Who's to say?? Offshore for newbie's

[Frank]

Cruising is like eveything in life...Light side-dark side.
*Beautiful calm nights at anchor, sipping wine watching the sunset, Jimmy Buffet CD playing---being tossed around as the wind howls outside..cold, uncomfortable, then anchor dragging
*magical beam reach in 15knot winds, sun shining, small chop, nature at it's best---25+knots on the nose, beating for hours in the cold rain, 6 hours more to go, wondering why the heck you are out here!
*everything is working great, you"re proud and praise yourself for maintaining a proper little ship---everything seems to be falling apart at once, for 2 weeks you've been contorting yourself into wild positions to get at nuts and bolts never intended to be touched. You wish the person that designed this was here right now to work on it ! Your cruising kitty is taking a serious hit as the parts bills mount up even with you doing the labour....all the while wondering when the fun starts

And so it goes......the majic and the pain.....  Life IS kinda like that  ;)

[rorik]

Adding to Franks list......

Sitting up at 11pm watching a movie, back of my mind thinking about the sailmaker who's coming first thing in the morning  to bring the new light air jib and the $25 swap meet windlass that I finally had time to take apart and discovered it needs nothing more than a simple rebuild, so I'm not in the least bit tired - but I still have to get up early. Reach for the last bit of dark chocolate, realize I left it in the sun and it hasn't de-melted yet. Decide to make make hot cocoa. Dip the Tilley wick for the pressurized kerosene stove in meths, clip it on the burner...... watch yellow flames jump a foot high because the burner stem has a sudden leak where it screws into the top of the mostly full tank. Nip the potential burnt to the waterline home loss in the bud and grab the fire extinguisher next to the stove. Overspray goes onto the sleeping berth, into the navigation books.... spend the next two hours cleaning that mess up...... and no cocoa.
Life on a boat is definitely "light side-dark side"........ just wish the dark side had better cookies.

[northoceanbeach]

Well when I wrote 18-50 my phone battery had three percent less so I hit send instead of losing it.

I wanted to ad:

Should be geared for adults of all ages tending to the younger. The point was it is hard work and physical and there is a lifetime of learning to be done that it is a shame that most people wait until retirement to really get going. If you had started at 25 say what could you have done? 

It does t strike me as an old persons activity is all. It seems like it should be scruffy safari joe out here but if you look around the marina you wouldn't know if you were at

A.  A golf course

B.  an Arizona r v park

C. Florida

Just step outside it for a second. Let say you are sailing from North Carolina to Florida, anchoring along the way, then across the gulf to spend 3 months in the Bahamas. Does that really seem like it would attract 70 year olds or Euro backpacker types.  I think the point is not enough you adventurous souls realize it is possible.

[Frank]

Just step outside it for a second. Let say you are sailing from North Carolina to Florida, anchoring along the way, then across the gulf to spend 3 months in the Bahamas. Does that really seem like it would attract 70 year olds or Euro backpacker types.  I think the point is not enough you adventurous souls realize it is possible.

Do you have any idea how many 70+ yr olds do this same trip every year???
Annie and Neville come to mind...GREAT sailors!!
LuLu and GiGi are close to 70...same trip and more yearly!!
MANY MANY MORE!!

PS..this note sent from my wheel chair at "Shady Pines Home for the Decrepit"   ;) ;D :o :)

[northoceanbeach]

I realize it is mostly seventy year olds but my point is it should have a more diverse age spectrum.

Another sport that I do that has a lot of older people is windsurfing.  It's great that you can windsurf at seventy, as a matter of fact the guy that gave me my first harness was and he died a few months later doing what he loved and that great. But it seems that it should attract younger people and I don't know why it doesn't.

Why are they into cars instead of boats?  It muse be society.  Pressure to look cool so 20's -40's are spent on clothes and cars and getting a career.  Ways to find a mate.  Seems like having a kickass sailboat would but I don't think chicks think like that. Like in the other thread about significant others and sailboats. I think people are driven by desire to find a mate and if you have a boat in cocoa beach ou may be ale to pick up a lot of tourist chicks for one night stands, but the guy with the nice car, that tells women he has money and a job and maybe we could settle down. The sailboat tells her he can't grow up and she moves on. So the younger people but more cars and computers and when you're old enough to not care you do whatever the heck you want.

[Captain Smollett]

Another sport that I do

Sailing is not a sport....it's a lifestyle!   ;D ;D

[tomz]

Awsome thread - so many very thoughtfull responses.

Frank your description of dark side / light side exactly expresses my findings since I have started this journey - it's some comfort to have it confirmed.

I'm over 50 myself, and would never have started on 'building frame 1' if I had known all that I've learned so far -  however, I'm glad that my ignorance allowed me to learn about and proceed to step 2...  

For a dream to survive, it must not be allowed to drown in it's own fears
yet it must carefully seek out and heed advice for each step.  

Focus only on the overall goal, and the detail at hand.

It's sites like this one, that confirm my belief that 'enough' is not only better, but it is indeed 'possible'.

Thanks,
Tom Z

[s/v Emerald Tide]

There is another sailing related forum I frequent.  There are Sailors there, and many many armchair sailors.

The armchair group love to sit behind their keyboards, they drone on endlessly telling us all how it ought to be done...  ::)

Their most vile work though is to cast stones at those who try...  And stumble.  They are always quick to judge, and detail their actions if they had been there.  They are quick to call those who "do" a fool...

"There are hundreds of paths up the same mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn't matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain, telling everyone that his or her path is wrong."  -- Hindu proverb

[s/v Faith]

"There are hundreds of paths up the same mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn't matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain, telling everyone that his or her path is wrong."  -- Hindu proverb

Perfect.

[NOMN]

I'm going. I'll post a video upon my return.

Here's my two cents on the matter;

When you're ready, you'll know.

Intuition.

Parting thought: You must be willing to die before you go. I would rather have 1 full day of doing what I love than living 80 years of bullshit most people call "living" on the couch.

~NOMN

[Frank]

good luck...have fun. look forward to the video!!

[NOMN]

Anyone who goes to sea without experience is a fool;

Which any one who has experience has already proven himself to be.

::)

There is another sailing related forum I frequent.  There are Sailors there, and many many armchair sailors.

 The armchair group love to sit behind their keyboards, they drone on endlessly telling us all how it ought to be done...  ::)

 Their most vile work though is to cast stones at those who try...  And stumble.  They are always quick to judge, and detail their actions if they had been there.  They are quick to call those who "do" a fool...

People who "do" are a real threat to them... And we must be destroyed.

Beware the "cut and paste" "armchair" sailor (lower case S is intentional).

This. Every word.

There is magic, bravery, and preparation in being there. Doing it.

Preparation is obviously important, but it's the kids on the water who have the final say.

There will be many armchair sailors left in my wake.

[s/v Faith]

Anyone who goes to sea without experience is a fool;

Which any one who has experience has already proven himself to be.

::)

There is another sailing related forum I frequent.  There are Sailors there, and many many armchair sailors.

 The armchair group love to sit behind their keyboards, they drone on endlessly telling us all how it ought to be done...  ::)

 Their most vile work though is to cast stones at those who try...  And stumble.  They are always quick to judge, and detail their actions if they had been there.  They are quick to call those who "do" a fool...

People who "do" are a real threat to them... And we must be destroyed.

Beware the "cut and paste" "armchair" sailor (lower case S is intentional).

This. Every word.

There is magic, bravery, and preparation in being there. Doing it.

Preparation is obviously important, but it's the kids on the water who have the final say.

There will be many armchair sailors left in my wake.

And a Grog for the journey...

  Sail Far!

[NOMN]

I probably should have mentioned in relation to the post I'm leaving in June, I've marked a date on my calendar, and each day I cross off yet another day closer. The difference between a dream and reality is a deadline.

"There are 7 days in a week, and someday isn't one of them."  ;)

Why so long?

That is my personal internal compass, letting me know that is when I will be ready.

It's taking me a year because of weather windows, and everything else I have to do on my list adding it all up is taking 100x longer than I thought. I'm even building my own bamboo dodger and spinakker pole. Could I go right now and be fine? Most likely. I'm confident. But I want to possibly circumnavigate[keep going] and save up money for unseen circumstances, first.

There is much, much to do.