that they can't do it physically (or we've seen more than one where the family steps in and makes the choice for them).

In between are a variety of reasons
- Money issues.
- Desire to do other things...for example we spend time traveling in our RV or internationally.
- Relationship issues (may or may not be boating related)
- Need to address kids or parents needs.
- A whole hose of reasons.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by NorthCoastJoe

The biggest issue for us is Health Insurance. Anyone know any good international health care providers?

Based on your location, I assume you are from the USA.

This used to be an issue and one reason we started our full time cruising domestically while still working remote part time, largely to keep insurance.

Generally not the problem it used to be. While I have some philosophical issues with Obamacare and the way that it is implemented, it does really address the key issues.

There is really no reason you can't get domestic insurance and afford to pay for it. If you make good money, it costs but you can afford it. If you can manage what is officially reported as your income, it is dirt cheap. If you have minimal income, you qualify for medicare (medicade? I can never keep them straight).

International: In the event of a major issue like cancer, you go back to the USA and have it treated under you domestic plan. Emergency services are often still covered internationally but it's worth checking when selecting a plan.

Minor stuff is often not a big deal. Last winter, Tammy smashed her foot when a pool ladder broke Thailand. Including taxi, doctor & second opinion from orthopedist, x-rays, prescriptions, crutches...we got an estimate within 5 min of walking in of what the final bill would be. The final bill came back at $150 (same as the quote). All of this took about 3 hours from the time the ladder broke until we were in the taxi heading home.

If you are still worried, you can get a longer term travel insurance that supplements your domestic insurance and covers repatriation if you need to be flown home.