Cruising - Is it a Simpler Life ?

[rourkeh]

I don't know the answer to your first question about the Pearson 30.
And only you can answer your second question. The cruising lifestyle, and it is a lifestyle, appeals to a certain type of mindset. If you have it you will do well. Cruising is a mixture of a love of boats, the water, travel, freedom, disipline, selfsufficiency, and more. It requires a certain type of person with the right mix of these traits to be happy living and traveling the world on a small boat. Most people who have lived the majority of their lives within a ridgid set of boundaries then cast them off, sell everything and go "cruising" have a hard time adjusting. Give it a try then you'll know the answer to your question.

[zeehag]

keep a bicycle--then the walking part is lessened...oh, yes, and make sure you have saddlebags for it, also.......
cruising life is whatever you make it to be.

[SurferShane]

I was looking to buy an older Pearson 30 “Coaster”. The particular one had been custom built a bit after the original design was superseded. If the Pearson you are considering is a similar full keel design it would be perfect for cruising. If you do want to keep things simple, I really don’t think you would need to go bigger. From all the research they are an excellent boat. There are not many Pearson’s over here, but the owners of the few I have met have been very pleased.

For details about all the Pearson models Google the Pearson Owner’s Association

The second question already seems to have been answered very well. Maybe this is a reflection of the number of similar threads of late?

[aboutgone]

Life can be as simple as you make it......was going to the moon simple....well compared to living on a sailboat,,,,,,,???? no really ..I went from a 9 to 5 in Atlanta to no bills.....fishing.....sleeping in....going where I want any time I want.......Is it easy?....no....but for my head it is simple.....

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by aboutgone

...was going to the moon simple ... well compared to living on a sailboat ,,,

I’m certain that a “typical” modern cruising sailboat has much more computing power than did the Apollo spacecraft that landed men on the moon.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by zeehag

..........cruising life is whatever you make it to be.

I like this statement from Zeehag. There isn't a defined "cruising life". We live in less space than our boat allows and keep simple goals for travel; usually poking about from Maine to the Bahamas with the seasons. We rarely take on overnight passages, days taking us over fifty miles or winds over twenty knots. Ironically, while beginning our fortieth year of living aboard we are asking the question, "What would it be like to not be cruising and have a house on land?" Will we find a place small enough to manage? What would be the challenges with remaining in the same place? We're not about to make a change soon, but if health drives us off the boat, will we be able to cope? Presently, we find difficultly staying in one marina or port for too long. We're accustomed to new days in one of the thirty or so ports we frequent. Far from world cruisers, we are "cockpit potatoes". So yes, "cruising life is whatever you make it to be."

[boatman61]

Lol..... nice post Aythya crew.... loved the 'Cockpit Potato's'...

[nautical62]

I find the time I spend cruising to be much, much simpler than the lifestyle I experience at home and work. For me, that is one of the big draws.

For me the experience and what it provides is not unlike other expedition activities I used to do like canoe expeditions, sea kayaking and backpacking. A sailboat tends to have more issues than say a kayak, but allows you more options and more luxury.

[capt_douglas]

I can't answer the first question, but in my experience, the answer to the second is yes. I think it's because you can't carry all the stuff you have in your house onto your boat (no matter how wealthy you are).

Can cruising life be simpler? Certainly.
Cruising forces you to make decisions about what's important to you. No doubt going from 2 cars to one tender is simpler. It may be wetter and slower, but there are essentially only 2 moving parts (4 if you count you and your mate). Can you live with 1/10 the clothes, toys, and trappings of your previous life?

Can it be easier? Can't answer that.
Chances are you'll be in places and situations where your mechanical skills will be needed. Chances are you'll be doing a lot of your own maintenance unless you're independently wealthy. With fewer and simpler systems on a boat, there's less to break.

Can it be interesting/challenging/invigorating? Yes.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by GordMay

I’m certain that a “typical” modern cruising sailboat has much more computing power than did the Apollo spacecraft that landed men on the moon.

good point. I used to say, "My boat has a computer." Nowdays, however, my boat is a computer, with every instrument linked to every other instrument.

Our stereo system alone has more data storage space than the Apollo capsules used to have.

[NotQuiteLost]

The difference an individual experiences during the changeover to a 'cruising life' is also largely dependent on your previous life's experiences. If you've lived in a condo or rental house your entire life, and never done moderate/major maintenance to your home, then maintaining the boat is going to be a bit shocking. If you've always paid for automotive maintenance, then you're really going to feel in over your head the first dozen times you fiddle with your motor.

It doesn't mean that if you don't have experience with those particular things, that cruising is going to eat you alive. Most people who choose this lifestyle are relatively self-sufficient, or at the very least capable of coming up with creative solutions to their maintenance issues.

Ultimately, cruising replaces the 9-5 job with a wildly inconsistent maintenance schedule. Some months you barely have to touch up the paint, and then there are days where you don't get to hardly sleep because of the flood of issues happening simultaneously.

Mostly you have to be flexible if you're going to try living aboard your boat (unless you're wealthy enough that paid maintenance is just part of the budget). If you can fit yourself into it and it doesn't drive you nuts after a few weeks, it all starts to feel natural.

[maxingout]

I don't know if cruising is simpler, but it is a lot more fun and much more interesting. Most jobs are repetitive, and after a while, I feel like I have been there and done that. I am ready to move on. I guess that is one of the things I like about cruising. Moving to new places and exploring new worlds. I lived overseas for 28 years, and I found life much more interesting as I moved around and experienced new things.

Cruising was not simpler, but in general, my pleasures were more simple. I get a lot of pleasure from riding the Pacific Ocean swells up and down and watching green flashes. I really enjoy sunsets. Sunrises are great when I am on watch offshore. When I camped in the Arabian desert, I enjoyed the cathedral silence when we were 200 km off road. Simple pleasures make great memories.

http://positivegraphics.com/images/how-many-788.jpg

http://positivegraphics.com/Positivegraphic43.htm

[JiffyLube]

Having a little money to work with helps too.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by JiffyLube

Having a little money to work with helps too.

Try making that sentence: Having 'more than' a little money to work with helps too. It takes a "little money" to barely get by on a deprivation lifestyle cruising. Having more than a little money removes the stresses of not knowing where you will get food, fuel or the replacement bilge pump and makes life a lot simpler.

[JiffyLube]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Try making that sentence: Having 'more than' a little money to work with helps too. It takes a "little money" to barely get by on a deprivation lifestyle cruising. Having more than a little money removes the stresses of not knowing where you will get food, fuel or the replacement bilge pump and makes life a lot simpler.

Ain't that the truth.