How many cruisers would there be out there?

[rsn48]

There's nothing wrong with setting one's sights on the low, minimum work and standards side of life, just don't expect to own a yacht. Yachting has always been an expensive pastime requiring extra effort, unless one sets one's goal on the starter/fixer upper type boat.

When talking to my non-boating friends and explain the sport to them, excluding liveaboards, there are roughly two types of boaters. The first type has gobs of money and their boat reflects that wealth, but these types have no time. So those megayachts end up sitting or put out to charter. This type has money but little free time.

The second group have significantly less money but they do have the time. So their boats are smaller and newer, or older and larger. These types generally use their boat more as their lifestyle doesn't demand the time a wealthy person's life demands.

So I'll talk locally and illustrate Jimmy Pattison, first a blurb from Wike about Jimmy: "The Jim Pattison Group is a Vancouver-based conglomerate with interests in media, automotive dealerships, grocery store chains, magazine distribution, food service specialty packaging, advertising, real estate development, fishing, forest products, financial services, and entertainment. [1] and, in a recent survey by the Financial Post, the firm was ranked as Canada’s 62nd largest company. Jim Pattison, a Vancouver-based entrepreneur, is the Chairman, CEO, and sole owner of the company. The Jim Pattison Group, Canada's second largest privately-held company, has more than 45,000 employees worldwide, and annual sales of $10.1 billion[2] based on investments in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Europe, Asia and Australia. The Group is active in 25 divisions, according to Forbes, including packaging, food, forestry products.[3]

In late 2018, Pattison was still working full-time. According to Forbes, his net worth then was $5.7 billion, having increased substantially from the $2.1 billion reported in March 2009."

Now here is a link to Jimmy Pattison's boat, actually quite modest all things considered:
https://www.google.com/search?q=jimm...65qhEf3DGXTuM:

Jimmy is a workaholic, he has earned what he got, but he will have his people move the yacht to an area, then fly down to join up with it. He doesn't have the time to be into the sport, others answer the questions for him, for example, what tender to get, what anchor to use, etc. He has money but no time.

And here is what the rest of us own, two marinas actually - top one public, lower one private: https://www.google.com/search?q=Como...wREKmrbqTfVwM:

[Holeinwater]

[QUOTE=Pancake91;2833340]Fellow sailors,

Recently I started to wonder how many sailboats are currently cruising around as we speak (or type). What do you guys reckon by rough estimate? Btw with cruisers I mean:

- Cruising anywhere in the world (on sailboat)
- Travelling around (not returning to a home marina)
- On board for at least three months

If you have any smart ideas/info/data backing your estimate I’d like to hear as well!

These folks have been doing it for a while now..

https://svdelos.com

[dwedeking2]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

There's nothing wrong with setting one's sights on the low, minimum work and standards side of life, just don't expect to own a yacht. Yachting has always been an expensive pastime requiring extra effort, unless one sets one's goal on the starter/fixer upper type boat.

I gave up the rat race (trying to get ahead) and lowered my expectations/expenses so I could own a boat and live aboard... (do lower level entry type jobs, just in awesome locations)

[jimisbell]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Every generation has ambitious people, slackers and takers. There will always be people of all ages who will work the minimum and make excuses and some who will do just the opposite and work 2-3 jobs in order to get ahead.

Nothing has changed since the time of the Romans, and it will remain the same moving forward. All the women I’m working with tonight have multiple jobs because they’re ambitious and want more than a minimum standard of living.

One thing different today, is the large number of people making excuses for the under achievers.

Not sure why this is restricted just to women by Wolfgal. But the above is so true. In my family headed up by a college drop out, my mother, and a share croppers son (third grade education), my father, 5 children three of whom are millionaires (one woman and two men, all on their own with no help from their parents), one chose to live under a bridge and the 5th just an average guy. The homeless one and the average guy are both dead now. The three millionaires are doing just fine. And my father, with a 3rd grade education, also became a millionaire.

Now being a millionaire is not the be all and end all of it, Happiness IS. My homeless brother, worth 1/4 million when he died, chose to be homeless. But this story puts the lie to those that say they cannot achieve anything because of our current society.

All the above from the son of a sharecropper, lower than a slave. The USA is a great place where you rise to the top or fall to the bottom as YOU PLEASE. If you fail to achieve your dream it is because YOU failed. My father taught me one thing that made a big difference. He told me when I was just 10 years old,

"There is no such thing as 'cant', the word you are looking for is 'wont'. You can do anything you want to. You can put a quart of piss in a pint jar if you want to bad enough."

Of course you can chose not to want to do something, or decide its not worth the trouble, that is what freedom is all about. But again, its YOUR choice.

My father put a quart of piss in a pint jar.

[Mike OReilly]

Ah, the good old ‘work ethic.’ It is as much a social construct as notions of democracy, the liberty of the individual, or the primacy of the group. It certainly HAS changed since the times of the Romans. Even in America, the notions and views of work have evolved over time.

If anyone is interested, there is plenty of actual, documented history written about the evolution of work, and the changing nature of the so-called work ethic.

[ArmyDaveNY]

I am pretty sure that most of us will agree that there are many reasons why we see less people, and in particular less young people cruising

In addition to all that has been mentioned, I’d like to add that even many hard workers today are having a harder time than years ago. Wages generally have not kept up with inflation and the central bankers continue to de-value our fiat currencies. Also, jobs are generally less secure than they used to be.

Society has caused expectations to change too, affecting disposable income. Student loans are larger than ever and are expected. The digital world has to an extent made people more expectant of instant gratification via apps and delivery for everything. This has certainly reduced the do it yourself mentality and encouraged the I’ll have it done for me thinking. With boating, this is usually not cost effective. So too has society provide more excuses for, tolerated, and in many cases encouraged those commonly called slackers.

I am not making excuses for anyone, but rather pointing out a few of the various causes.

Here in NYC I do see more people sailing than say just ten years ago. I don’t however see an increase in those cruising. The sailing clubs, and to a lesser extent, the yacht clubs have been doing a better job of attracting those new to sailing. Both types of clubs are offering less expensive and time consuming ways to get involved. They are making it easy to get started and to learn. They offer programs to get started and grow, with varying methodologies. Some are pretty strict about taking formal courses. Others are pretty laid back. They offer courses but you don’t have to take them. You can just hang out and learn through osmosis and mentoring. This has definitely attracted many new to boating. They new people range in age from five and six all the way up to senior citizens. These clubs are addressing the cost and time issues, and doing a good job of it. Perhaps in a number of years their efforts will yield an increase in cruisers.

If anyone is interested in seeing what these clubs do, please feel free to contact me and I can put you in touch with some of those club officers.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Ah, the good old ‘work ethic.’ It is as much a social construct as notions of democracy, the liberty of the individual, or the primacy of the group. It certainly HAS changed since the times of the Romans. Even in America, the notions and views of work have evolved over time.

If anyone is interested, there is plenty of actual, documented history written about the evolution of work, and the changing nature of the so-called work ethic.

Arrr.. Oi be avin tha lazee busturd effic.. Arr..

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Arrr.. Oi be avin tha lazee busturd effic.. Arr..

Is that contagious? I think I caught it too .

[wtmf]

can you imagine being out of WIFI range or not have cell reception ? Besides do we really want them out there for us to render them aid?

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by jimisbell

Not sure why this is restricted just to women by Wolfgal. But the above is so true. In my family headed up by a college drop out, my mother, and a share croppers son (third grade education), my father, 5 children three of whom are millionaires (one woman and two men, all on their own with no help from their parents), one chose to live under a bridge and the 5th just an average guy. The homeless one and the average guy are both dead now. The three millionaires are doing just fine. And my father, with a 3rd grade education, also became a millionaire.

Now being a millionaire is not the be all and end all of it, Happiness IS. My homeless brother, worth 1/4 million when he died, chose to be homeless. But this story puts the lie to those that say they cannot achieve anything because of our current society.

All the above from the son of a sharecropper, lower than a slave. The USA is a great place where you rise to the top or fall to the bottom as YOU PLEASE. If you fail to achieve your dream it is because YOU failed. My father taught me one thing that made a big difference. He told me when I was just 10 years old,

"There is no such thing as 'cant', the word you are looking for is 'wont'. You can do anything you want to. You can put a quart of piss in a pint jar if you want to bad enough."

Of course you can chose not to want to do something, or decide its not worth the trouble, that is what freedom is all about. But again, its YOUR choice.

My father put a quart of piss in a pint jar.

So are you saying that everyone on the planet can be millionaires if they want to?
Nup, "can't" happen.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

So are you saying that everyone on the planet can be millionaires if they want to?
Nup, "can't" happen.

If you read the story correctly you'd see it proves 40% of the people will be average or less and 60% will be way above average. Simple statistics and distribution theory.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Paul L

If you read the story correctly you'd see it proves 40% of the people will be average or less and 60% will be way above average. Simple statistics and distribution theory.

My comment was more getting at the highlighted bit ( I should have highlighted more)

"There is no such thing as 'cant', the word you are looking for is 'wont'. You can do anything you want to.

We can't all be banksters, astronauts, ponzi scheme fraudsters, brain surgeons, politicians etc

Someone still needs to collect the rubbish, empty sewerage tanks, shovel horse s___, masturbate farmyard animals for artificial insemination etc etc etc etc

I am sure these aren't jobs of choice, well they might be for some, but for most its simple statistics and distribution theory.

Plenty of well educated people with degrees flipping burgers, waiting tables, driving taxis and ........snapping on rubber gloves.

[jimisbell]

Actually, if they all wanted to be, I guess they could. BUT the facts are that most, thinking people, dont want to be. Most people dont want to be at EITHER extreme. Most people want to be happy, money does not guarantee that. That is what makes the statement true.


Picking out the obvious, single, failing of a statement just proves the rest to be true.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by jimisbell

Actually, if they all wanted to be, I guess they could. BUT the facts are that most, thinking people, dont want to be. Most people dont want to be at EITHER extreme. Most people want to be happy, money does not guarantee that. That is what makes the statement true.


Picking out the obvious, single, failing of a statement just proves the rest to be true.

Now that is some pretty odd logic. How does it apply to the classic:
All swans are white
statement when you know some are black?

[OkiMike]

There are just way too many distractions these days. Those distractions were created by people who then made the money to buy the boats now sitting in the marinas.

But the consumers? They’re too distracted by the menagerie of Netflix series, e-books, social media accounts of people they respect or envy, and the 793 available IPA options in front of them at the local supermarket.

I’m a Gen-Xer, but will count myself in the young crowd here. �� Born 10 years prior to the advent of video game consoles, I had a brief but beautiful childhood in the analog age. Now I work in tech and am caught up in its web, though I broke myself free enough to discover cruising and the joy it brings. I appreciate all the distractions/options available to me—to all of us—but I can also have the presence of mind to recognize them for what they are.