Sailing And Cruising. Two Different Things?

[Ken Z]

So, sail... in a lot of different weather,sail until you are soaked thru your weather gear">foul weather gear and your cold, until your scuppers cant empty your cockpit fast enough so your lines are sloshing around, until the wind sucks the lettuce out of your sandwich and salt spray fills your boat drink until you can only see your compass due to extreme stinging spray, practice living in your closet, the only fresh vegies are potatoes, onions, and cabbage, warm beer is a luxury, then.... get up the next day and do it again.....😳😎😍

[dcstrng]

John Hanna is said to have opined that he could teach anyone all they needed to know about sailing in thirty minutes; the rest was just practice... I think that is about right. Admittedly mastering all the gadgets and techno-gizmos that festoon many modern boats may take some time and persistence, but most of these farkles have little or nothing to do with actual sailing -- they are there to entertain the crew and impress the passengers. Racing may be different, but so is the mindset -- my earliest sailing was a foredeckman on a Morgan MkII racing off the Carolina coast. It wet my appetite for sailing, but I quickly decided that if I wanted to go fast, bikes, cars and airplanes were far better at it. Love sailing -- simpler the better... although we've had boats from a few dozen pounds to about 15-tons, this (new to us) ODay we got last summer is the first that had a depth-finder... (other than fishing boats). Simple is good, real simple is real good -- enjoy the wind... My idea of cruising is Slocum -- haven't gotten there yet, but hoping to...

[robert sailor]

I see cruising as a series of steps and categories, if you will. First you have to learn to sail which won't take more than a few weeks for the average person. These skills will be a bases for tying together all your future skills. Most cruisers are average sailors at best. If you really want to learn to sail take a few years and race your boat, yes a few years not a few weeks because it will take take several years to get reasonably good at it.
Most sailors start out sailing on lakes(I did) or coastal cruising in protected waters. Always close to safety whatever may come up. Most sailors develope basic skills needed to coastal cruise in safety and comfort over a couple of years. Some will mix racing and coastal cruising, something we did.
Finally a very small percentage of sailors will yearn to make a longer passage and the learning curve will go up one more notch because while their basic skills are there they will need to provision for a much longer period than they ever had. They will probably be sailing at night for the first time and the list goes on. There are a number of the folks that expand that to the next step of maybe sailing to Mexico or the Caribbean and again the knowledge curve has to go up. Finally there are a few that want to cross oceans. They will be faced with weeks at sea, weather that they can't predict ahead of time and having to provision and prepare meals for upwards of a month and sometimes the mental and physical challenges of dealing with issues they had never dreamed of.
So to sum up I guess the perfect package of skill sets would be an offshore cruiser who has developed first class skills in sailing and all the associated skills in cruising with a ton of common sense. You can apply the same standards to coastal cruising except you don't need many of the skills the offshore sailors have learned. The real beauty of sailing is that no matter how smart you are and how long you've been doing it, you are constantly learning and constantly being challenged, it doesn't get much better!!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Paul Kelly

To cruise, whether locally or bluewater, you need knowledge of both sailing and the kit that your boat needs. But you almost certainly acquire that over time. I see little point in acquiring knowledge about the kit and maintenance if you can’t sail. First learn to sail preferably in a safe and relatively sheltered environment. Dinghies are a really good way to start. That may take several years. You may go from beginner to competent in a single year. But it may take a bit more time than that. As you progress you may wish to go further afield and this is where a bigger boat and more kit comes into play. And that’s when you need more knowledge of what kit you need, how it works and how to maintain it.

But much as knowledge and information is useful, there’s nothing like experience. I remember upgrading from a 25 footer to a 29 footer. Up till then a 20 mile trip down the coast was still a bit of an adventure. That year I crossed the English Channel, one way with a crew and the return single handing. After that a 6 hour coastal hop was relatively ‘small beer’.

I have done a several more cross-Channel trips since then gaining experience all the time. ‘Small incidents’ can sometimes change one’s perspective. This year I upgraded from my 29 foot boat to a 33 footer. Motoring back at night from Brixham to Poole on the UK South Coast, I had an uncomfortable encounter with a slow moving Tug which has led me to change the type and location of my AIS system. Kit is a means of helping your seamanship. But if you haven’t got the basic seamanship, no amount of kit will help. In fact it may complicate matters. Sailing ability, knowledge of kit and where and how to use it and experience are the three points of a triangle. You need a bit of all of them and most important, you need time to acquire the skills and knowledge.

This is pretty much the way I think one should learn cruising/sailing/boating.......over time gaining experience as you go.

Here lately though it appears some folks plan to dive right in with near zero experience as skipper and cross oceans or circumnavigate after learning about sailing, selecting the proper boat, and the "kit" needed on the internet

(and) Although it has been done before it still seems to be a bit hasty

[scarlet]

All of the above!

I came here in 2013. After a couple of really difficult years where I came face to face with the frailty of life, I was in a place where I was trying to heal from the past, and frankly, find something to live for. I had read a story in "The Daily Mail" about a couple who sold everything, bought a sailboat, and sailed the world. Up until that day, I had never even thought it possible that anyone really did that. It sparked something in me... a spark that started a huge fire storm of excitement that has only built over the years.

After reading other stories of people doing the same thing... I decided that this is what I wanted to do, too. (Did I mention that I had never been on a sailboat?) So, finally, one night my husband came home from work, and I told him I had something I wanted to talk to him about, and if he could sit with me for a bit. I told him I wanted to retire on a sailboat, and sail the world. He said, "Have you completely lost your MIND?!?!?!? NO!!!!" lol

I didn't give up.. I started showing him some pictures of sailboats I liked... "NO!!" I passed along some stories of other people doing it... "NO!!" Then one day I talked to someone I worked with who had the same plan.. just a couple of years ahead of us. She said that she was doing the same thing.. but on a catamaran. I had NO idea what a catamaran was... So I looked it up.. WOW!!! this might tip the scale in my favor!!

I went home that night... showed my husband what a cat looked like... and he was all in! We still hadn't set foot on a boat.

4 years later... we have been sailing our 22' o'day for 4 years... we've gotten 4 ASA certifications. We've raced with our yacht club... we've gone to a half dozen boat shows... We are now taking an extensive weather course, and are signing up for a diesel engine repair, and in April, we will be chartering our first boat in the caribbean. We've made tons of friends in the sailing community from St. Louis to the west coast. We've gone out on so many boats I can't count, and are now only 2 years from sail away. And, in the course of it all.. I've become a member of this community.

And, yes.. there are tons of people who come here, as the OP said, with questions about the life.. and the boats. They are our version of "the dreamers"... I was one of them, and found this place to be one of the most amazing places I had happened upon. I know some people roll their eyes at these folks, and want to make them go away... but I hope others continue to answer their questions. Many of them will go away.. and maybe come back in a few years. While for others, like me... it is truly, the beginning of our journey. Try to remember the excitement you had before you started your journey...

Anyway... that's my story, and I'm sticking with it!!!

[Hasbeen]

Cruising is what I do to get my boat safely from where I am to where I want to be. It is what I do to look around a new group of islands, & get to know the locals.


Sailing is what I do when I go out for a race with the local club where ever I get to. I strongly recommend this, particularly in the more out of the way places, they love an extra starter, slow or fast.


I reckon I could teach an intelligent, cautious person, who really wanted to know, enough to conduct a yacht safely around the world in about a week or so. Sailing on the other hand takes a lifetime to learn, in fact you never stop.


After 8 years of cruising the Pacific I have 53,000 nautical miles under sail, mostly cruising, & almost all fun. After 10 years of running tourist boats, I have about 28,000 hours under power. That is work, & mostly boring.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by scarlet

All of the above!

I came here in 2013. After a couple of really difficult years where I came face to face with the frailty of life, I was in a place where I was trying to heal from the past, and frankly, find something to live for. I had read a story in "The Daily Mail" about a couple who sold everything, bought a sailboat, and sailed the world. Up until that day, I had never even thought it possible that anyone really did that. It sparked something in me... a spark that started a huge fire storm of excitement that has only built over the years.

After reading other stories of people doing the same thing... I decided that this is what I wanted to do, too. (Did I mention that I had never been on a sailboat?) So, finally, one night my husband came home from work, and I told him I had something I wanted to talk to him about, and if he could sit with me for a bit. I told him I wanted to retire on a sailboat, and sail the world. He said, "Have you completely lost your MIND?!?!?!? NO!!!!" lol

I didn't give up.. I started showing him some pictures of sailboats I liked... "NO!!" I passed along some stories of other people doing it... "NO!!" Then one day I talked to someone I worked with who had the same plan.. just a couple of years ahead of us. She said that she was doing the same thing.. but on a catamaran. I had NO idea what a catamaran was... So I looked it up.. WOW!!! this might tip the scale in my favor!!

I went home that night... showed my husband what a cat looked like... and he was all in! We still hadn't set foot on a boat.

4 years later... we have been sailing our 22' o'day for 4 years... we've gotten 4 ASA certifications. We've raced with our yacht club... we've gone to a half dozen boat shows... We are now taking an extensive weather course, and are signing up for a diesel engine repair, and in April, we will be chartering our first boat in the caribbean. We've made tons of friends in the sailing community from St. Louis to the west coast. We've gone out on so many boats I can't count, and are now only 2 years from sail away. And, in the course of it all.. I've become a member of this community.

And, yes.. there are tons of people who come here, as the OP said, with questions about the life.. and the boats. They are our version of "the dreamers"... I was one of them, and found this place to be one of the most amazing places I had happened upon. I know some people roll their eyes at these folks, and want to make them go away... but I hope others continue to answer their questions. Many of them will go away.. and maybe come back in a few years. While for others, like me... it is truly, the beginning of our journey. Try to remember the excitement you had before you started your journey...

Anyway... that's my story, and I'm sticking with it!!!

What a great story...we all act out our thoughts and you obviously had some very positive thoughts on what you wanted to do. Every adventure in life starts with a dream, looks like you are making yours come true...good on you and good on your husband who is supportive. R

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Ken Z

So, sail... in a lot of different weather,sail until you are soaked thru your foul weather gear and your cold, until your scuppers cant empty your cockpit fast enough so your lines are sloshing around, until the wind sucks the lettuce out of your sandwich and salt spray fills your boat drink until you can only see your compass due to extreme stinging spray, practice living in your closet, the only fresh vegies are potatoes, onions, and cabbage, warm beer is a luxury, then.... get up the next day and do it again.....😳😎😍

See, now if you go and glamourize it like that, EVERBODY will be out there doing it! Imagine how crowded the sea will be! Let's try to keep it to beautiful sunsets and tropical breezes here, please?

[robert sailor]

One of my friends who did his first offshore passage with me opined that "this has got to be the most expensive way to go 3rd class I've ever experienced" pretty much covers it, lol.

[KiwiKen]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

One of my friends who did his first offshore passage with me opined that "this has got to be the most expensive way to go 3rd class I've ever experienced" pretty much covers it, lol.

The yachting simulator:

Standing fully dressed under an ice cold shower while tearing up 100 Dollar Bills.

[er9]

Originally Posted by sailingfarmer

Learn to sail first is important. Spend a night at sea. Fix something on a boat. Most people who own boats seldom leave the dock. If you are going to cruise, you have to have the financial ability to do so. You also have to have a very strong desire to leave the safety and convenience of land and have a strong "damn the torpedoes" attitude. You should make a checklist of every problem you might encounter, where you are going, how much time to get there, weather, storage, crew, etc. AND... ENJOY EVERY MINUTE PLANNING FOR THESE THINGS. Then go cruising... it should be one of the best experiences in your life.

well said...

[sailorcherry]

Originally Posted by thomm225

So I was noticing that some folks with very little to no sailing/boating experience come on CF wanting to know all about sailing so they can cruise the world, start a new life, and get out of the rat race

It's easier for them to ask than try. It's our modern Internet age. I have met a lot of landlubbers who don't know where to begin and/or don't know anyone with a sailboat, so no wonder they end up here.

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I had one guy complaining that the Lagoon 45 was terrible, it won't point higher than 60° plastic rubbish .....this is while he's stuck hard on the reef trying to power hard over it with his starboard engine that has his dinghy painter cut away but still some wrapped around his prop, his port engine not running because of a over heating problem, yet he wasn't happy with the boats sailing performance [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

Oh dear, I feel for you...

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by KiwiKen

The yachting simulator:

Standing fully dressed under an ice cold shower while tearing up 100 Dollar Bills.

No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned.…a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company.
Dr. Samuel Johnson

[carstenb]

sailing skills are a subset of cruising skills. obviously you need to know how to sail to cruise - you do not need to know how to cruise to be able to sail.

having said the above - I suspect that cruising is mostly also a mindset. What sane person gives up a physically comfortable life on the land for the opportunity to spend his/her life on a platform that is heaving around on the waves, sometimes being scorched by the sun, other times soaked to the skin, desperate for a cup of hot coffee or a hot meal - but having to hang on dear life and making do with a soggy sandwich.

If double-handing - 4 hours of sleep - 4 hours on watch - 4 hours sleep - 4 hours watch etc etc.

Obviously no sane person would do that - although that same person is rewarded by the immense joy of sitting alone in the cockpit and gazing at trillions upon trillions of stars, maybe enjoying a cup of hot coffee at the rail early in the morning while watching the dolphins playing around the bows, or just exhilarating at the sheer pleasure of helming a "happy boat" that has the exact right sail trim and is flying across the waves, making 8 knots and knowing that life simply does not get any better than this.

Beth leonard and Evans Starzinger say that cruising is a life with higher highs and lower lows than living on the land.

I agree with them completely - suffering through the lows is more than offset by the extreme highs one gets to experience while cruising.