Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 05-01-2021, 14:36   #1
CLOD
 
sailorboy1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: being planted in Jacksonville Fl
Boat: none
Posts: 20,364
Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

Why do we make sailing/cruising/boating sound soooooo hard?

I know that when I decided to sail/cruise the ASA Fundentials made it seem so hard. My wife would read 'how to tack' and go "How are are the two of us going to do that. Based on the book it seems to need 5 people?" Turns out sailing is easy and truly was the easiest thing to learn about living/cruising on a sailboat.

Then there are batteries. Forums make understanding your system seem like it requires a pHd in physics, electrical, and magic. But batteries are easy and have run into LOTS of boaters who l know nothing more than whether the warning light was on and their batteries pretty last as long as everyone else.

There there are anchor threads!!!! Why does every anchor thread read as though everyone but that poster does it all wrong? Anchors have been around pretty much as long as boats and started as a rope of hemp tied to a rock! How hard can that be???

Nav rules why does a 1 paragraph rule with 2-3 sentences require an explanation of 6 pages. And as the "discussion" progresses pretty much proves no one understands the rule (at least it seems that way) and yet boats aren't bumper car bouncing off each other so how hard is it compared to driving you car on the highway surrounded by the other idiots?

Sailing/boating/cruising is easy! Stop making it seem hard so you seem "special". And lets let idiots weed themselves out some. Their issues are not because it is hard, it is because they are ............... idiots!
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
sailorboy1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 14:51   #2
Registered User
 
Knotical's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: LI Sound
Boat: Sabre 34II
Posts: 822
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

The more I learn the easier everything appears, it’s not knowing what I don’t know makes it so hard, you can call it the fear of unknown.

Btw, nice topic for a thread.
Knotical is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 15:02   #3
Registered User
 
Cheechako's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Skagit City, WA
Posts: 25,483
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

Maybe because there would be no need for Cruiser's Forum if we didn't make it complicated?
I read a couple books, bought a boat and went cruising. But of course any time you do something like that, be prepared to learn with more risk.
__________________
"I spent most of my money on Booze, Broads and Boats. The rest I wasted" - Elmore Leonard











Cheechako is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 15:19   #4
Moderator
 
JPA Cate's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: aboard, cruising in Australia
Boat: Sayer 46' Solent rig sloop
Posts: 28,438
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

Yes, but, where is it written that risk is all bad??? Maybe being excited is good for us!

One rat study I know about showed that the stressed rats healed faster than the ones who were not stressed . (It was kind of gross: the "stress" was wounding them.)

Risk is there, but there is a forum tendency to borrow a surfeit of trouble. Most "bad things" don't happen to everyone. Keeping things on the simple side helps.

Ann
__________________
Who scorns the calm has forgotten the storm.
JPA Cate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 15:20   #5
Moderator
 
Jammer's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Minnesota
Boat: Tartan 3800
Posts: 4,808
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

Because it actually is hard.


There are a lot of people who try to make it easier than it actually is. They don't learn to reef so they don't go out when they might need to. They don't learn about prop walk so they just get people on shore with lines and have them pull. They don't learn the colregs so they follow the law of tonnage. They don't learn to tack, at least not comfortably, so they motor upwind. They don't learn pilotage or dead reckoning, so they just follow their GPS. They don't learn to anchor, so they stay in marinas.


Works for them, though I think most of them would be happier with a pontoon boat.


My goals are different.
__________________
The best part of an adventure is the people you meet.
Jammer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 15:21   #6
Moderator
 
Jim Cate's Avatar

Join Date: May 2008
Location: cruising SW Pacific
Boat: Jon Sayer 1-off 46 ft fract rig sloop strip plank in W Red Cedar
Posts: 21,155
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

PErhaps it is related to the difference between "doing something" and doing it well.

And IMO, in sailing or in cruising, there is a noticeable difference in the proficiency demonstrated by various sailors and cruisers.

Jim
__________________
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
Jim Cate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 15:55   #7
Registered User
 
Mike OReilly's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Good question
Boat: Rafiki 37
Posts: 14,144
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

I don't think it's that hard. Heck, I chose this lifestyle because it is easier than a lot of other options, such as sticking with a 9to5 landlubber job and living in on land. Now THAT is hard.

That said, there are things to learn and skills to develop. This is no different than any other lifestyle. Whether you think it is hard, is really a personal perspective.

And there are very real differences in how one cruises. Someone who marina hops or spends most of their time in easy, tame waters, will face fewer challenges than those who venture further off the beaten path. So it is easier for some, harder for others.


So, as with most questions in cruising, the real answer is: It Depends.
__________________
Why go fast, when you can go slow.
BLOG: www.helplink.com/CLAFC
Mike OReilly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 16:11   #8
Registered User
 
Chotu's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2018
Boat: 50ft Custom Fast Catamaran
Posts: 11,832
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

I agree with Jim (really ... ha ha)

It’s an art that cannot be perfected in a lifetime.

Yes, you can go learn to ski over a weekend. And there you have it. That was easy! I can pizza and French fries my way all the way down the hill! I learned!

But how about going down the mogul field? A little back country cliff jumping? Take a pair of telemark skiis down the hill. Do some ski flying or hone your art in the half pipe.

You can learn something very easily, but mastering it takes decades. Or in the case of sailing, more than a lifetime.

To me, that’s part of the enjoyment. I’m always trying to sail better. It’s just enough of a distraction to take your mind off stressful things while not being too stressful in itself.
Chotu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 16:12   #9
Registered User
 
Uncle Bob's Avatar

Join Date: May 2010
Location: Sydney Australia
Boat: Fisher pilothouse sloop 32'
Posts: 3,416
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

Quote:
Originally Posted by sailorboy1 View Post
Why do we make sailing/cruising/boating sound soooooo hard?

I know that when I decided to sail/cruise the ASA Fundentials made it seem so hard. My wife would read 'how to tack' and go "How are are the two of us going to do that. Based on the book it seems to need 5 people?" Turns out sailing is easy and truly was the easiest thing to learn about living/cruising on a sailboat.

Then there are batteries. Forums make understanding your system seem like it requires a pHd in physics, electrical, and magic. But batteries are easy and have run into LOTS of boaters who l know nothing more than whether the warning light was on and their batteries pretty last as long as everyone else.

There there are anchor threads!!!! Why does every anchor thread read as though everyone but that poster does it all wrong? Anchors have been around pretty much as long as boats and started as a rope of hemp tied to a rock! How hard can that be???

Nav rules why does a 1 paragraph rule with 2-3 sentences require an explanation of 6 pages. And as the "discussion" progresses pretty much proves no one understands the rule (at least it seems that way) and yet boats aren't bumper car bouncing off each other so how hard is it compared to driving you car on the highway surrounded by the other idiots?

Sailing/boating/cruising is easy! Stop making it seem hard so you seem "special". And lets let idiots weed themselves out some. Their issues are not because it is hard, it is because they are ............... idiots!

Have to wholeheartedly agree.
Seems some can't cope without a plethora of rules and courses.
__________________
Rob aka Uncle Bob Sydney Australia.

Life is 10% the cards you are dealt, 90% how you play em
Uncle Bob is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 16:17   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 157
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

I think it can be very complicated if you have a larger more modern boat but then there are people cruising dinghies with virtually nothing fancy.

From personal experience, I'd say the more you know, the better off you'll be. Getting it wrong with regard to engine or electrical systems can cost tens of thousands of dollars even on a small boat. Being an engineer certainly wouldn't hurt ��✌��
Heathenly Twins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 16:32   #11
Registered User
 
Macblaze's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Edmonton/PNW
Boat: Hunter 386
Posts: 1,745
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

I suggest that it has a lot to do with rapid advances in technologies and equipment as opposed to the slow change in accepted practices and the prevalence of "oldsters."

I saw the same thing in rock climbing. When we started it was full of mythologies that implied you needed to be hard core and hike in miles to climb "real rock." But with the advent of new ropes, sticky rubber and a whole lot of bolting close to the roads, sport climbing was as accessible to the average family of 5 as a trip to the amusement park. Just learn the basic of safety, don't get too full of yourself and you were set.

And didn't that opinion meet with a whole lot of doomsaying and predictions of death and dismemberment.

Personally my introduction to cruising has been similar: Learn the basics of safety and don't get too full of yourself and a lot of areas are open to some easy cruising. If you never want to go farther, well then I guess that is your choice. Sailing is easy. It always kills me when people suggest you learn to sail on a dingy. What I learned about sailing a laser has pretty much zero to do with any sailing I have done on my 38-footer.

Of course this all comes down to your definition of sailing... or climbing. I will never be a "real" one at either.
__________________
---
Gaudeamus igitur iuvenes dum sumus...
Macblaze is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 16:35   #12
Registered User
 
chris mac's Avatar

Join Date: May 2015
Location: edmonton alberta
Boat: 1992 lagoon 42 tpi
Posts: 1,729
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

Anything you enjoy doesnt seem too hard. Hard is the word people use when they want to quit.
I enjoy sailing and cruising, so it isnt hard.
I met a brain surgeon once. I commented on how hard his job must be. He replied that it wasn't hard, it was challenging and technical, but not hard. He loved the challenge.
But I look at brain surgery, and it looks HARD!
chris mac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 16:39   #13
Registered User
 
sv_pelagia's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: British Columbia
Boat: Sceptre 41
Posts: 1,928
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

I read the thread title and thought it was going to about how hard it is too get accurate "soundings".... [emoji848]
sv_pelagia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 16:50   #14
Marine Service Provider

Join Date: Jan 2019
Boat: Beneteau 432, C&C Landfall 42, Roberts Offshore 38
Posts: 6,275
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

no easy answer here.....I learned that there are no " ropes" on a boat....a " rope" is a "rope' in a store, but when it comes aboard it adopts a name..the first time I ever stepped on a sailboat I was asked to grab that "sheet"....but I saw no linen in sight..how a "rope" came to be called a " sheet" was beyond my ability to understand at the time.....the same line that a "sheet" is made from can also be a "halyard"....now we have two weird names for the same " rope"..etc, ad infinitum....the worst was having to use the " head" when wanting to use the bathroom....sailing is a strange sport for sure.....it has a vocabulary all of its own....it can be very confusing for someone not acquainted with boating...
MicHughV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2021, 17:06   #15
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bellingham
Boat: Outbound 44
Posts: 9,319
Re: Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

Sure, the individual parts might be easy, but the volume can be overwhelming to newer cruisers. You are maintaining a boat that has all the systems required for a small city: sewar system, water system, electrical generation system, HVAC system.
Two propulsion systems: sail and diesel
Weather: infinite daily choice, cyclone season,...
Navigation: infinite number of crossing situations with those following the rules and those that aren't.
Officialdom: helpful and logical to unreasonable and indecipherable
Health care: in some years you might even have to deal with a pandemic.

So the snall parts maybe be relatively simple, the conglomerate is really very complex.
__________________
Paul
Paul L is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Sounding size adjustment on Vector Charts rgleason OpenCPN 103 22-08-2020 09:23
AIS CPA/TCPA Alarms not sounding baltika_no_9 OpenCPN 5 20-04-2018 03:54
Read sounding info of maps danics OpenCPN 5 07-08-2015 08:01
Sounding-Out Possible Suitors for 'Oh Joy' . . . CharlieCobra Monohull Sailboats 5 06-06-2010 20:57
At The Risk of Sounding Like a Jerk ssullivan Multihull Sailboats 31 07-09-2008 18:50

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 23:33.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.