Sailboats - More Than Something To Sail

[sailorboy1]

Do you consider your boat more than something to sail? I got into sailing to travel, not to sail. So in the long run the boat needs to be a home and a place to hang out on and place both my wie and myself are happy on. I hoped at the time that I wouldn't hate sailing, but found we like sailing so it worked out. But we aren't a wild by the seat of our pants type sailors running around with the rail in the water etc.

What do others really want/expect out sailing; travel, entertainment, excitment, waterfront living?

[delmarrey]

I'm really a stinkpot'r at heart but back in the 70's the fuel costs became outrageous (now's even worse) so I turned to sail and found it to be more relaxing in the long run, just less space and slower.

[Ex-Calif]

My boat is a place to dispose of my extra money. When you tell the IRS you have a boat they stop looking for hidden assets...

Seriously, I am sure this will be ifferent for everyone but for me...

- learning tool
- weekend getawayer
- weekend "racer"
- social tool
- therapist

[Lancerbye]

A home, A good fishing platform, a movable cottage on the water. Having a motorsailer may be considered by some not a sailboat, but I sail everychance I get to keep away from the high fuel costs. Amazingly it sails fairly well as a cruiser. The sails are easy to put out and retreive so whenever there is enough wind to move this boat it sails. An enjoyable way to spend a day.

[casual]

I starte sailing when I was 14,sunfish,great way to meet girls,after that summer I never sailed again for 10 or 12 years,always wanted too,bought a Wood Pussy made in Mass catt boat discovered going places big 20 mile off shore passage from Stuart Fl To Ft pierce campted out on an island on the ICW sailed home the next day.A few years went up to a 25 Coronado sailed the Bahamas>My long way of answering your querry is that sailboating gives you the opportunity to do all,never been boared on a sailboat,adventure always travel you bet,satisfaction always family entertainment,you got that too Wife Kids now people.mEETING REAL FRIENDS has been a big part of sailing,Ok I have said enough in response Raise the Main or drop the Anchor.Its a Great Life

[Eleven]

A shed that the wife will either enjoy or avoid. Either way it's a place to be a man (or other) in a way that modern life takes every opportunity to negate.
A bit of a blow - healthy.
A nice docking - better than a parallel parking manoeuvre that any teenager can do.
Well set sails - what a loy, better than clean abd freshly ironed sheets.
Lost in Fog - Senses tuned to their highest pitch. Where else does that happen?
A suntan in January - "No, just a bit of sailing."

[maytrix]

I'd say sailing is a part of it, but I like being out on the water and we pretty much exclusively sail in the BVI so its a great way to see the various islands and live on the water.

With good wind, sailing is great, but if its a light wind we are probably more inclined to motor. Once we become cruisers and have a different budget, we may motor less frequently.

[Coldwaterdiver]

Home sweet home where ever I go. The sailing is for the most part relaxing. I live near the San Juan Islands in the Pacific northwest and it seems that it doesn't matter where you want to go the wind is usually straight off the bow so we do a lot of motoring too.

[Noname]

Kind of a floating condo that can be in Vero Beach, Fort Lagerdale, Miami vice, Key West at a reasonable (?) cost. Also entertaining friends and others. Lure of the south Pacific has evaporated now.

[barnakiel]

I like sailing - I like to race and I like the long offshore trip. Then I like boats too - to sail them, to watch them and to think of them.

Then comes travel, but unlike many, I only like the offshore part of it. I hate landfalls, some more than others; the ones I like being few, far and apart.

b.

[Richard Jordan]

I like the escape from society, the simplicity of life offshore, the pleasure of a hot shower and thick steak when back ashore, the adventures, the envy and excitement of those left behind.

[IdoraKeeper]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

I'm really a stinkpot'r at heart but back in the 70's the fuel costs became outrageous (now's even worse) so I turned to sail and found it to be more relaxing in the long run, just less space and slower.

Del, just think of a sailboat as a perpetual motion machine. Design us a new windvane, there is plenty of room for mechanical feedback with wind power. I want a windvane that flushes the head and cleans the bilge automatically.

As for travel, Don is right. I always end up going somewhere. Aimlessly tacking about has little appeal. Nevetheless, if there is another sail in sight it's an automatic race.

Todd

By the way Merry Christmas to all you guys.

[Mike OReilly]

Sailing itself is an entirely agreeable way to travel, but for me it's more about living than actually sailing.

I've come to sailing from canoeing and kayaking. We would take extended canoe trips into Canada's wild places (up to four weeks at a time). It was a way to get back to reality, and to live simply. But try as I might, I could never carry a life's worth of necessities in my canoe, kayak or backpack (not to mention enough the beer and wine )

To me, my boat is the perfect space. It is a vehicle, a home that shelters, and a way to achieve freedom (if only partially). It challenges me, protects me, and lets me live closer to my ideals.

Yes, it is much more than just sailing.

[MacG]

I chime in with Mike' s last alinea. That is what a boat means to me. And that' s a bit more than just sailing.

[four winds]

I cashed out of my career several years ago. With the intention of living a less stressful, simpler life. More in tune and in touch with nature. Now I have a solar cabin in the woods in NW Alabama and a sailboat in Orange Beach. Oh, and I'm broke. But I'm twenty pounds lighter, can see my abs again, and have a tan. The effect on my mental and physical health has been remarkable.

I enjoy being in touch with the rhythms of nature. Being on the water front around other folks enjoying life and not stressing over little things.

In the year and a half of this chapter of life with a boat, there have been regular day sails, and a summer spent moving the boat up from St. Pete to Orange Beach. The summer cruise is a highlight of my life and worth the effort. Flashes of dolphins, beaches, cannon ball jellyfish, manatee's, sunsets, storms, waterspouts, channel markers are running through my mind's eye right now.

No bills at the cabin, and the boat is less than $200 monthy at the dock. So it's a simple, frugal life right now splitting my time between the two.

Still a bottom job, prop shaft inspection, and a mast step rebuild away from the next cruise, hopefully to the Keys sometime soon. But until then day sails and hanging out on the boat will do just fine.

In short, it's about sailing and maintaining a happy, healthy outlook on life.