What do you want to get out of "cruising"?

[Captain Smollett]

I'm curious.  What motivates the sailfar membership to "go"?  What are the elements of the dream?  What are your personal siren calls that beckon you to the sea?

What do you want to get out of cruising?  What 'style' of cruising do you see yourself doing on your first cruise (if never been before) or next cruise (if going again)?

Is it to visit well known, oft-posted-about watering holes? Get away from "society" or crowds?

See the sites listed in brochures/cruising guides?  Pursue history, nature or geology?

Meet people in small towns?  Find the lights and bustle of big cities?

Interact with other boaters ashore or at anchor? 

Cover as many miles as possible in the shortest period of time?  Cover as many miles as possible but with no time specification at all?

Tick off items from an internal list of "places I want to say I've been?"  Revisit places seen in younger days?

No real plan, or a fluid one that changes like the tide?

Would you "take a tour" of a site, or set off to explore on your own?  Some of each?

[Tim]

That short answer  ::) I like Nature more than people  ;D  Seriously I like being in wilderness.

I use to hike in the hills behind the house I grew up in, then they got populated. Later on I would kayak on wild and scenic rivers and wild coasts, then everyone started to do it. Now I go solo on sailing adventures trying to find the few natural settings left.

[Marc]

I just want to explore and see things that I have only read about.  Marc

[Frank]

Like Tim...I typically favor nature over people and love beautiful settings. I have come to love the instant simplification of my life while away!! It truly IS instant. Wind direction/strength, tides, sun or rain ....."natural elements" ...become your focus....not schedules and obligations. Thats why I always hate coming back....I know life will just as instantly get far more complicated. The utter solitude and unbeleavable beauty of the PNW during the fall is a study in detachment from "man" and attachment to natures elements. Truly hard to discribe......simply awesome!!

Having said that.....the funkie characters ya meet along the way are huge bonus's!!!

[Travelnik]

. . .

To explore strange new places . . .

To seek out new lives, and new civilizations . . .

To boldly go where I have never gone before!

;D

[Chris]

The opportunity to simplify my life as much as possible, deepen  ::) my relationship with the sea and visit places where there isn't much profit in getting wound up about profit.

[CharlieJ]

I can walk out on my front deck, climb to the balcony, and watch the channel markers flash, in  a long red green highway leading down the bay. Just did that  in fact.

They call me. I can hear them deep inside me saying " Charlie-- Come on Charlie- we can take you places"

And they have. Many miles of places.

I'm not much of a loner- way too gregarious for that. While I admire the single hand voyagers, I'm not one of them. But one other person along makes it fine.

I think the best part of the cruising I've done, both recently and back in the early 80's is visiting the places, and meeting the people who live there. Not the big city places- I don't like those and have shunned living in large places since the 70's. But the ordinary folks, in the small out of the way places.

In 2010, I was on Black Point,  Exumas. A lady there was trying to do something with her sewing machine, sewing cane leaves into borders for rooms- for sale. The machine was jamming up. So I took it apart, cleaned it, adjusted it, and got it going for her.

Earlier this year on another forum a cruiser mentioned they were on Black  Point, so I told him to ask the woman how her machine was working.She was delighted to tell me it was doing just fine, but please come back and visit.

On a Friday night on Little Farmers Cay, MANY of the 67 folks who live there gathered, set up chairs outside the cafe, set up a projector, and we all sat and watched a movie- outdoors, on the white cafe wall. With HUGE bowls of popcorn being passed around. And we were- just folks- just part of the group. Just four cruisers off of boats anchored out. What a blast.

and of course, the snorkeling and spear fishing, and regular fishing too.

And I found the same sort of reception all around the coast, from here, to Washington DC. Cruising, we  obviously had taken some effort to get to where they lived. And got treated like "folks" not tourists

I go because something inside says I HAVE to go. But THAT's what I look for when I go. And I go in a sailboat, because that's what feels right. Maybe when I get old, I'll shift to a trawler ;D

[lance on cloud nine]

even though I am still a hack, as soon as I step on a boat, I feel as though I have found my best self.

[Grime]

At one time it was the since of adventure.  But now its just enjoying the beauty and simple life at 5MPH with the wife. We're not into the marina social activities.  The U.S. east coast has so much to see why even think about going to some expensive country to visit.

[Frank]

Great post Grime. There is a lot offered "close to home"

[Headcase]

I like the salt smell, and the feel of the moving deck under me.
I really dig the "If I don't do it it does not get done" vibe singlehanding forces upon me.
Sitting in the steerage pit of an evening at anchor. My pipe, a good book, and a bit of something in my mug is beyond great.
I'm still lousy at it, but I love the challenge of being able to navigate with no electronic aids. I do the wonky math with a slide rule. I'll get better.
I hate yardwork, and being at sea eliminates that possibility. Unless my hull has gotten furry.
I thrive on learning the varied skill sets necessary. I know I'll never be a true master of any of them. Not gonna be the woodsmith Charlie is. Not enough time in this life. But I will get better at all of it. Just a matter of Motivation, and asking the right questions of the right people.
I enjoy spending time with just me and my boat. And then enjoying an evening or three with others who fell the same.
I long for the smell of the salt and the motion of the deck.

[Frank]

Great post....

[Mario G]

I'm probably in it for all the wrong reasons, I'm selfish, I want to be where I feel the sunrises and sunsets are just for me.  I'm lazy, I don't feel like I should need to  work for stuff I don't need or want,but told if I don't have them im worthless.  I'm ignorant,  I think everyone should treat others as ive seen in the boating community and just can't understand why the rest of  society can't do the same.  I'm also cynical, if I haven't been out there to experience it does it really exist.

[Godot]

Short cruises of up to a couple weeks, thus far. Month long trip in just about a month. The big departure (out sailing for a year or more) slowly getting closer.

I enjoy going to populated and popular sailing destinations. I enjoy lonely, out of the way coves.

I want to spend time covering miles. And I want to spend time sitting in the sun reading a good book.

I love meeting people, city folk, towns folk, and sailors. I'm generally happy alone.

I like variety. I love independence. I strive towards self sufficiency (as much as practical and possible, anyhow). I want to make my own decisions, and live life according to my values. I desperately want out of the rat race, and have been slowly simplifying my life over all.

I am beyond pleased with the comfort provided on my 29 foot Bayfield. Sometimes it seems down right extravagant. I can't imagine needing more.

Given the opportunity, I would slowly meander across the globe, mixing between well traveled, and seldom visited locations. Life involves the unfortunate need for dinero, and the happy chore of keeping a gal I love happy, so compromises are made. But as far as compromises go, I think I'm doing pretty well.

I just returned from a long weekend on the boat. For some time after returning home I felt ill. I batted around what could be making me feel ill with Lauren, who complained of feeling the same. I think it was the simple fact of coming home. We want to be out there, not in here. I suppose that it what I really want: To be out there.

[sharkbait]

12 volts at 5kts is just a good way to live.

[Norman]

My destinations do not reach out as far as many here, and a good days run is 10 to 50 NM.  The fastest was 230+ NM in 2 1/2 days.

A week aboard is about the max.

I greatly enjoy travel at a speed where nothing but weather happens fast, or rarely, equipment failure.

There are many interesting and historical sites along the Potomac River, accessible by boat, and there is a special feel to arriving from the waterfront.  Many no longer have a pier  as they did centuries ago, but you can still go ashore if you are shallow draft or have a dinghy.  George Washington's birthplace is an example, on Popes Creek, VA.  Just inside the entrance, the channel splits into 5, and getting out and walking the boat in is the only way.  Deeper water inside the sand bar.

5 days to reach the mouth of the Potomac, but 6 stops ashore.

Mostly solo, as I am more flexible than most of my sailing friends, but solitude is not the big goal.  Sharing the view and a broader encyclopedia of knowledge of the passing scene is very welcome.  Visits ashore and meeting local people as well as tourists always improves the experience.  Pleasant people stop and talk, grumps ignore you and walk away!

I will depart with a prediction of showers, as long as it is less than 50%, and simply anchor while the rain falls if it is cold, or wear a swim suit if warm.  If gusts seem unlikely, I may remain under sail, with the tiller pilot in charge, and keeping whatever watch is appropriate for my location.

Sometimes I get tired of a trip or the current weather and tie up at a marina and get a ride home.  The cruise is continued when I am ready, or the weather changes.  A forecast of no wind and high 90's is not a time to be on a sailboat.

Although I am inclined toward simplicity, compass, paper charts, running log of position, at 80, modern devices do help.  Tiller pilot is mandatory, cell phone keeps the wife happier, and GPS/map simplifies destination changes when the wind fails to produce the expected miles.

Many maritime museums are on the waterfront, and there is a special pleasure in arriving in a sailboat!

This year is unlikely to have a destination outside the Chesapeake watershed, but that has thousands of interesting places I have not been, and even more interesting people that I have not yet met!

Norman, Mac 22

[Chris]

One SaiFar newbie to another, welcome Norman!! The Potomac sounds like fine sailing grounds to me. I am always confident that most folks living and working alongside the water, salty or otherwise are going to receive sailors well. I agree about the particular satisfaction and pleasure of visiting by water this is what makes me think that the Great Circle would have to be a cool way to see America.

[CharlieJ]

Welcome to SailFar Kruse'n.. You'll like it here.

[DarrenC]

For me it is the attraction of the nomadic self-sufficient lifestyle. I was born with a love for travel and my ADD demands constantly changing scenery.  The romance of gypsy living paired with the fact I'm always broke make carrying my accommodation with me an inviting concept. I have tried numerous iterations of the same concept including backpacking, cycling, canoeing and a small trailer, but in the end life on the water is a huge part of my identity and a live aboard boat was always the long term dream. Carita is the culmination of more than two decades of that dreaming.

[hopefulsailor]

I read these questions earlier today and wanted to respond to to it.

What motivates the sailfar membership to "go"?  What are the elements of the dream?  What are your personal siren calls that beckon you to the sea?

I haven't actually went yet, but I am getting close. I am dreaming of being alone with my thoughts and being able to be free, in what I would say, is an increasing unfree country. I would like to participate in what Samuel Adams referred to as the "...animating contest of freedom..." Being my own Captain and choosing my own fate. Having the freedom to succeed or fail and its all up to me.
My dream would be sitting on a beach with no one around or one other close friend with a fire going listening to the sound of the ocean and breeze.
The sea is mysterious, I can't help but look at it and wonder whats out there. What kind of animals, what kind of people, and places. It would be a great adventure.

What do you want to get out of cruising?  What 'style' of cruising do you see yourself doing on your first cruise (if never been before) or next cruise (if going again)?

I would like to do a minimalist style of cursing. Learning the ropes teaching myself and learning from other people. I plan to stay near the coast since I have no idea what I am doing, but I am ready for the challenge. I would like this to be not only an adventure, but something that will expand my mind, maybe a spiritual journey of sort?

Is it to visit well known, oft-posted-about watering holes? Get away from "society" or crowds?

I would say mine is to get away from society and crowds. When I show up to work people just want to talk about what they seen on TV. I am often wondering to myself "Isn't there more to life then working, buying a house, working, watching TV, working some more then eventually passing on?" Not saying that is wrong if one desires that, but I would say most people don't. I make one comprise and excuse after another and I think I am done doing that. I am just going to jump off the board into the deep end.

See the sites listed in brochures/cruising guides?  Pursue history, nature or geology?

I am would like to experience all the above and then figure out what I like from there. Since I'm new it is hard for me to say what I will like and won't like. I just plan to figure that out as I go along.

Meet people in small towns?  Find the lights and bustle of big cities?

See the small towns. I have been to big cities and I gotta say its not my thing.

Interact with other boaters ashore or at anchor?

Of course, I am looking to build networks of like minded people.

Cover as many miles as possible in the shortest period of time?  Cover as many miles as possible but with no time specification at all?

No specified time period for me. I plan on going as long and as far as I can.

No real plan, or a fluid one that changes like the tide?

I have no real plan. I'll have a boat that can take me anywhere and I don't even know where to go.

Would you "take a tour" of a site, or set off to explore on your own?  Some of each?

Some of each. Hoping to get some coastal hiking in.