What the hell is "expedition cruising" and what's the difference?

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by Otia

If you are sailing the Strait of Magellan and Patagonia you are expedition cruising...
GRP hulls can very well do it, though I hope you have insulation and a diesel heater...
I guess the main thing is to be able to be self sufficient, in water, energy and maintenance/repairs, thus you must have lots of spare parts and tools.

That applies for all ocean crossing liveaboard / cruising adventures, not specific for expedition.

according to Wiki:
an expedition is: An exploration, journey, or voyage undertaken by a group of people especially for discovery and scientific research.

So recreational cruising and tourist activities are not expeditions, regardless where you go and how you get there, if it is done for another purpose or for no purpose at all, sailing sport events and regattas around the globe are not expeditions either.

[john61ct]

Yes I think we have the core element right there, the purpose of the travel, more than any specific boat / equipment needs, location, weather etc all just ancillary.

Correlation does*not*imply*causation.

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by CatNewBee

according to Wiki:
an expedition is: An exploration, journey, or voyage undertaken by a group of people especially for discovery and scientific research.

So recreational cruising and tourist activities are not expeditions, regardless where you go and how you get there, if it is done for another purpose or for no purpose at all, sailing sport events and regattas around the globe are not expeditions either.

Language is just a river in motion, though, and it may look different from different viewpoints.

I remember from my childhood that an "expedition" (written exactly the same way in my native language Swedish, by the way!) was when we kids went just a bit farther into the woods because we had never been there before and it was mighty exciting and a bit scary as well, of course!

EDIT: Forgot to add that IMHO!

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by mglonnro

Language is just a river in motion, though, and it may look different from different viewpoints.

I remember from my childhood that an "expedition" (written exactly the same way in my native language Swedish, by the way!) was when we kids went just a bit farther into the woods because we had never been there before and it was mighty exciting and a bit scary as well, of course!

EDIT: Forgot to add that IMHO!

Yes, kids explore the world around, built tree houses, run around with bow and arrows ... they legitimately do expeditions while playing - not necessary outside only. Even with Lego and Duplo toys they go on expeditions in the living room, make tents of a blanket and some chairs or fight galactic wars with millennium fighters or pirate ships. What a wonderful time without tablets and smartphones!

[sepharad]

A marketing technique, like; "all natural", "Made in (fill the blank)", "Carbon neutral" and "free with the purchase of..."

Oh and my favorite "Tactical" which means green, black, camo and had a stupid name like Skull crusher, The terrorizer and plunderer.

If you will pay more for an "expedition grade" inflatable, someone will call it that.

[fschaefer4]

Originally Posted by sepharad

A marketing technique... Oh and my favorite "Tactical" which means green, black, camo and had a stupid name like Skull crusher, The terrorizer and plunderer.

Can't agree with you more on this one.

I've always wondered why they didn't market the Thumper the Bunny Rabbit F150 truck. Or Thumbelina Tactical Scopes. I guess people wouldn't pay for such things.

[sepharad]

You're brilliant! Think of all the little girls we can sell Thumbelina sniper scopes to! They will be camo Pink and white.

And the Thumper Bunny "Special Edition" model.

You must be in marketing.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Otia

If you are sailing the Strait of Magellan and Patagonia you are expedition cruising...
GRP hulls can very well do it, though I hope you have insulation and a diesel heater...
I guess the main thing is to be able to be self sufficient, in water, energy and maintenance/repairs, thus you must have lots of spare parts and tools.

Your points re warmth, insulation,tools and self sufficiency are valid... however..

I often go for a spin around Isla Gordon and have been known to pop over to the Falklands to go shopping ( you cannot buy baked beans, chutney or decent curry powder in Chile.....). Every year or so I go up to Montt or back down to Williams just because I can....

Its still a bit of an adventure - and for those that only pass this way but once it is a grand adventure - but to call it an expedition I think you need to be planning to scale Sarmiento (pic) or some unclaimed and un-named peak.....

Or maybe a birdwatching voyage out to Isla Noir or somesuch.....

[The Sun King]

I view expedition cruising as going where people don't usually go or going in a way they don't usually get there. It is attitude, not latitude. My expedition cruising launch is only 20' LOA, self-contained for weeks or even months of travel and 100% solar powered. Sun King is a covered (with solar panels) fantail launch with water filtration and electric galley. My biggest expedition has been the Mississippi Loop, starting from above Pensacola. Most Great Loop cruisers take the Tenn Tom down because of fuel issues on the Mississippi. I went up the Tenn Tom and didn't need any fuel coming down the Big Muddy, generally avoiding the expense of marinas the entire 1920 mile outing of 44 days. The foundation hull was a Luger Leeward 16, which is very thin, but it was heavily foamed beneath the deck. Good thing, too, because I returned with holes.


The boat was designed to do sonar surveys on a calm river, but survived the Mississippi and the Gulf. What I learned from that expedition is going into my next boats, 25 and 27' solar powered hulls with some actual freeboard. The Great Loop is my intended next expedition.


That's my idea of expedition cruising.

[CruisingKitty]

Regular cruising is going where you have to bring your own ice.
Expedition cruising is where you bring equipment to chip the ice and fend it off.

Caribbean vs Arctic
Mediterranean vs Southern Ocean
Supermarkets vs a year's worth of stores
Beach parties vs isolation

[JanetGroene]

Originally Posted by john61ct

That's it, takes a lot more money for fancier gear, and mitigating the higher risks going to more outlandish places.

Start with the basics, baby steps before blowing the whole shebang

I believe it's common for adventurers to mount expedition cruises funded by paying guests.I'm thinking of the Tristan Jones books as expedition cruising. Also I've taken some commercial expedition cruises in which the ship had experts on board to lecture and do research. In the Flores Sea islands, for example, the small ship was providing medical care to islanders and, in the high Arctic on board an ice breaker, we were studying the history of the Franklin Expedition. The geologist on board was collecting samples for another research project. I also cruised with friends who were exploring an island group in their 65-footer to see if there was potential there for chartering. We explored and noted places one would show charter guests. It wasn't to be. Later my friends just made it out of there by the skin of their teeth. (Hostile natives).

[sepharad]

Originally Posted by The Sun King

I view expedition cruising as going where people don't usually go or going in a way they don't usually get there. It is attitude, not latitude. My expedition cruising launch is only 20' LOA, self-contained for weeks or even months of travel and 100% solar powered. Sun King is a covered (with solar panels) fantail launch with water filtration and electric galley. My biggest expedition has been the Mississippi Loop, starting from above Pensacola. Most Great Loop cruisers take the Tenn Tom down because of fuel issues on the Mississippi. I went up the Tenn Tom and didn't need any fuel coming down the Big Muddy, generally avoiding the expense of marinas the entire 1920 mile outing of 44 days. The foundation hull was a Luger Leeward 16, which is very thin, but it was heavily foamed beneath the deck. Good thing, too, because I returned with holes.


The boat was designed to do sonar surveys on a calm river, but survived the Mississippi and the Gulf. What I learned from that expedition is going into my next boats, 25 and 27' solar powered hulls with some actual freeboard. The Great Loop is my intended next expedition.


That's my idea of expedition cruising.

Now THIS, really is expedition cruising. Truth is, there are some folks in this community who still really do lead a life of adventure. They do go on expeditions to still distant places, under challenging circumstances.

My hat is off to all of you, who step up and sail off to adventure.

[Bluewater664]

Expedition cruising is when you were going to places that there are few or no people or facilities to take care of you or your boat. Often this is in high latitudes be it North or South, But is not necessarily limited to only those locations. Both you and your vessel need to be completely self sufficient. If you get into a jam you need to have the mindset that there will be no one to help you out of it. While aluminum hull material is certainly much stronger, crushproof, or offering a high degree of resistance to abrasion, when compared to fiberglass or wooden hull materials, there is nothing that beats the ultimate strength of the steel.

[Perfect Ride]

I have been fortunate to be on many expeditions in my life. Most all have has some form of mapping and scientific purpose. While sailing, we have spent weeks, some times months away from any services and often in areas that are 'uncharted' or 'under charted'. I would term those sailing adventures are exploration, but due to the lack of detailed mapping and scientific evidence gathering would be slow to call them expeditions.

[Lemsteraak]

Much of an expedition is timing. If you sailed down the Danube 100 years ago, yes, but now you can do the journey in a cruise ship. It is all about self-sufficiency, if you can get a part shipped in to you, then you aren't on an expedition.

I have wood, fiberglass, and steel boats. My heart is in the wood boat, fiberglass is sweet, but I go long in the steel one.