Sailing is for Rich People only

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Well, thread title is "Sailing...", and OP is complaining about their club... which implies they're not out trotting the globe. I'd also respectfully point out that the majority of "cruising" probably is people out for weekends/a week or two/a season from a home base. We've towed our boat to several places within a days drive, and cruised for a few days to a week or longer on some decently large cottage lakes that most keel boats can't even reach.

And I regularly crew on larger boats, and we've done a bare boat charter...

Now, my definition of rich is not having to show up somewhere to do stuff you'd rather not do, or not having to kiss any backsides. So I personally would say that people who can afford to do extended cruising are rich, by that yardstick... but this might be different to the 'rich' the OP is complaining about.

Great definition of "rich"! lol

[Time Theory]

Thank you all very much for your kind words of encouragement and valuable advice. I am 62 years old and I consider myself as an easy going type of person with a "thick skin." I should also mention that I started learning to sail late in life.

What I took to heart yesterday at the sailing club was the fact that 2 experienced sailors said that my finances were not in line enough to go cruising for an extended period of time. I must say that their comment surprised me.

It is not like we discuss our finances. However, everyone knows who the people with the deep pockets are. Since I drive a 2003 vehicle and don't live in an exclusive neighborhood the club members have a good idea that I am not a rich man. Maybe in their own way they were trying to help me and give me a reality check. Who knows? Thanks again everyone! You made my day and have given me hope.

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by Time Theory

I am fed up. Today at our sailing club it was brought to my attention that since I am not Rich, I will never be able to afford to become a "Real Sailor." Granted I know that based on my income I will never be able to afford a cruising sailing vessel. It just irks me to no end that these "Rich" people who can afford any yacht that they want can judge me and look down on me as a low class unworthy individual. I realize now why people say that sailing is only for the Rich and powerful people. I apologize for venting. Now that I know my place in society, I need to find a new qoal in life.

Time Theory, my first reaction was that you were trolling this forum with a BS post, but I checked out your history and you seem like a sincere guy.

Like others, I have lots of opinions, theories, experiences, and suggestions, but at this point you've received many, many supportive responses from this great community.

Where are you at now? What's your plan? How can we support you to live your sailing dreams?

[morribabes]

The problem with sailing as a hobby is not the purchase of a boat(you can find very good deals if you set your sights low enough) but the cost of parking the darn thing. My local marina wants more than I paid for the boat each year and the yacht club about half of that. I have the option of a mud berth which is very cheap but a longer drive away and I would need a tender of some sort. If I had room to keep it at home I would buy a trailer sailer in a heartbeat.

Nevertheless, the fun I get out of my boat is well worth the costs I have to pay.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I'd add a further distinction in there. Part time vs full time cruiser. That being the difference of whether you have a home base and just spend periods of time on the boat away from home vs not having a home base to go back to (or at least not to take the boat back to).

Yup, like me. Only home is my boat. I cruise 1/2 the year due to realities of Canadian winters. Still no other home. I do it on much less, and in a smaller, simpler craft, than many here suggest is the minimum.

[Greg Mason]

It appears to me that you may be confusing rich with wealthy. I have known some pretty rich sailors I was fascinated with, but on boats I would not be comfortable on, and some wealthy sailors on yachts I would prefer not to associate with.

[vpbarkley]

When I was a kid my father would buy boats that were about to be burned, boats with broken backs and the like or abandoned in boatyards for $50 or less. We would repair those boats, paint them and lay waste to sailors in their expensive new plastic boats.

We were bathing suits, bare feet, PBJ and completely alive.

Years later we had a small marina. We had long relationships with many customers. Every few years one customer or another would trade in their smaller boat for a larger one. Invariably they never had as much fun in their new larger boat.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by vpbarkley

Years later we had a small marina. We had long relationships with many customers. Every few years one customer or another would trade in their smaller boat for a larger one. Invariably they never had as much fun in their new larger boat.

This is an interesting one. I feel like a lot of people upgrade to bigger, shinier, newer, better equipment because they feel like that's what they should do, but not because they actually need to, or have really thought about what might be better for how they use it.

[astokel]

Originally Posted by sailingabe41ds

Get it over it..... you can't control what people say but you can control your response and your reaction reflects more on you than anything else. Why even worry comments made by others who are not family nor friends....not worth your energy. I am 61 and I hope that by the time you are 61 you can reflect on what I just pointed out.

Best to you...

Abe

I've had to put up with the 'new rich' before. Re-name your boat "IT'S PAID FOR"

I live quite comfortably after years of saving and investment and have a 50-year-old sailboat at a marina. I find clubs are a bit cliquey. Those people are not worth knowing and never will develop real friendships. So they point all their anger and frustration at a smaller fish than them. It's sad really.

What would Warren Buffet say?

[ussvdharma]

Rubbish....you spend money to live ashore....spend it to live on aboat and visit exotic and interesting places. I did it for almost 26 years solo.de W7KFI, 7Q7M, ussvdharma Susan

[Skipper Lee]

Double thumbs up for sailingabe41,https://www.cruisersforum.com/images/smilies/thumb.gif
The Dali Lama tells us that there are 4 qualities that underpin joy,
Compassion, Gratitude, Generosity and ...Here it comes...
The ability to choose a different reaction.
BTW, The only yacht club I have ever been at was picking up charter boats,
Be joyous, quit the club spend the extra money on your boat and go be a sailor!
Sounds like they probably want to kick you out anyhow.

[Stewie12]

You are in the wrong yacht club and mixing with the wrong people. There are more sailors without any money than there are with and they have just as much fun with better friends who would never make such a hurtful statement. Move on and get to know some of the REAL sailors, not that lot who prop up the club bar.

[ArlyB]

Theory; I suspect most of the people/sailors who post on this site don't fall under the heading of wealthy, but all of us fall under the heading of rich because we sail for enjoyment and the wonderful range of people we meet along the way. There will always be people who need to make themselves feel "better" by looking down their nose at others; that is their problem not yours. When I am sitting in the cockpit sipping a scotch and water and watching a beautiful sunset, I feel fairly "rich".

[tarian]

My good friend ignore they who slate you who have 10000 plus dollar boats , on here yes it is hard to save and go sailing on joe average wages, it is also expensive when you mention marine , for a bolt , or labour charges , etc, compared to what you might pay a land tradesman,
But keep the dream alive and keep looking for a do upper and save for your dream , it is a bit like all those people that need five bedrooms in their house in case some one visits , it’s about a status of money, wealth, snobbery what ever you like to call it , I ignore these muppets , in boats and houses , they are not better than you nor your input to this world , look for another club , plenty out there that will welcome you ,
Your little boat when you get it is your castle your pride and your sailing boat..
stuff the rest of them.
Yup I have a 42ft boat before I get the grief, but my poor mum who died early of brain cancer left me her assests and I bought a boat , as she knew it was my life since I was born .
It is hard but it also needs determination and guts .

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by vpbarkley

...we had a small marina. We had long relationships with many customers. Every few years one customer or another would trade in their smaller boat for a larger one. Invariably they never had as much fun in their new larger boat.

Two pluses of our particular small microcruiser:

• easy to tow and launch at just about any boat-ramp
• active "class" association of enthusiastic owners of the same or similar boats

Put these two together... we meet up once a year with other owners at different spots ( MI, ON, NY, PQ so far) for a long weekend of sailing/cruising together. Sometimes we have up to 11 boats attending.

We usually attract attention because of the number of boats together, and for many people it seems to be an eye-opener; they've never considered that you can have big fun in a smaller boat. We also run into at least one owner who either had one and upsized, or gave up sailing... and they're always a bit wistful that they did.

At our club, I'm out sailing a lot, while most owners of bigger boats are using them more like floating getaways. I've warned my wife that even if/when we get a bigger boat, I'm keeping the smaller one; it's just too much fun.