Is sailing worth it?

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by MicGem

Hello! I'm new to the sailing world, my boyfriend wishes to buy a boat and sail for a while, I honestly have never spent more than 3 days aboard anything. I would love to hear some experiences so I can form my own opinion instead of just listing to him go on and on about how great it will be. I kind think it would get boring after a while, but I don't know. I would really appreciate any feedback you guys can provide!

Oh, Mikkybella - All we can say is: You must find out for yourself.

[Try to] ignore your boyfriend's flights of poetic fancy, get yourself out there and experience it. Sailing is different for everybody.

As for me, I started sailing at 11 when an eccentric aunt decided one Summer that we were all going to learn to sail. I'll never forget standing trussed up in my lifejacket, water up to my knees, at the shore of Great Pond (Nantucket), waiting for her to "figure out" the sailboat, tack it around and come back to pick up my sister and me. That first day, we capsized the boat 14 times. That's how it all began.

I've loved it the entire time, even when I spent 4 days offshore in a gale, thinking that we might lose the rig, sink the boat and all be lost.

There's truly nothing else on earth like sailing, the only thing that approaches it is flying, but with flying, you're not as in touch with the sea and elements generally - and I'm an ocean girl.

Good luck (oh, and stop watching YouTube videos - if that's your boyfriend's and your source of how great it's going to be... you need to find out for YOURSELF.)

Fair Winds,
LittleWing77

[thinwater]

Is ...

• Being married
• Having a child
• Sailing
• Rock climbing
• Ice climbing
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Kayaking
• Artwork

worth it? So far, for me, very much so. They fill my days with joy. For someone else the list is different.

I can also think of many activities that would make other peoples lists that would be either unpleasant or boring for me.


I should also add that interests change over time. Sailing, for example, has changed for me. At first it was racing and chute-equipped beach cats. Then cruising. Now day sailing. It's not one thing. Same with the hiking/climbing/mountaineering thing.

[Goodxcharly]

The life style definitely is. About the closest thing to freedom you will find.
You probably need to identify what’s important you, life style etc. and see if sailing fits into your picture.

🍀

[Tupaia]

Ai returned that the analogy of "standing in a cold shower tearing up $100 bills" is from a US perspective. Alternative perspectives say tearing up £10 notes UK or $50 dollar bills Australia. We must therefore conclude that sailing is cheapest in the UK and most expensive in US, clearly rubbish. I should have included a tearing velocity. Who can trust AI.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Ai returned that the analogy of "standing in a cold shower tearing up $100 bills" is from a US perspective. Alternative perspectives say tearing up £10 notes UK or $50 dollar bills Australia. We must therefore conclude that sailing is cheapest in the UK and most expensive in US, clearly rubbish. I should have included a tearing velocity. Who can trust AI.

nearly spit out my coffee

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MicGem

Hello! I'm new to the sailing world, my boyfriend wishes to buy a boat and sail for a while, I honestly have never spent more than 3 days aboard anything. I would love to hear some experiences so I can form my own opinion instead of just listing to him go on and on about how great it will be. I kind think it would get boring after a while, but I don't know. I would really appreciate any feedback you guys can provide!

post again and maybe we could take you serious because I think you are a bot

There are tons on bogs etc of people living and cruising on boats

[jim King]

My wife hated sailing with me in the begining. 20 years later and over 50 sails in tropical and Mediteranian paradise locations and she is on board for the best vacations ever.
You need to get past the novice or beginer stage to where you can actually enjoy the sail and not just make it back to the dock allive.
Once you make it to a comfort zone where you can charter a bigger monohaul or Catamaran the real fun begins.
We go to French Polynesia in our winter (their summer) every year. Immagine sailing past those bungalos streaching out into the water on BoraBora and seeing those poor land huggers who are paying $5,000 a night to be stuck in one location. No wonder the last picture in a Sandals ad has that sailboat gliding past!

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Ai returned that the analogy of "standing in a cold shower tearing up $100 bills" is from a US perspective. Alternative perspectives say tearing up £10 notes UK or $50 dollar bills Australia. We must therefore conclude that sailing is cheapest in the UK and most expensive in US, clearly rubbish. I should have included a tearing velocity. Who can trust AI.

The comment about Aussie is rubbish! Down here the banknotes are made from a very tough and slippery plastic. Tearing up a wet one is nigh unto impossible, so sailing down here must be very inexpensive.

It isn't.

Jim

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

My wife and I spent almost a dozen years cruising: the first two circling Vancouver Island and drifting down the West Coast to transit the Panama Canal. Then we were in the Caribbean going up and down the Islands and visiting Belize, Grand Cayman, Bon Aire, and many other wonderful places. That summary is included only so you know from where I speak.

Like most lifestyles, cruising (what I think you were actually asking about because this is a "Cruising Forum") has its positives and negatives.

On the plus side: you get to go pretty much wherever you want and stay as long as you want; you meet many like-minded really friendly people; you get to sample many different cultural experiences.
Negatives include: repairing critical equipment in far flung places with negligible support; being constrained by weather; cleaning boat bottoms; changing engine oil; going to at least 3 stores to find all the food items you want.

Many of the other responses to your question provide great advice, except for the few drifting off discussing AI. Boogalloo's (https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post4033312) was particularly insightful.

Again, the best advice is to charter a boat for a couple weeks to see if you like it BEFORE taking the major step of buying a boat.
About mid-way through our sailing career, I estimated that we could charter a boat similar to ours (43' catamaran) for about two months a year for the cost of owning and maintaining our own boat.

[OneBoatman]

The question is vague, as in worth what? For those addicted, it is a necessary escape and typically a lifelong hobby. If he grew up sailing and you didn't for example, you may not be happy setting aside X number of years of your life voyaging. If he is relatively new to boating, he should know it is not a decision taken lightly. My view is that it has some romantic and freedom appeal to many, but it is not for everybody. Growing up, I lost having alienated quite few girls I really liked because while I was having fun sailing, they were terrified. Anyone can buy a boat, but do consider that Summer dockage and Winter storage on land where I live in 2025 is approx. 15K/yr or more for a 40ft monohull, and that is without counting maintenance or improvements to vessel. While that could be as little as another 1K some years or ten or more times that if the boat needs new sails, electronics or engine work beyond the skill of the owner. I've been a sailor for ~55 yrs but never had the time or willing company to cross an ocean. Most young people simply do not have the time or income to just take off, that said there are that do it anyway. Many countries are making it harder and harder for visiting vessels around the World, and this has been going on for a while now, and a topic all its own. Of course, sailing can be done at many different levels for example as a "freedom club" customer or as a trailer sailor, it needn't break the bank. As has been said in this forum, chartering a boat may help you decide if it's something you could enjoy but that too is but a short-term visit to sailing. Offshore sailing requires skill, knowledge, and an acute awareness and respect for weather, it is not always fun, and can be terrifying, or cost you your life. Just having respect for mother nature may not be enough to get you back to land. I've always said it doesn't matter if the water is 7 ft deep or 7,000 ft deep, once it is over your head, your best float plan must be to stay afloat.