Where's the "passion" ?

[Frank]

Disclaimer.....I'm shitz disturbing here in hopes of getting reaction.

In the early day of this site, great banters went on about the virtues of small boats.
The benefits of sailing small (as well as living small)
Connie, Lynx, CJ, Craig (Faith), myself and may others posted of our travel's

Where's the banter?

Where are the pictures of others out cruising?

Where's the PASSION????

end of rant.......   :o

[Norman]

 :'( sorry, Frank, my passion has six inches of snow on her, the marina has ice in most of the slips.  My wife and I just finished clearing most of the snow and ice from the driveway, teen degree nights had turned the unshoveled snow from the last one into ice that could not be shoveled.

On a more positive note, some stitching repaired in the sails, batteries on charge to be ready when weather is warmer.  Checked the motor last month, it is still willing to do its thing.  The club canceled the first two races of the season due to snow storms.

MOST DEFINITELY SOAKING UP THE SUN IN YOUR PICTURES!

You seem to be the only one living the great life in the tropics!  Do you have a spare berth for a poor snow covered sailor to warm up in paradise?  It would be much better if I were squinting from the reflected sun off a white sand beach instead of snow!

[CharlieJ]

As far as I am concerned, it's been a difficult few years. Many things in my life have kept me here, shore bound.

BUT

Movement is afoot (or afloat?)for Tehani and I to resume cruising, at least for a few months, come April. Hoping to cruise from here to Florida in time for the Florida 120 in May, then stick around for the BEER Cruise in June, then poke around eastward until I get tired , or just decide to come back-

or keep going ;)

At that time I  plan to restart the "from Tehani, out cruising" thread


Oh-  and Connie moved to the Bahamas, and got married.. NOT bad!!

[Frank]

Norman.....yep...a brutal winter!!!
I got these from home about 1 1/2 weeks ago

CJ...I know you'll be back when ya can


My thoughts tho are that "passion" seems lost...
Debates about small, simple etc
How small could you go....
Anti consumerism.....
Living simply....

And....others out cruising!!

Just trying to get activity going!!!!    ;)

PS...I DO NOT WANT THIS TO BE A WEATHER THREAD!!     :o ;D ;)

[CharlieJ]

Well, W00dy and Ralay are out   and aboard  limited wifi

[Godot]

If you are talking Forum activity...anecdotally  it seems to me that forum usage has dropped across the board. All the forums I follow have dropped precipitously over the past few years. Maybe it has something to do with sites like Facebook becoming mainstream. Maybe there is just an internet burnout.  Maybe, well, who knows.

[Capt. Tony]

Stirring the pot, eh Frank?
Godot is right on regarding online traffic.  People are moving their activity to other social media platforms.  At work we call it following the shiny ball and it makes my "research" more difficult to find current pictures and information and discussion about topics of interest (read sailboats).

As for our household, we are just burnt out from work.  All day long I stare at several monitors and do what amount to trying to herd cats.  I am sorry to say that by the end of the day about all I can do is absorb whatever I see or read on a few, very select, forums.  Commercial TV accounts for about 2 hrs. a week.  This work gig is a gamble we took to get a home base set up and sock away some money.  Our goal is to be cruising 2016.  First with our Ariel so we can learn what we need, what we want, what we can do, and what we can do without.  If it works, we can then make decisions based on our experience what to do with our Ta Chiao; keep her, modify her, sail her, or sell her. 

The passion still burns here!  I'm just busier than a cat covering $#!* trying to learn all the things one needs to know before taking the plunge.  I don't even know what I don't know yet, and the list seems to get longer every week!  Believe me when I say this, Frank, I thrive on posts like your current cruise here on SailFar.  I wish there were more of us "out there" posting about life on a small cruiser, because in reality, I am the armchair sailor that devours those posts, blogs, vlogs (I'm not a facebook user as of yet) hoping to glean some nugget of information to add my manual. 

If I had the chance to do it all over again, sure, I'd make different choices early on, but this is where we're at now and I am excited to have a plan, and a date, and a first mate that is as much onboard as I am to get lost on purpose. 

Oh yea, living small.  Three years ago when I first started reading about tiny houses I was beside myself.  Finally there was proof that I was not crazy, and if I was, I would at least have company.  Our next land based house will be size appropriate for living, not mindless consumerism.

[Frank]

Adam...you are certainly correct. I used to search out every boat site, joined many, devour every boat spec, follow sailing blogs etc. Now I check in on 2 sites and that's it.

Capt Tony. Yep...life does get in the way BUT you have a date!! A goal to work towards! That's more than most. If it's for 2...the Ariel is a great boat!! Probably the nicest sailing offshore boat I've helmed. And faster than they should be too! Throw in shallow draft and its a great combo. I really like your idea...sail it, see what you need and only then "maybe" get something else. Or...ya just might realize what a great cruiser they are! Pretty boat too. I love stern shots of Ariels....what a great a#s   ;)

[CharlieJ]

The Ariel is slightly larger than Tehani and I've found her quite comfortable, even off offshore. Spent the better part of 2 1/2 years  cruising on her. You are apt to find you don't NEED more.


And I visit only 3 sites regularly anymore.

[Bubba the Pirate]

I took the month of January off from social media. It was liberating but I'm back in it. I suppose I have a bit more control over my addiction to it.

I am leaving before August to the Bahamas (hopefully) from the Great Lakes. I'll at least make it to warmer water; depends on how long my money lasts. Whatever it is will be good enough. I think I'll get to the Bahamas the money will mostly affect how far and how long. See the Non Plan Plan http://bubbathepirate.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-non-plan-plan.html

I will get passionate about minimalism and "Go small, Go Now" but I have no experience to make any bold statements yet. I plan to report specific cost information in addition to dispatches from my adventures. Sadly, I've been working on this for 8 years. Its hard work setting yourself up to be a bum. But I have the boat, most of what I need and am socking money away thru about June 15. Then its boat prep, sell my car and wave goodbye.

I do want to express that I appreciate this forum a great deal. I have learned a lot just lurking around. Many other forums seem to devolve into off topic political rants at the drop of a hat. I'm glad we dont suffer the same fools. I don't go to these others anymore unless I have googled something specific that has lead me there. Even then, off topic pollution often interferes with learning anything.

So thank you, all of y'all!

[CharlieJ]

Bubba-  I would strongly urge you to not attempt the Atlantic ICW with just a yuloh for propulsion. It can be done under sail i'm sure- Lin and Larry did it but heading north, not south, and they took a LONG time. I've run the Atlantic ICW 5 or 6 times now, and the engine is a real need at times, sad to say.

Just  to add- here's what you'll be experiencing twice a day, from just south of the Chesapeake, to mid Florida. At times, 7-9 feet or more every 6 hours

[CharlieJ]

On this same topic- I made a post awhile ago noting there had been zero action in over 3 days. Used to NEVER happen. And on the thursday night chats, apathy..A few show, but not like it was. That's a chance to talk one to one with fellow small boat folks. Why the zero interest??Oh, a FEW show up, but not many.  Makes me wonder

[ralay]

All my passionate energy is being consumed trying to fix up the boat or make money to buy boat parts.  :P 

I kept a blog/newsletter for our family for many years about our projects and trips, which I finally abandoned this summer.  Living aboard and traveling has become so routine for us that it's hard for me to remember why anyone else would want to read about it.  I felt bored and self conscious that the content was so repetitive and stopped bothering.  After all, it is pretty repetitive.  Sail to new place.  Buy groceries, ice.  Get water, fuel.  Go for walk.  Read books.  Take nap.  Eat popcorn and watch movies.  Sail to next place.  Try to stay on top of maintenance and repairs.  Pretty similar to the things everyone enjoys, but with more frequent changes of scenery.  It only gets dramatic when we do something stupid!  Likewise, the more we travel, the less I want to read other travelogues.  I'm not so interested in reading about someone else going somewhere, I want to go! 

Morbidly, I enjoy reading posts about people's problems and breakdowns the most.  Everything is always waiting to break and I like to familiarize myself with all my potential future woes.  I also like to see folks' projects and solutions to problems.  Which is probably why most of my posts are in the boat bits and gear here section.  I'm more likely to contribute to post about projects or nuts and bolts practical topics than to philosophical discussions.  I'm not against philosophical banter or cruising logs in the least, they're just not my favorite part of sailing forums. 

[Bubba the Pirate]

Thanks, CharlieJ for reading the blog. I am slightly less enthusiastic about the yuloh since writing that. I have to figure out something as the 40 year old Volvo has not cooperated. I am going one way or another; by hook or by crook; heck or highwater; etc. It is likely that I will breakdown and use an outboard for the trip south and then decide if I can live without it at some point.

Thanks again.

[SeaHusky]

Since Jarle sailed a Vega to the antarctic and later three young swedes, with no sailing experience, sailed one around the world in 2005-07 the Vega has become a popular choice for young swedes who "Go small, go now". If nothing else Matt Rutherford's circumnavigation of the Americas proved that the boat is much more then the coastal cruiser with family livability it was intended as.
All these attempts, successful or otherwise, have exposed both the strengths and weaknesses of the Vega and I will gladly help you with any information I can If it would be helpful?
One common problem is that if the boat is cheap it has the original Albin O21/22 petrol engine or if you are lucky an equally old diesel. Either way the design, with the propeller behind the small rudder, causes poor steering under power and none at all in reverse. It is not uncommon in Sweden to "modify" the Vega by hanging on an auxiliary rudder on the stern, taken from another boat (often Maxi 77) or home built. This also removes the tiller from the cockpit giving it much more space.
I understand you are a "trucker" so you probably know what your diesel is about. I would suggest that you reinforce the stern and put an outboard bracket on it. This way you are ready to hang an outboard on there without second thought whether you keep the diesel in the boat or rip it out completely.
Another problem with the old Vegas is that they tend to leak terribly in the joint between hull and deck. This is usually found at the first offshore gale but is easily fixed with an abundance of "gue".
Something that has happened more then once is that the fore stay breaks. The weak point seems to be the attachment to the deck which fails due to 40 years of stress fatigue. I suggest that you reinforce this by welding or replacing. 

[Frank]

,  It only gets dramatic when we do something stupid!   

Yep....you either watch the entertainment or you ARE the entertainment   ;)

we've all been there....    :o

[CharlieJ]

Ayep ;D

I recall a time on Tehani when we had guests aboard. Backed out of the slip and the engine had almost zero power. Couldn't get the boat to move at all  and we drifted into a dock piling. Finally one of the dock watchers called over to say- "Charlie-your prop is not in the water"

At that point I realized that my crew ,AND the guest couple were standing way up in the bow. Thus lifting the stern . She IS just 25 feet ;D

Once they moved aft, I had control again, but not before putting on a "how NOT to undock"show for the marina :o :o

[Bubba the Pirate]

When you combine Charlie's undocking tale with Seahusky's spot on 'no steerage in reverse' with a Vega, you can easily imagine that I would was dockside entertainment last more than once last summer.

Luckily, I was working part time and sailed during the week more often than on the weekend. So the crowds were thin. I'm sneaky like that.

[SeaHusky]

When you combine Charlie's undocking tale with Seahusky's spot on 'no steerage in reverse' with a Vega, you can easily imagine that I would was dockside entertainment last more than once last summer.

Luckily, I was working part time and sailed during the week more often than on the weekend. So the crowds were thin. I'm sneaky like that.

The trick, which applies to most long keeled boats, is to hold the tiller firmly (as if it had any function) and pretend that wherever you end up was exactly where you intended to go.

[CharlieJ]

 ;D Well, not exactly Tehani will back up. To port ;) You have to convince her to back the other way.

Trick is to center the rudder, get some way on, then throttle back and THEN turn. Of course, she's outboard powered, but the engine is in a well, and locked into position, so it's like an inboard, excerpt the prop is behind the rudder