Any early retirees turned cruisers with big careers have regrets?

[Sdpaddler50]

Someone should post this thread on Trawler Forum so they can have at it. And trust me, they will.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Sdpaddler50

Someone should post this thread on Trawler Forum so they can have at it. And trust me, they will.

Yup and they have a lot of know it alls over there. They should get along well with this fella

[BuoyCall]

Originally Posted by Sdpaddler50

Bouycall, thank you for your service. Sounds like you have earned your retirement.

I retired March 13, 2020 when Covid was just coming on line. Very thankful to have gotten out when I did. I had a good career as a consulting engineer, but was burned out and ready to throw away the alarm clock. I am now able to travel fairly extensively in our boat and very grateful for the adventures it has provided. A link to a past cruise around the Channel Islands over a couple month period this past summer (4 min Vid): https://youtu.be/OszQV2HF-u8

Are you planning on making your way over to the east coast at all?

[mako]

Nice memories being brought back of the Channel Islands. Thanks.

That was years ago when I used to cruise there. Catalina was okay but I really liked heading deeper out to a Clemente. Diving at the seal pup nursery. It was sorta creepy the way the pups would dive bomb us underwater. Cute little monsters! I never saw a great white but guys I dove with had.

[Sdpaddler50]

Originally Posted by mako

Nice memories being brought back of the Channel Islands. Thanks.

That was years ago when I used to cruise there. Catalina was okay but I really liked heading deeper out to a Clemente. Diving at the seal pup nursery. It was sorta creepy the way the pups would dive bomb us underwater. Cute little monsters! I never saw a great white but guys I dove with had.

Thanks Mako.

Agree, San Clemente Island is special. I used to go out there quite a bit when I was a deckhand on sport fishing boats in the late 70's/early 80's, and then a couple trips about 10 years ago as a paying customer on the cattle boats.

I have never seen a GW in the water (diving, swimming, or paddling) but I am pretty sure they have seen me. I did see a very large one off La Jolla about 3 months ago. Biggest dorsal fin I have ever seen and the boat coming up on him did not phase him much. They know where they stand on the food chain.

I have always wanted to take our own boat there, but matching up an open weather window with the Navy's closures they post on their website, which can change without much notice, has not worked out the past couple years. I hope to get out there this Summer with the same guy in the sailboat shown in my Vid. We both travel solo in our boats on trips like this, but keep an eye on each other. Our significant others skip the journey, and meet us at the more inhabited destinations.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by PaulvR

I have raced beach cats for 15 years, and sailed 30k plus blue-water miles.

Perhaps I can provide a facility for arbitration :-)

Thanks but looks like everything is A Okay.

Speaking of beach cats, I remember heading back toward Pensacola one time from racing all day in Panama City and noticed this monohull anchored in the backwater between the coast and interstate 10.

I was wondering at the time what he could be doing all day on his boat and that still sort of pops into my head now.

And after racing/sailing all day I realized he'd be motoring for a few days just to get to a place he could sail.

He is limited there on his boat with so much else happening, and this was maybe around 2002 or so.

I saw this many times over those years on the Gulf Coast with various boats in different areas. Some just drank all day whereas others could make a rather large project out of the simplest thing that for most was a non-issue

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Yup and they have a lot of know it alls over there. They should get along well with this fella

Well I certainly am sorry to sound like a know it all, but I have been on boats since age 6 or so and have had a boat of my own since age 16.

Being on boats and the water that young may not sound like an advantage, but it is.

I think balance comes to mind. You simply have a sixth sense as far as balance and waves.....when on a boat.

Plus after owning 12 or so boats you have an idea about them and what makes a good one

Also swimming off Assateague Island as a child and getting totally beaten up by large surf sometimes thinking you might not be able to come up for air teaches you respect for the power of the ocean especially since it could take days for the scars/scratches on your chest to heal.

https://www.nps.gov/asis/learn/nature/horses.htm

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Well I certainly am sorry to sound like a know it all, but…]

I think that “but” pretty well sums up the problem.

You seem to not understand is that almost everyone else posting here also has been on the water, in one form or another, for their whole lives too. You and I seem to be about the same age and I started sailing my mothers Sunfish when I was about the same age you started, and I soon sort of took it over and still love sailing it today. I’ve had many great adventures on it and been out sailing on it many times in winds so strong that nobody else was out on the 9 mile long, 3 mile wide lake where it’s kept and when I race against the other Sunfish on the lake on Sunday afternoons that I’m not on my cruising sailboat, I almost always win. But I don’t think Ive ever mentioned that on this site because other than very basic sailing, the fun times I’ve had and continue to have on my Sunfish aren’t relevant to cruising, and neither is beating up on a bunch of novice sailors in a race. Just like my Sunfish, I’m sure beach cats are great fun and a great way to learn how to sail, but people don’t come on this site to read about beach cats OR Sunfish sailing because neither has almost anything to do with cruising, which after all is what this site is supposedly about. So, I think we can safely assume that most posters here also have a history of sailing and maybe also racing some kind of smaller sailboat sailing, similar to your or mine, before they became interested in cruising, but you don’t see them constantly talking about their small boat sailing or racing background and trying to extrapolate from that to advise others about cruising issues they have first hand experience with.

[JoeM128]

I'm happily retired and sailing about 75% of the time with occational return visits home.

For me it was never a problem to give up work. But then I've always resisted the societal influence to identify myself by my work. I'm very proud of the business I built, the work I've done, and happy with the rewards it's afforded me. But I don't need work to stay enaged in life.

[Ericson38]

Originally Posted by Sdpaddler50

Thanks Mako.

Agree, San Clemente Island is special. I used to go out there quite a bit when I was a deckhand on sport fishing boats in the late 70's/early 80's, and then a couple trips about 10 years ago as a paying customer on the cattle boats.

I have never seen a GW in the water (diving, swimming, or paddling) but I am pretty sure they have seen me. I did see a very large one off La Jolla about 3 months ago. Biggest dorsal fin I have ever seen and the boat coming up on him did not phase him much. They know where they stand on the food chain.

I have always wanted to take our own boat there, but matching up an open weather window with the Navy's closures they post on their website, which can change without much notice, has not worked out the past couple years. I hope to get out there this Summer with the same guy in the sailboat shown in my Vid. We both travel solo in our boats on trips like this, but keep an eye on each other. Our significant others skip the journey, and meet us at the more inhabited destinations.

Great video you posted on the Channel Islands Cruise. Potato Harbor is a great place. We went in there once on our Ericson38 in the evening and left at 4:00 am the next morning due to high winds. Made it back to Ventura in 2.5 hours in a hard NNE blow. We were the only boat in there that time.

Did you ever see when you were working fishing boats the Grande or Freedom, or Qualifier 105? I was a mate on Grande, out of San Pedro, in 1990 and 1991. She and Freedom were 85 footers, and Qualifier was a real 105 ft beauty.

[MicHughV]

There's two sides to this....

I started cruising in my 20's. I didn't have much money, but I had youth, ie, unbridled energy. Having $5 in my pocket made me feel rich. I didn't stop for 15 years or so.

Fast forward 40 years...I quit a successful career to give it "one more go". Have more money now, but less energy, more health issues, etc.

For a while I missed my job. I had a great job, made good money, nice people, travelled a lot, etc....it took about 6 months for me to get "over" this wanting to return to my job, but thankfully, that has passed.

Am busier today than I've ever been.

Money and age are not really driving factors. It's you health, children, aging parents, etc, that become the motivating and driving factors as to whether you go or not.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

...
Money and age are not really driving factors. It's you health, children, aging parents, etc, that become the motivating and driving factors as to whether you go or not.

EXACTLY!

When the wife and I started seriously talking about getting a boat and going cruising, I created a probability equation with all of the issues that would cause us to stay. Those factors are mostly related to health, children and family. Money was a variable but with a low probability of keeping us on shore.

Family and health are the most likely anchors.

Later,
Dan

[Group9]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

Why do you think a cruiser at anchor is stuck on his boat 24/7/365 unless somebody stole his dinghy or he has hermit tendencies and wants to be alone, just like a hermit on land would do? I agree that wouldn't be a very healthy lifestyle on land or on the water, but I've met very few cruisers who weren't active and regularly either working on their boat or going ashore to work, socialize, get supplies, enjoy recreation activities, or explore the local area. As far as exercising goes, I get a fair amount just moving around and maintaining my boat and often having to walk a mile or two for grocery shopping where on land I'd take my car.

You can also exercise pretty strenuously on a boat with just a few relatively small dumbbells and get your aerobic exercise with a kayak or paddleboard or going ashore for hikes or fetching groceries, etc. As for the running you mentioned in an earlier post, I think it's a bad idea for 65 year olds. I ran for years and loved it, up until I had to have one knee scoped to remove torn cartilage that had become painful. The surgeon told me it was common amongst runners so I stopped running and 10 years later my knees are both pain free and I can enjoy vigorous hikes much more than if I were still running and my knees were hurting like they used to. Lots of older runners have had torn cartilage removed from their knees or their knees replaced, something I hope to avoid if possible.

Living aboard isn't for everyone but it doesn't cause a lack of exercise any more than living on land does. Those who want to keep themselves in good shape will find a way to do it, no matter where they live and those who would rather veg out will find an excuse why they can't exercise, also no matter where they live.

Don't worry about it. He's been that way through the whole thread.

I guess he thinks every cruising forum needs at least one anti-cruising person for balance.

[Bogartward]

Husband and I both ER physicians married over 30 years. Retired 2016 at age 50 and immediately took off sailing. Sailed Mexico, Central America , South America, Galapagos, French Polynesia, Alaska. Just getting ready to sell the boat and become land based again. Lasted about 3 months. Back on the boat and headed out sailing again- maybe Europe🤔

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I think that “but” pretty well sums up the problem.

You seem to not understand is that almost everyone else posting here also has been on the water, in one form or another, for their whole lives too. You and I seem to be about the same age and I started sailing my mothers Sunfish when I was about the same age you started, and I soon sort of took it over and still love sailing it today. I’ve had many great adventures on it and been out sailing on it many times in winds so strong that nobody else was out on the 9 mile long, 3 mile wide lake where it’s kept and when I race against the other Sunfish on the lake on Sunday afternoons that I’m not on my cruising sailboat, I almost always win. But I don’t think Ive ever mentioned that on this site because other than very basic sailing, the fun times I’ve had and continue to have on my Sunfish aren’t relevant to cruising, and neither is beating up on a bunch of novice sailors in a race. Just like my Sunfish, I’m sure beach cats are great fun and a great way to learn how to sail, but people don’t come on this site to read about beach cats OR Sunfish sailing because neither has almost anything to do with cruising, which after all is what this site is supposedly about. So, I think we can safely assume that most posters here also have a history of sailing and maybe also racing some kind of smaller sailboat sailing, similar to your or mine, before they became interested in cruising, but you don’t see them constantly talking about their small boat sailing or racing background and trying to extrapolate from that to advise others about cruising issues they have first hand experience with.

What?

Sounds like you are saying if you want to cruise try not to learn how to sail well right?

I don't agree.

If you plan to cruise, learn to sail on a small (engineless) boat first. It will make you a better sailor and later cruiser.

Plus you can do this in most any lake near your home while waiting to go cruising. I learned sailing on my own in Tennessee. Small power boats here on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean sometimes on the same day. (we'd trailer the boats over to seaside)

And if you can get some small power boat experience like I also had when 15-24 years old that is good also because it includes anchoring and navigating when out of site of land without a compass or radio (or that's how we did it back in the day)

Speaking of beach cats though, here are some pictures of races I was in on the last of the 4 beach cats I owned and raced. This one was built for a single hander and had a spinnaker. Think about how complicated rounding the downwind mark in traffic as a single hander with a spinnaker up would be. We raced windward/leeward courses.

And BTW unlike your little Sunfish races, I raced against some of the best beach cat sailors in the USA which makes you either quit or learn very fast

The video is of the boat I would buy and race now if I was younger. It has the lifting daggerboards and boat weight is about 165 lbs. Price: $25,000 or so

On second thought, if they raced those A Class Cats here regularly I'd buy and race one now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XO3ENVSuSM