Why Won't Some of You Lurkers Come into the Light ?

[meburma]

Originally Posted by In2TheBlue

This doesn't affect me personally (I'm not that sensitive, but I AM that observant ), but it could be that some new members are underwhelmed by the 5 actual responses from the 2000 people that read their intro post. Mind you....from the OP we can determine that at least 1000 people that read their intro post are serial lurkers anyway

It could be that boatless sailing newbies may fear being easily dismissed as "just another dreamer that won't make a go of it" and so refrain from getting too entrenched in the discussion until they can boast some progress (that sounds a little more like me

or maybe we got hopelessy lost in the sub forums a month ago, and have been trying to read our way out ever since

cheers....jas

Generally, as a newbie without a boat I've found the overall attitude of the salty dawgs and sailing sirens of CF very helpful. There are a few users who've not been kind or have shoved my lack of experience in my face. But they are the exception not the norm here.

CF hooked me up with my first sailing experience beyond my home shores and has provided me with loads of knowledge I'd have had no access to otherwise.

Lurkers should step out of the shadows and into the light. It's a great experience and I think they will like it here.

[S/V Alchemy]

That's a positive thing to say. On the other hand, sailing is done in the real world, and there is a limit to the applicability of free advice to one's own situation. I learned to cruise by racing at the club level and in some distance races. Best thing I could have done, as it allowed me to compare and contrast skippers who knew what they were doing with the various boat controls (the winners), skippers who were largely clueless or lacked specific techniques (not the winners) and the Captain Bligh types who knew their stuff but were utterly incapable of teaching, or indeed of speaking to their volunteer crew in anything but a curse-filled yell (the winners, but with crews in heavy rotation).

So I would encourage you to crew as many boats and in as many situations as possible, including helping older cruisers work their boats perhaps more expeditiously than they are able to at this stage. You may find some amazing "old salts" who will allow you to contrast from experience some of the notions people have around here.

A lot of sailors in my experience make the mistake of extrapolating what is tried and true in their weird old boats sailing in their weird local waters to every boat in every water. It doesn't necessarily make them incorrect, but you need to pick up on who's actually experienced all sorts of real-life conditions and how they sailed up to the boat's full potential without breaking things or having situations become dangerous.

That's how I have come to appreciate the advice for passagemakers: "Sleep as often and as long as possible, because you need to be well rested to stand watches". Having now done this, I agree.

[Sailor g]

I'm not exactly a Lurker but I never introduced myself. It was more because of not knowing anything about blogs ( I had to look up LOFLMAO and still only figure opcorn by guess) and being a bit shy. After a while I joined in discussions because this is such a great source of info for boaters and I couldn't resist!

Now however I feel like I should introduce myself ( I don't know how to start a thread so I will do it here). We are the S/V Friendship and my husband & I have cruised Mexico but are now back working in CA to earn more $ to cruise next year. I love this forum and understand the lurkers. There's sooo much information and it seems like a real community.

Thanks to helping me out of the Lurker Shadows!

Sailor g
S/V Friendship

[meburma]

Greetings S/V Friendship!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Boo!

....

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Boo!

....

BOO....!!
Thats better... a little volume needed mate.....

Sailor g.... Welcome to CF... about time you got outa that closet... we were getting worried......

[Khagan1227]

Welcome lurkers one and all. At this rate of lurkers checking in, we should have them all out of the cloud sometime around the turn of the century.

[Capt Phil]

Welcome, Lurkers... the questions you ask will provide answers to many others too shy to ask... that is one of the purposes of this forum, I believe. Thanks for being here... Capt Phil

[Sailor g]

Originally Posted by boatman61

BOO....!!
Thats better... a little volume needed mate.....

Sailor g.... Welcome to CF... about time you got outa that closet... we were getting worried......

Thanks for the warm welcome CF. I feel like I am part if the community now. It was worth getting brave & coming out of the shadows. I feel like I'm at anchor and all the boats are over for sundowners. Cocktails anyone?

Thank you!

[Catpainzmcspice]

This is the first forum to which I've belonged. I still don't know what I'm doing. I think I'm treating it too much like a personal blog.

Which, Btw, the other day I delivered a Catalina 25 (which my Friend bought for $500!) from north Lake Washington to the Ballard locks. There was a hole in the hull. I was towed the whole way behind a tiny whaler. I spent 5 hours bailing and holding the tiller.

Here we are entering union bay with husky stadium in the b/g.

Haha life is a big adventure on boats :0)

[captain58sailin]

Welcome everyone! This is a friendly place to be, even if the debates get on the heated side sometimes. This is the only forum I belong to and I treasure the wide variety of opinions and experiences that get presented here. There is always some new insight or perspective that shows up here.

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by Sailor g

Now however I feel like I should introduce myself [but] I don't know how to start a thread...
Sailor g
S/V Friendship

That's an easy one. Go the the forums homepage. Consider which forum your thread would fit into (Meets & Greets is right there for introductions). Hit the 'new thread' button up top. That's the easy part.

Finding a good title is more difficult. It should be fairly short. It should be interesting. 'Introduction' does not set your post apart, and is unlikely to get any returners. 'Greetings from the Sauciest Sailoress in Kuwait' might get some interest, and would stand out from the others. Please try to be interesting!

[australianinmex]

I have a question. IM a 35 yo aussie guy. Im in puerto vallarta mexico and im thinking of buying a yacht and sailing home to Oz via hawaii and the pacific islands. Is this incredibly complicated for a novice? I have good sea legs but not water sailing">blue water sailing experience. I was thinking of picking a boat up in california....

[Lodesman]

That sounds like a lot to bite off for a novice - you might consider crewing to gain experience - Crew Positions: Wanted & Available - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[sledjockey]

I guess I can at least post in the "What the hell, you LURKERS thread."

I remember only a few things from a philosophy class I once took (by force, mind you): It went something like this => A smart person asks questions, but a wise person remains silent until he knows what questions to ask.....

Well, I am trying to be something more than a "wise ass" and am just reading the threads to learn.

My wife and I had kids early in life so we will be "empty nesters" in the next 3 years (Hell yea! Free before 45!). We figure that in about 8-10 years we will be buying a sailing vessel of some sort (leaning toward large cats at this time) to live on. We will start taking sailing classes in about 4-5 years to get ready for ownership/sailing our own vessel. At this time, we are planning on porting in the Pacific NW either on the Columbia or in the Puget Sound. It all depends on where the kids settle.

That all being said, I apologize for any "Lurky-ness" or "Lurk-ed" behavior. I have just been surfing the forums and taking it all in......