Liveaboards - Do You Sail ?

[brak]

I am pondering the liveaboard life - and this is a question that I cant' answer without experience. Say you are a livaboard in a marina or on a mooring, with amenities within reach. After a while - do you still sail? Do you get away for a weekend or a week (or a few hours)? Or does the boat necessarily turn into a floating condo at that point?

[s/v Moondancer]

We sail between 4,000 and 5,000 miles a year.

We have done 2,500 miles since March.

We are presently sitting out hurricane season in Bonaire and look forward to the 7,000 miles we plan in the next 12 months.

However, much credit goes to my sailing wife.

[boatman61]

If its a crap marina/ancorage/mooring I sail....
If its a great place... I sail coz I'll end up broke... again...
However... I always have the option to sail back after a wallet infusion....

[John A]

Prior to going cruising I lived in Alameda, Calif. at Grand Marina for 12 years.
http://www.grandmarina.com/

My job required that I be on-call 24/7, and in the days before WiFi and cell phones I had two phone lines to my boat to work from the boat as needed. I also had cable TV.

When I did 3 or 4 hours work in the middle of the night, I sometimes took days off to do things with the boat. I tried to sail at least once a month, sometimes with crew, sometimes without, and sometimes overnight. I also had a full social life that included golf, skiing, and parties.

At the time, I had a new Ford Mustang (red of course) which I'd take a weekend off to drive to Portland, Ore. to visit with my daughter or over to Boise, Idaho to visit my parents. I was the only one at the marina to wear cowboy boots.

I lived what I considered, a balanced normal life and when I went cruising, I just moved my home to someplace more interesting.

[troymclure]

Bit of both.

Been living aboard for about 2 years now. I spend a bit less then half my time in a marina.

[sailorchic34]

YES! I sail and anchor out a lot and have for the last 7+years, But I'm weird. I have a 15 minute rule. The boat always is ready to go within 15 minutes. Helps too keep the boat from getting too messy. I'm currently anchored out for that matter.

Most liveaboards I know don't sail that much. Hum..probably 50-60 percent or more have not moved the boat in a year or more.

[forsailbyowner]

sail and seldom tie to adock

[Wand]

I'd doubt that the response so far is a representative sample. In my club, for example, there are half a dozen liveaboards and most struggle even to get to the annual sailpast. But they seem contented enough.

[mbianka]

When I had a full time job. I worked and lived aboard in New York $$$ I would cruise during my vacation time but, not head out on many day sails. I was working the midnight shift and sleep was more pleasurable than sailing in those days. Today I do occassional freelance work requiring that I get back to the home port and leave the boat. But I still manage to live aboard for about six months and do a lot more sailing since I am no longer tied up at a marina (or at work) but, prefer to anchor out in various locations. I do this because of costs and because it's just nicer. Not having a work schedule and being at a marina seems to encourage slipping the lines more often. Anyway that's my experience.

[sailingaway221]

I see a lot of people that live aboard that find the place they love.. then they stop sailing as much... maybe just day sails after that. I live aboard and it's my office as well.... but I sail as much as I possibly can.

[sailorboy1]

There's a couple of liveaboard boats out in my mooring field that haven't even put their sails on yet. It the slips the past few years I have only seen the couple of liveaboards away for the marina a couple of times (but then 95% of the boats in slips never seem to leave).

It would seem that liveaboards and cruisers are a world of difference as far as acturally going sailing.

[LauderBoy]

Okay, I'll fess up. I'm that guy. The one who hasn't left their slip in 6+ months. So yes, at the moment my sailboat is a floating condo. The main reason is I'm not really into sailing just for sailing. I like to go places. It's not that I don't enjoy a nice sail, but I really prefer heading out with no time table rather than a "I have to be back by X to go to work".

There aren't too many places to anchor out where I'm at now, so there really isn't a lot of motivation to pack stuff away for an over nighter. I'd rather put a nice roast in a crock pott hooked up to the 120v shore power and take my kayak out for a day trip. Or take out the fold up bike and explore the local downtown or state parks.

I'm in "work on the boat, save up the kitty" mode. When that ends I'll do an extended trip and then figure out how I want to pay for other trips and boat upgrades. I might try to just keep funds trickling in via remote online work, or more likely than not I'll pick up a land based contract someplace new and go into floating condo mode again.

[Butler]

Cruiseaboard, liveaboard, stuckaboard, stuckinarutaboard.
We have some happy liveaboards who enjoy marina life, don't go out and don't figure on it. Some of these folks have had a full sailing life and are happily retired and no longer fit enough to be active and we have some stuckaboards who have broken boats and not much money then there are the stuckinarutaboards... single guys mostly, healthy, fit, living on decent retirements and good boats (one of whom just put a ton of money into a new rig who has only taken the boat out once in three years)who just figure it would be too lonely or ??? to go to sea and yet prefer the bachelor life. I have also run into one or two bitter couples who have truly gotten into a rut; their once vital sailboats covered in potted plants, he not happy that the dream was never realized and she that they aren't living in a nice place ashore. I think it's a big move from marina bound to horizon bound (especially if one is settled into a nice marina!)and some under-estimate the expense either in terms of money or the initial leap of daring or faith to cut the ties and go. My own starry eyed begining and lousy judgement have put my dream in peril and now I have to draw deep to keep things moving and I am not sure when I will get to go. Meanwhile I will take heed of the stuckinarutaboards and keep moving!

[RainDog]

We live aboard and sail. In the two marinas we have lived in, about 50% of the live boards sail, 50% never leave the dock.

The people who never leave the dock are almost all on boats > 40 feet. The people who sail are all on boats < 40 feet.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by brak

do you still sail? Do you get away for a weekend or a week (or a few hours)?

Usually only to go somewhere new.