Where are the explorers?

[belizesailor]

Other people spend their money and do as they choose, its not subject to your approval.

Maybe you should reflect on why this bothers you enough to post.

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by gmakhs

Excuse me if my words sound offending maybe i didn't express what i mean correctly .
What i mean is that a lot of builders base their boats layout on the perspective that they will never face bad weather , because their market prefer sitting in a marina , i dont have something personal either with this style of boats or the owners.
When i am talking for unseaworthy Cats my mind is focused on the designs that they have the steering wheel on a high point , or designs you need to walk on high on the bimini roof to tie down the main , the same problems tends to happen wit newer mono hulls.
I don't say that there are no good catamarans .






About the "thousand of dollars spent " is a genuine question , why do people buy all this gear if they never going out???
I am not trying to offend or troll anybody i just wonder why most of those who have the capacity (skills , budget , boat ) are not going out and explore remote places .


P.S : I am sorry if someone got offended .
There are some people here who gave genuine answer and thankful for it,

I understand, sorry if I came off upset. Many peopla troll looking to start arguments. I think it's fair to say that regardless of the set up. Most of these boats can handle far more then the people who sail them. What makes an ideal offshore rough water cat (or mono) makes for a less then an ideal island hopper / live aboard etc,,,
There always is and will be compromises. Many of these boats have no problem crossing oceans in the right conditions.. very few boats regardless of "blue water design" can survive the absolutely worst possible of conditions. For a true exploration vessel, you need a steel or alloy boat, and many other features most people don't find accommodating or desirable.
There are a few adventurous spirits out there and we enjoy seeing their videos etc while cruising the "beaten path"

[250224]

Funny how many people got 'insulted' by your post and answer with attacks (spend money as they want, troll, quit reading..). Haha. -- I believe it's an interesting question.

A reason might be, that the 'easy explorations' have all been done in the past. Now a 'real exploration' is much more involved. When you (might) have the money you are often older and then maybe no longer as fit or willing to endure the strain. Boat is bought and ready but one realizes then that it is too much. (No problem, why not dream).

Another reason might be, that it is more boring nowadays when your satellite receiver device always gives your position within some meters. And/or google street view shows the potential remote target in full detail.

And yet another reason might be, that it is now so cheap to fly to remote areas that people get lazy and fly (and take the family with them.

[Sojourner]

To each their own...we sure as hell live by that, so I can't judge someone who just wants to have cocktails with friends on the back of their boat in a marina. Besides, the more people in marinas the less there are at out of the way anchorages, so that suits us fine!

[barnakiel]

C'mon now. One never gets a sound discussion if starting from a biased opinion.

b.

[StuM]

Please define "explorer". I doubt that there is a single place left accessible by boat about which little is known.

[Suijin]

Boat builders built boats based on market opportunity. They build what people want. People want coastal cruisers and catamarans. Not everyone wants to go to cruise the Chilean coast, or visit Reunion, etc. They have lives, jobs, kids, houses, etc.

Why are there not more "explorers"? There are more explorers than their used to be, with more people going far and further off the beaten path.

Where do you get your data that there are not a lot of explorers? If it's from the fact that there are a lot who are not exploring, that's a pretty unscientific method.

[Dymaxion]

Opened up this thread thinking it was about the "where" as in geographically. Oh well.

You can make a similar statement to yours about someone who buys an ultrahigh performance car while living in a grid locked city. Speculation here on my part, but while not a 100% practical purchase they fuel a dream of one day driving at Nurburgring or sailing the Arctic passage. Nothing wrong with fueling a dream, and having the proper equipment and getting damn good at using it means when/if the time comes then you are ready to go. It also means a nicely equipped boat with little use may show up once the dream bursts. Now, any one know where I can buy a good used Russian icebreaker.... just dreaming!

[Mike OReilly]

Seems to me there are a couple of discussions at play here. One is the more specific question about current mass-market boat design. The other is a broader, almost philosophical, discussion about the notion of "exploration."

On the former issue my observation is that the market is simply responding to the demand. Most boaters now prioritize comfort and ease of use. Mass market boat design reflects this demand. Neither right or wrong ... it is what most people want.

The whole "exploration" question seems more complex, and probably more personal. First off, I doubt there are fewer explorers in today's population than in the past. Those who venture off the edges of the map have always been few.

But the other aspect of this is the notion of exploration. To me, this is as much an internal endeavour as some sort of Mt. Everest ascension.

There is wonder and beauty everywhere. There is no need to traipse around the world in search of some new frontier seems to fundamentally miss the point -- at least to me.

There is now this "bucket list" mentality amongst some, where you've got to "see" this or that have a live a life worth living. This, to me, is far more problematic than some diminishment of explorers.

[rabbi]

Exploring means to some learning about places unknown to them. I do it all the time, and spent last night anchored in a nice spot in Ibiza with no other boats in sight. I typically look into the cruising guide and avoid the spots mentioned. And in a totally unseaworthy cat.

I would not call this exploring but cruising. Exploring means to me visiting completely wild and unspoiled places. That is places where no tourist has ever been. Following this definition you must be cruising arctic seas as thats about the only unspoiled region on this planet.
Maybe some regions of central africa, sibiria, or maybe even hidden places around the amazonas qualify to some extend.
Just cruising off the beaten path does nor qualify as exploring in my view.

So am explorer is either Freezing to death or eaten alive by bugs. doesn't seem to be fun.

I guess most people try to have funwith their boats, whatever that means to them. And your exploring seems to be of little relevance to them. Just as no one cares about your approval of their boat choices


No clue why on earth you are bothered by other people's non-activities? I am far more concerned about people's activities, especially those in vicinity involving loud engines and nasty waves

[a64pilot]

They are out exploring, but likely don’t have internet connections.
Unless I am mistaken, we right now have two of this sites Moderators North of the Arctic circle as I type. I have no desire of going there myself, I did a little exploring by airplane.

I used to do a lot of cave diving, one thing that was very fun was laying line in a cave or section of cave that no one had ever been in before, exploring.
Then as I got older and more experienced I sort of became a mainline cave tourist if you will, there are hundreds of miles of mainline cave to see.

Just because it’s on the main path, if you have never been there before, your exploring.

Things are built that sell, if the Buyers want it, it will be built and Societal pressures are very strong, how else can you explain all the single passenger SUV’s being driven around and every Suburbanite Man who doesn’t even mow his own grass, has to drive a full size pick up truck.
Just as poorly built, but big, impressive houses sell, well big impressive boats sell for the same reason

[daletournier]

I think we have different friends. Ive met many that sail off the grid in all sorts of boats, this includes catamarans and production monohulls.

Maybe you need to assess the limitations of your own thinking.

I've crossed swords with a couple of cat owners on this forum in the past as I believe they sometimes overreact to ignorance BUT I'm starting to be more understanding regarding their frustrations.

[libspero]

As somebody firmly planted in the armchair enthusiast camp.. or as some more correctly categorise us "the dreamers", I think I know where the OP is coming from.

The dream for many is surely to buy a boat and sail around the world (or in my case South America)? So you read up more and more, then realise that most cruising takes place in the Caribbean, Med.. Australia etc and you wonder why most people never adventure further. Zulu Waterways is a great way to see a snap shot of this.. lots of icons pinned in places like Florida or Malaysia, yet South / Central America.. almost nothing.

So from a purely selfish point of view it is frustrating that there aren't more people cruising those areas and leaving up to date clues/guides to help us find our way (even if just through the local bureaucracy).

But when you are swimming against the tide and everyone is going the other way you have to assume there is a good reason for it. As others have said, life gets in the way, or you get older and less interested in grand adventure.. but speaking to a live aboard friend he asked why on earth would I want to sail more than 20-30 degrees off the equator? It's cold, wet and miserable! And then you realise that there's a good reason certain places are unpopular. Fine for a one-off adventure maybe.. but you probably wouldn't stay there for long.
That's the great thing about a boat.. you just move to where the best spots are. But going full circle back to your point.. that is probably why most people end up bunched together without exploring much further afield.. they all want to be in the best / most convenient place without having to worry about a load of foreign bureaucracy. And for a lot of people that means they are probably already there.

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[Paul Kelly]

Originally Posted by gmakhs

Millions of dollars are spent every year on boats , most them are made in plastic and a big portion of them are catamarans with dangerous , unseaworthy layout , thousands of people joining sailing just for the status of it and cruising from marina to marina , motoring .
Boats hard to manoeuvre under sail or even unmaneuverable in case of some catamarans .
Builders and designers follow this trend making lower quality boats that just look nice , but they are not capable to safely carry the crew on a tough situation but this is not what it worries me .
What is worying me is , why nobody is exploring ? Most of boats are sailing in the tropics following the route from gib to Caribbean and all around but only a few visit more exotic and remote places , o my a few going to a country just to explore its culture and lifestyle if there is no marina , and far more fewer going to not well charted waters.

Why this is happening ? I see people with the right budget and a good boat and skill but they never go out of the comfort sailing zone and it really bothers.me .

I think there is an historical mis-reading underlying your question. What you call explorers were in the first instances traders who were either seeking new markets or faster trade routes. Exploration was secondary to a slightly different mission which often had a financial purpose. So the answer to that is we don't need 'explorers' of that sort any more as there are different means of finding new markets.

The second sort of explorers were scientists. Some of those still exist. We still have arctic expeditions and the like. But most of them no longer use sailing vessels.

I think your question really needs turning on its head. What you seem to be asking is "why given the huge number of boats, don't people venture further afield?" I think the answer to that is that with a substantial increase in disposable income, people can afford boats that they could have done in the past, but they don't have as much disposable time. Many may still have day jobs, so for them owning a boat in a nice location is a more interesting form of holiday. Many don't have the skills or don't want to take on the risks that 'exploration' entails. And the final reason is that people like human company. Many like to go where other like-minded humans gather.

'Explorers' are generally much more solitary and slightly unusual. They have time at their disposal, like going to places that are deserted and are prepared and well-skilled in dealing with the risks that exploration involves.

I suspect it's not that there aren't any explorers any more or that the number has decreased. It's just that the number of 'leisure boats' has increased out of all proportion in relation to people who want to 'explore' and so the 'explorers' have become less visible.

It's also more comfortable and quicker to read a Jimmy Cornell book or watch a video of one of his trips than actually do it.

[sailorboy1]

The past month alone in my “plastic” boat I went to 11 places I had never been.

Is that exploring????