Sailing Commune ?

[Budawang]

Originally Posted by Suijin

There are quite a few seafaring communes. Basically they collectively own a large sail-powered boat, sometimes much like a "junk", and travel the globe or a coastline. "Members" come and go over time, and contribute their skills to the endeavor. I don't know how you find these folks but I have run into them time to time while cruising.

That sounds like exactly the sort of thing I was outlining above. I would like to find out more about such groups, coops, communes or whatever you want to call them. For me this makes a lot of sense as I'm not yet in the position to cruise full time but could cruise for a couple of months per year. It's not so different to my current partnership arrangement, but rather than being based in one port it would involve an ambitious long term cruising plan on a more capable/bigger boat.

[Suijin]

We ran across one group in the Caribbean once that was just a riot. They were on this mammoth aging junk, captained by this guy who reminded me of Oddball from Kelly's Heroes. There were about 7 or 8 of them on board, of all shapes and sizes. We hitched a ride with them for a day sail and the engine cut out near the point of a reef and the boat could barely point above 90 degrees to windward, lol. The "engineer" of the group got the engine working at the last minute before going up on the reef and all the while none of them seemed even remotely concerned. It was a bit frightening at the time but hysterical in retrospect.

I have no clue how you'd find one of these groups. It's not like they maintain webpages or anything. Or maybe they do...

[Budawang]

Originally Posted by Suijin

We ran across one group in the Caribbean once that was just a riot. They were on this mammoth aging junk, captained by this guy who reminded me of Oddball from Kelly's Heroes. There were about 7 or 8 of them on board, of all shapes and sizes. We hitched a ride with them for a day sail and the engine cut out near the point of a reef and the boat could barely point above 90 degrees to windward, lol. The "engineer" of the group got the engine working at the last minute before going up on the reef and all the while none of them seemed even remotely concerned. It was a bit frightening at the time but hysterical in retrospect.

I have no clue how you'd find one of these groups. It's not like they maintain webpages or anything. Or maybe they do...

I found a website belonging to a group that owns a 53 ketch and invites crew who are "a healthy mix of nomadic dreamers, musicians, philosophers, anarchists, wanderers and assorted non-conforming individuals, as well as less radical people". They charge the princely sum of 100 euros a week, not including food. They also provide links to some other boats sharing a similar philosophy.

Karaka

I would definitely fall in the "less radical" camp and what I had in mind was something a bit more luxurious and upmarket, but then I guess I'm a bit of an ageing bourgeois yuppy.

[David Chrissy]

Co-operation in stead of competition means there are no losers. We spent several years returning to the same remote uninhabited tropical archipelago and found the combination of independent self-suficiency but with a sophisticated practical beach camp where the cruisers met on an ad hoc basis was great for us. The Chagos Islands are now impractical due to it being turned into a marine park (but with a huge military base included..soldiers good,sailors bad!)
We are now keeping our eyes and ears open for new adventures.

[Tar34]

Originally Posted by Budawang

I found a website belonging to a group that owns a 53 ketch and invites crew who are "a healthy mix of nomadic dreamers, musicians, philosophers, anarchists, wanderers and assorted non-conforming individuals, as well as less radical people". They charge the princely sum of 100 euros a week, not including food. They also provide links to some other boats sharing a similar philosophy.

Karaka

I would definitely fall in the "less radical" camp and what I had in mind was something a bit more luxurious and upmarket, but then I guess I'm a bit of an ageing bourgeois yuppy.

The luxury of anarchy and a communal utopia by default fall to middle and upper middle class. Equality of needs is proscribed by the needless. Those who desire more in life are the true anarchists in this tragedy.

[zeyang]

Originally Posted by jdlum46

Does anyone have contact or know how to contact the Sailing
the Farm Future Sea Gypsy Commune to see if maybe we
could get someone connected with a "sailing commune" to
express their ideas and give their viewpoint in as much as
we have not heard from any real sailing commune people
up to this point. It is possible that when we hear it from
the source we might have a changed perspective about
our ideas on the subject. At least I hope personally I'm
capable of maintaining an open mind until I have more
information. Please post an email address or other contact
if you have it so that an invitation to participate can be
made. Thanks,

hi,
someone asked me to read this forum since we are mentioned here.
apologies if someone doesent get a decent answer on email but we get lots and lots of emails with questions but we try to answer all we get.

We are not really a sailing commune yet since the boat is not finished so its hard for us to figure out how this would work out when it start sailing - its kind of social experiment.
When it comes to the boatbuilding farm: Since 2009 it has been more than 250 people here helping with both farm and the boat. We have learned lots from the process and among those 250 I think mabye 25 is really keen on the sailing part. And among them we have maybe 2 who could be in charge (captain)
We have learned lots about the process and also about people. Some is just coming to have fun and hang out and stay for their 3 weeks slot, Some fall in love with this and stay one year or longer. And some leave after 2 days finding out that building a boat means heavy work.

we dont have a clue how to run this financially sound when the boat start sailing, but we know we have lots of skills and could trade this skills for money, stuff etc.even producing stuff onboard who could be possible to sell. (metalwork). Time will tell.

ze

[jdlum46]

Sailing Commune?
I spent some time with Amish friends up in Michigan
and was impressed with how much gets done when
people work together rather than trying to outdo each
other or take advantage of one another or be richer
or more powerful than the next guy. The non Amish
system is failing in rural Michigan, especially if you
are talking about the "family farm". I see people
who I used to think were middleclass now complaining
of not having sufficient healthy food in their homes.
I see homelessness and drug addiction in the
countryside and foreclosures and I compare that
with the Hutterites in Montana, which I have not
personally witnessed and wonder if maybe there is
a better way for some of us to move forward. I
mention the Hutterites because I understand they
own large collective, communal farms of several
hundred thousand acres. (that scale of size can't
be done in the boating world without cooperation
and joint effort unless of course you are Bill Gates
or Steve Jobs). So maybe some of us could join
together in an alliance that furthers all our objectives.
I personally own a 60 acre farm, nature preserve
with its own private lake and an aging 60 ft steel
sailboat that could all be put to better use with
more people involved. However the natural inclination
in our system seems to be, "Oh how could I get
that from him", rather than how could we "grow"
this by mutual concerted effort.

[Pilgrimtex]

Our idea of a commune is two. Me and my other half. The idea of sailing is to get away from civilization, not drag it along with us.

[sanssouci]

If you were to consider a sailing commune, where would you suggest establishing a home port?
Pacific or Atlantic?
Rio Dulse?
Bocas Del Toro?
Key West?
Cuba?
Micronesian Atoll?
Carib Island?
Others?
Besides a safe anchorage what other amenities would you suggest.

[shorebird]

Originally Posted by Tar34

The luxury of anarchy and a communal utopia by default fall to middle and upper middle class. Equality of needs is proscribed by the needless. Those who desire more in life are the true anarchists in this tragedy.

To which I add my own quote directed mostly at people who go "slumming"...

"Being poor is far more enjoyable when you're not."

[captain58sailin]

I thought this forum is a commune.

[nimblemotors]

I'm trying to find a couple people that want to build three boats together
in my Herding-Cats Catamaran Build Cooperative. Similar, but different.

QUOTE=jdlum46;1419132]Sailing Commune?
I spent some time with Amish friends up in Michigan
and was impressed with how much gets done when
people work together rather than trying to outdo each
other or take advantage of one another or be richer
or more powerful than the next guy. The non Amish
system is failing in rural Michigan, especially if you
are talking about the "family farm". I see people
who I used to think were middleclass now complaining
of not having sufficient healthy food in their homes.
I see homelessness and drug addiction in the
countryside and foreclosures and I compare that
with the Hutterites in Montana, which I have not
personally witnessed and wonder if maybe there is
a better way for some of us to move forward. I
mention the Hutterites because I understand they
own large collective, communal farms of several
hundred thousand acres. (that scale of size can't
be done in the boating world without cooperation
and joint effort unless of course you are Bill Gates
or Steve Jobs). So maybe some of us could join
together in an alliance that furthers all our objectives.
I personally own a 60 acre farm, nature preserve
with its own private lake and an aging 60 ft steel
sailboat that could all be put to better use with
more people involved. However the natural inclination
in our system seems to be, "Oh how could I get
that from him", rather than how could we "grow"
this by mutual concerted effort.[/QUOTE]