Economic Crash = Less Cruisers this Year?

[virginia boy]

I've heard the occasional complaint about favorite cruising grounds having become overcrowded lately. Has the 40% hit to our pocketbook caused a lessening of the crowds this year? Eric

[daddle]

Economy crash == More cruisers

Some have enough money and figure they might as well take a break while things are slow.

Some know it cheaper to live in Mexico or wherever.

Some paranoids think the end-times are here.

Thus record registrations for events like the Ha-Ha and Puddle Jump.

[TaoJones]

In his thread, http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post418755, Skip Gundlach reports the following from George Town, in the Exumas:

Back to the anchorage and the harbor, for all that description of "crowds,"
this year, with only a mid-200 count, has been lighter than last year's 327,
which was lighter than the typical 500 boats in Elizabeth Harbour in past
peak years, and, as well, there has been little of the excitement of
dragging anchors as there was last year.

TaoJones

[barnakiel]

You must be () kidding - all I hear from my contacts on the the other side (West Indies ) is - it is so () crowded this year!

Crisis? What crisis?
barnie

[jackdale]

Just back from the BVIs.

The mooring fields were very busy.

[J Ventura]

I don't notice any decrease in the number of cruisers , be it the Med , South Florida or the West Indies. What I do notice , as a professional who sometimes works for cruisers , is that people have become more cost conscious , to the point of sometimes being ridiculous.
The charter business took a severe beating but now bookings are up again. I guess people think the worst is over. I think we haven't seen nothing yet

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by jackdale

Just back from the BVIs. The mooring fields were very busy.

could be the last hurrah for the high end charter business regular folks that can afford $10000 charters are becoming an endangered species.

[feelsgood]

I had to laugh the other day as a friend said to me that he would be cruising less this year as he had decided to spend only £ 3000 on fuel this year. After a few mins I said to him I havent spent £3000 on fuel in 58 years of sailing and am now cruising more and further than ever. I sugested that perhaps he would be happier with a sail boat rather than the 45ft motor boat he had. He replied NO as he wouldnt be able to get to the marina in time for tea. I said what about eating on the boat at sea. His reply was what and get the galley dirty my wife would never have that( sorry wives she must be an exception. Mine spends hours and hours in the galley and we are now buying a new cooker because she has worn out the old one.

[Cruisingdad]

I have seen a drop. The marina we base out of used to have a wating list and now has open slips, even through season. Heading to the Tortugas next week and will let you know what I see there, but I susepct the same. Also heading to the Bahamas next.

Our frineds boat that is about to head back to the Bahamas said he saw it slower too. I guess crowded is in the eyes of the beholder.

Brian

[slomotion]

Part of the reason for the decline in the number of cruisers in the Bahamas this winter might be that it was one of the coldest in living memory - multiple cold fronts extended much farther south than normal. This could also partly explain the increase in numbers for points south. However, I think there's much more to it than that. Eg. Anecdotal evidence indicates a substantial decline in cruisers in the eastern Caribbean in 2001 (before Sept. 11th):

BoatUS Cruising Logs

Surprisingly (or not) there is almost never any reliable data on the cruising community (other than maybe the raw number of boats) in any of the popular cruising spots. We almost never have any data on whether these people are full time cruisers, what kind of boats they have, income sources, expenses/budgets, etc. The closest I have ever seen to real data was from Georgetown in the winter of 2005-2006:

BoatUS Cruising Logs

[Dave the Canuck]

Just back from the BVI. The Marina at Spanish Town says their business is down approx. 50%. Also, restaurant on Jost says business down approx 55%. Lot's of boats, though. Maybe everyone's cruising more frugally.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by Dave the Canuck

Maybe everyone's cruising more frugally.

That is an excellent point. The only place we really needed reservations for dinner was at Neptune's Treasure at Anegada.

[Silverbow]

Originally Posted by feelsgood

Mine spends hours and hours in the galley and we are now buying a new cooker because she has worn out the old one.

I think we are about there on our 40' hunter... which we are trying to sell so we can purchase a 40' cat. Although she can still make tea in a full tilt which sill amazes me to this day. She must be holding kettle on there... I hear that on a cat this is not an issue... they should invent magnetic cookery.