Anxiety Attack from Sailing Magazines

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Fi2010

Are you trying to say there's occasional "fake news" Mike? Aren't journalists always truthful with no hidden agenda?

Shocking

But to be slightly more serious, there’s a big difference between news journalism and feature writing found in lifestyle magazines or Youtube shows.

Originally Posted by Fi2010

If you add up the number of fun sailing hours and compare it to disaster...you'll likely find voyaging far safer than most sports….

Exactly right. Look at any data on actual risks involved in cruising level boats and you’ll see it is a very safe activity.

[sailorladd]

That reads like a horror film!
In order for any media to sell their papers or magazines or news, they have to make the articles sensational... not to say that all these things are not true, but honestly, when you lump together ALL the bad experiences that sailors have without balancing it out with the great and fun experiences, (which outweigh the bad ten to one!!) then it becomes overwhelming and depressing...

I cruised the high seas for several years and have to report that they were the best years of my life, I would do them again if I could !!

One has to be cautious and have complete trust in yourself and your boat and don't take chances, and the rewards are huge.... do not let bad articles put you off!!! (I have a book on amazon) all about my good and bad experiences in detail and you would see that I had very few bad experiences, but lots of wonderful sailing, lots of fun and meeting tons of wonderful, like minded folk...tight lines!

PS I am not trying to sell you my book but making the point that you might try reading books and accounts from actual sailors and cruisers, rather than the commercial editorials....

[exMaggieDrum]

All I can say is that we now have to sell our cruiser due to an event unrelated to all the dangers and possible death and disfigurement that evidently causes concern to potential sailors. That event is called life, and sometimes, it actually happens.


We did go cruising, out there, in the wild untamed expanses of the oceans (or at least a couple of them). We could write some hair-raising, frightening stories about storms, ships about to run us over, containers floating around with our names on them, pirates with AK-47s (actually this never happened but I added it to spice this up), leaking thru-hulls five days from any port, etc. etc. etc. We actually did have some hair-raising times and not only from wild lightening storms both in marinas and out on the water.



We also had, mostly, times of pure joy. Our memories are of what we did do, not what we didn't do. Of the people we met and enduring friendships we made. The feelings of pride in making it through the "scary" times, and sometimes, finding out that what looked like it was scary wasn't really that scary at all. And a couple that, at the time, were terrifying and we could have actually got hurt or killed. Some of those are on the highways here at home.


Truth be told, the magazines love to push the scary stories as people love to read them. Manufacturers love to get stories published about how easy it is especially with all the gear they say you need to cruise "safely" and "in comfort". We get asked all the time whether we were scared and sometimes about what we liked the most.



We liked (loved) it all. And would do it again if possible. Sometimes it's fun to tell a true story and see the questioner's eyes get all big around and they swear under their breathe how crazy we were and they will never be. And we still read the horror stories and the "what we should have done and didn't" stories along with the stories of endurance and joy. Cruising includes it all. And it's okay. It's not for everyone. But don't let the magazines stop you from doing it. Just get your boat ready, and yourselves ready, and go have some adventures - now. Before the semi-truck with your name on it comes your way.

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by Greg Mason

I have a short story for you. Sailed a year aboard our Pedrick Cheoy Lee 41' offshore, went around the Pacific, French Polynesia etc. and lost 1 wheel from our traveller car. That's it. Sorry you didn't even get your fire started before the finish.

Oh, NOOOO! One wheel lost from the traveller car! Always desasters, catastrophes....

[OkiMike]

My wife thinks I have sailing magazine addiction. I look at the pretty pictures (which get old though, tbh) then tear out the relevant articles on fixing various systems that seem relevant and put them in a binder for later reference, then donate the rag in our local marina's laundry facility free pile.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by William Youmans

What worries me the most thumbing through the magazine pictures is seeing all the sailors, cruisers, racers not wearing lifejackets while out at sea. That’s what gives me the most anxiety. You want your picture in a sailing mag- you must have a life jacket or harness on.!!

I prefer government stay out of sailing, thank you. You want to wear one, then do so. I prefer a world where nobody gets anxiety about what other people do.

[Apollo366]

I've sailed since age 12, and cruised about 40 years, West coast &
So. Pacific. New England to Caribbean, about 16,000 miles, in all that time I've only seen or heard about;
1 Dismasting
2 ran out of cooking fuel
2 ran onto reefs and sank
2 ran out of diesel fuel
2 ran into coral heads & got free no damage
2 Lost rudders, but made safe land falls

That's about it for bad things that happen.

Weather;
Never been in a Hurricane, I don't sail there at those times
Never been in a Gale, I don't sail there at those times

Good things;
Great cruising along West Coast, Acapulco to Anchorage,
South Pacific Islands,
Caribbean & Gulf of Mexico, and along East Coast

So yes horror stories sell magazines and they push the idea that you need at least a 45 ft. brand new Yacht to have fun!

So how come I and others I know have sailed 25 to 35 ft. boats to all these places?
Because we were competent sailors in well found & fitted boats and had a fair amount of experience sailing local waters before the long voyages wheres really nothing happened that we were not able to cope with in an orderly fashion.

[Oz_Steve]

Unfortunately fear and greed are the two things that drive sales of magazines. We sailed around the world in 2010 - 2011 onboard our yacht Connect4, with my wife and two children.
We had excitement from time to time, but overall it was pretty much how we expected it and was no worse than living a normal suburban life. For what it's worth, and because I'd hate to see you check out of your dream because of some magazines, have a look at our sailing blog S/Y Connect 4. I believe it relays pretty much how typical family life onboard a liveaboard yacht looks - including the highs and the lows.
Not everyone will have the same experience, in fact I think everyone's experience will be slightly different, but I'd hate to see you miss out because of some out there story. The world is a beautiful place and the oceans are magnificent.

All the best for your adventure.
S/Y Connect4

[jayncee]

I am no longer sailing done my husband passed away but our second sailboat was a wonderful Morgan 38 which we kept for 12 years and got more than we paid for it. It was a wonderful boat and I would recommend one that has been loved like ours was. Our last boat was a Hunter 49.

[Singularity]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

I prefer government stay out of sailing, thank you. You want to wear one, then do so. I prefer a world where nobody gets anxiety about what other people do.

So if you have a man overboard or a crewmember incapacitated you will really keep the government out of it? Really?

Some of us have anxiety if only because we have to pay (taxes, insurance, reduced freedom) because of the negligence of others. If a group doesn't maintain it's own order it will get regulated by external forces. That's just how the world works.

[Fbfisher]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

No-one wants to read an article about how we went sailing one afternoon, nothing in particular happened, although we had a delicious lunch, and got back to the dock in time for a nice cup of tea.

That sounds exactly like last Sunday, a beautiful day sailing on the Santa Monica Bay.

Cheers!

[Alltalk]

I can't find the time to go thru those boating magazines all over the house, cut out the keepers and recycle the rest. So I go online. But what if the Internet fails?

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

I prefer government stay out of sailing, thank you. You want to wear one, then do so. I prefer a world where nobody gets anxiety about what other people do.

It’s not the government, it’s William Youmans!