Naysayers, pessimists, and people who don't know what they are talking about...

[David_Old_Jersey]

Licences???? In my little part of the world don't even need the boat to be registered.....

No matter the bit of paper issued by whoever, their is no substitute for experiance, having said that I am all in favour of folk obtaining training - formally or informally - after all, if I decided to take up Paragliding or even Golf I would get at least some lessons out of sheer basic commonsense, whether if it was from "a mate" or a Proffessional.....but neither would make me equipped to take on an F15 in aerial combat or Tiger Woods at The Open.....no matter what piece of paper we all shared from the Govt.

I am a great supporter of the Darwinian approach to those who jump in feet first without any thought, harsh but fair.

Charging for rescue? The French already do! As France is only 10/15 miles away at the nearest point this is something that we need to be aware of.....Insurance I think is meant to pay out for the French Rescue and something makes me think they do not charge in all circumstances......I should know the rules involved, but I do not!......but basically the rule in practice is make sure where possible that the British RNLI is coming to get you!

Should the French (or anyone else) charge? My opinion is that it is up to them how they spend their money.....if I venture into their waters I accept the possibilty of a large bill if requesting rescue. or I choose not to go. and it is up to me to take insurance accordingly. or not. IMO ignorance is not a defence.

[newt]

Thanks Jim for the phone number.  I will keep it on my boat. I did notice that the NW side of Antelope Island is out of cell phone range.
Newt

[TJim]

That really depends on the particular cell phone you have and the service provider.
With the bunch of guys I sail with you really notice it when certain people have service all the time and other people with the same provider do not....In general
it seems to me that Samsungs work the best and even better with AT&T for a provider.  I used to have T Mobile with a Nokia and couldn't communicate with anyone.  Then my son had T Mobile with a Samsung and  had no trouble at all so I shifted to a Samsung and things got really good but not quite as good as the guys with AT&T....All of the above is based on my personal experience on the GSL and is by no means guaranteed..... TJim

[Leroy - Gulf 29]

Back when the earth was flat, we farmed on a hill out in the middle of nowhere.   The only one visable for many miles.   My stepdad was in ill health, so we went south for the winter.    We'd leave the house unlocked.   Every year we had 2-3 notes telling us thanks for the use of the phone etc. when they went into the ditch, stuck etc.  We do what we have to do to help others, stupid or not.

[Lynx]

That a look at the stats on boating. Some say that 80% are drug or booze related. Madatory classes will not solve that.

[newt]

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't those stats related to boating accidents? Most of the people I see are sober even if they are an accident waiting to happen. :)

[Lynx]

True, true. I also understand that people use their boats 4 times or less a year. Sad. Hard to get good at it.

[s/v Faith]

As a counter to some of these guys mentioned on this thread.....

... Took a friend and his 2 sons sailing for the first time the other day.  They loved it, and were really interested in getting a boat and going cruising.

  The question?  "How long would it take to sail to Brazil in this?"   ;D

[CapnK]

Hmm - maybe the answer would be  "a Brazillion minutes"? ;D

[Amgine]

Heh... reminds me of a line in a Chevy Chase/Dan Akroyd film, somebody had clients defined only as Brazillionaires.

I remember reading a couple stories about Vertues which were sailed to Brazil during circumnavigations of South America. Little boats can go far, even rounding Cape Horn. And it takes less time to sail there than it takes to get the boat ready to sail there. At least, that's my impression.

[Captain Smollett]

We were basically called white trash today at the marina because our boat needs some additional cosmetic work.  She is not the worse looking boat in the marina, but we have a couple of projects underway that make her look worse than she otherwise would.

The guy who told me this told me that although an Alberg can cross oceans, he would not recommend we do so with our current boat - we should do so with something bigger and more 'comfortable.'

There seems to be an underlying assumption among several of the 'armchair Admirals' here that either we as a family, or at least My Wife, is weak and will bear no discomfort at all underway.

I personally find this insulting.  My wife is anything but weak.  I challenge anyone to accomplish what she has done.  When I first met her, it was not uncommon for her to go 50+ hours without sleep and she still maintained functional mental processes.  Currently, her day begins at 04:30 and ends after 21:00, sometimes mighty "after,"

Weak my ass.

I told him "I like our boat" and before I could finish the thought - that WE like our boat AND the way she is outfitted, he spouted, "oh, like her too...she has "nice lines."  His tone dripped with the sarcasm of one who would NEVER stoop so low as to cruise with a family in a boat under 50 feet.

The minute my wife and I decide we need/want something else, we'll make a change.  And not a minute before.  Yes, it's hard sometimes, but we come to grips with things and we solve problems - even if that means just by "acceptance."  I hope we are teaching our children that not everything in life is about "I want" or "comfort."

He then went on to mention Lin and Larry...I remain undecided if he was trying bad mouth them or not.

[Chattcatdaddy]

What a total ass! Wonder how many oceans he has crossed if any. Or if his boat even leaves the dock.

He actually tried to talk smack about Lin and Larry? I don`t agree with the Pardeys entire sailing philosphy, but I would never question their seamanship or choice of vessel.

These are the kind of jerks that scare new potential sailors away. Telling everyone that you need a 40ft+ boat that cost over a $100,000 to do anything other than daysail.

When I first bought my Cal 29 about a decade ago I ran across one of these know-it-all types. He was walking down the dock as I was clearing the previous owners junk out and we got to talking. I knew nothing about sailboats at this time but I knew BS when I heard it. He starts going on and on about how he couldn`t understand how anyone could live on a boat "that small" and it was only good for daysailing and in no way should I ever cross the gulfstream over to the Bahamas in a boat "that small". So after sizing this fool up after a few minutes I ask him what kind of boat does he live on? I forget what kind of boat it was, but it was in pretty neglected shape and had about a foot of barnacles growing off the bottom. He had never sailed across the gulfstream or anywhere else for that matter. Turns out he hadn`t left the dock in years. He did own a sweet Cadillac so I`ll give him props for that.

PS: I believe the name of jerks boat was Nomad or something to that effect. Go figure! ;D

[CharlieJ]

Rofl- The other day someone cmplimented me on our "nice little daysailor"

THEN he saw the Texas numbers!!!

When I mentioned we were on our third cruise from Texas across to Florida, he wanted to know more about the boat-grin.

Here in Gulfport we'gotten nothing but respect for the boat.

[Cpt2Be]

I've been getting a lot of naysayer "you're going to die" talk from the people I've met while I took my courses and while I've been shopping for a boat.

The "you can't do that in a boat that size". You will be so uncomfortable (I lived in an M1A1 tank for a year straight), "boats that size were not meant to sail oceans" etc... I point out to them the history of small boat circumnavigations and they all reply... "Well, your not them" I say I will be.

Some of the people in my courses even admit they are defering their dream until they can afford a large boat and took the class to decide if this is the next toy on their list.

I may be naive yet at the point we are at. But I've always been a firm believer in the best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can't do it.
I take risks but mitigate them. I jump into everything I do with both feet but remember how to get back onto whatever I jumped off of.

Greg

[LooseMoose]

Sadly there are far too many reasons for the nay-sayers and whether it is lack of knowledge on their part, Being an ass or simply the inability to imagine anyone doing anything outside "their" personal comfort zone putting up with those folks is  just part of the gig.

My advice to folks mostly is always to just do it and let the actual experience teach you the error of your ways ( if there are any). Over the year we have met lots of people who started small then went bigger or smaller and so on... Nothing changes your plans like simply doing it...and that is no bad thing.

When we sailed off into the sunset we thought we'd left the negative folks behind but sadly you will find is they are a constant and no matter where you go there will be smeone to tell you you are an idiot...

My means of dealing with the naysayers is simply not listening... Selective deafness being a wonderful thing to have!

All the best

Bob

http://boatbits.blogspot.com/
http://fishingundersail.blogspot.com/
http://islandgourmand.blogspot.com/

[MJWarner]

Yeah, and I just bet that when the s/v Maltese Falcon went in the water the first time, some idiots walked up to Tom Perkins and said things like "What do you need with that much boat? " "I sure wouldn't want to have to deal with something that big" and "If I were you, I'd sell it and get something more managable."  Just goes to show that what works for you and yours, works for you and yours. No on elses opinion matters.

[Frank]

You're absolutely right MJ. The only opinion that really counts is the owners. I just came back from a short business trip to Vancouver and was lucky enough to spend 2 nights on a friends trawler rather than a hotel room. Early on the 2nd  day there were 3 people washing a 60 + foot power boat that the marina owner stated rarely gets used. Around 5pm about 12 people showed up to the polished yacht and headed out. We BBQ'd on the trawler, drank wine and had a wonderful evening. Around 10 pm the yacht returns and approachs the marina, swings around to back in with thrusters blazing fore and aft, then began backing into the wrong slip.Upon realizing this, the capt.... well lubricated....began a series of manouvers to get out and around to his proper slip. Engines revved, the thrusters blasted...over and over. He did manage to get backed into his own slip with no harm done....all the while with music playing and his guests...looking splendid in their  'proper attire'  continued chatting and drinking. About 45 minutes later all the guests were gone and the owner was headed towards the parking lot as well.
  NONE of this is bad.Here is a guy taking friends out for an evening cruise.They were not that loud nor was his seamanship that bad. What saddened me was he will never know what it is like to truly own a boat.I'm sure the next day the cleanup crew will be back to make it prestine again.I'm sure it will again sit for lengthy periods until another 'deal' must be made and guests taken out....at which time they will re-appear to once more have it looking great for the owner upon his arrival.
  It is 'his' boat and only 'his' opinion counts. I simply cannot relate on any level. I like to truly know my boat.I maintain it, I wash it and I hang around on it. I'm sure he doesn't care about my opinion of the way he uses his vessel. I certainly don't care what he would think if I was tied up beside him with my 45 yr old 22fter either. Point being....the view aft would be the same from both.

[Captain Smollett]

What a total ass! Wonder how many oceans he has crossed if any. Or if his boat even leaves the dock.

Interesting story here.

Several years ago, he lost a boat offshore along the east coast.  He got hit with some weather.  In all candor, I don't remember much of the story, or if she went down or if he just abandoned her.

Last year, after a decade or two away from sailing after that 'adventure,' he bought a Morgan 41 OI ketch and started getting her ready to "complete his trip" as he put it.  I thought that sounded pretty cool.

As he prepared to leave in December, repeatedly putting off his departure date due to weather or some system or other not being quite ready, he was catching a LOT of grief from the Armchair crowd.  They were criticizing him for even considering going and were trying to talk him into NOT leaving.

I was quite vocal in my defense of him.  "He's a grown man, a sailor with some sea time, and I'm sure he can make his own decisions."  My words tended to fall on deaf ears, of course.  Finally he DID leave - without fanfare and with no (or few) goodbyes.  Just one day his slip was empty.

So you can imagine my surprise when I was getting the 'naysayer' treatment from him. ???

Robert Heinlein introduced the idea of 'rational anarchist' in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.  This philosophy basically states that no law, rule or convention causes a man to behave a certain way.  Each man is ultimately responsible for his own actions and must bear the consequences of his own decisions.

If we choose to sail a boat at all, inland or offshore, big boat or small boat, whatever happens "out there" is on our shoulders - individually - good and bad.  For my part, well, I've never since adulthood needed others to make decisions FOR me.  I might ask for input, but the 'buck stops here' as they say.

[Chattcatdaddy]

I have always suspected that there was a hint of envy in the minds of the naysayers. Seems as is they are trying to stop everyone else from going to justify why they have never done anything themselves.

I was at work (hospital/nurse)  the other night and browsing the forum and a co-worker glanced over my shoulder and asked what I was looking at.  I explain the sites purpose and my 2-3yr plan to get out there cruising. At first the comments are positive and a few " i wish I could do that" thrown around. Then the conversation takes a turn to financing the cruise. I explain the market for sailboats right now and that a there are a lot of good deals around if you know what to look for and keep the boat simple and small.  Then showed her a few examples on some classifieds. I go own about I`m just gonna take off with whatever money I have after making the boat seaworthy and comeback find employment when the money runs out. She ask if my amount will be around $100,00? I`m asking where did you pull that number from? She says I would need at least that much to do what I would intend to do (sail around the Bahamas). So I explain that a 100 grand would be nice but I have a far lower number in mind like 5 to 10 grand. Oh you can`t do it on that, she says. So I ask her how much she had when she sailed around the Bahamas? That shut her up and she left.

Only a few minutes later another coworker starts on and on about pirates and I was a fool to sail those "dangerous countries".

OK my point is that when we talk to others that have never sailed or never had the testicular fortitude to have any kind of an adventure and make negative comments. The comments are really not reasons why WE should not go out and do it, but their  subconscious coming thru justifying why THEY are a bunch of chicken shits. ;D

[Lynx]

I was comming into Oreintal N.C. after a day of voyaging down the ICW. I had small carft winds and seas of 3 to 6 feet in the bays. I saw almost no boats. I went to the fuel dock on a Sunday afternoon and the "yachties"  raised up cards with numbers on it just like in the games and gave my boat ratings of less than 4. I had been over 7000 miles in my boat then.

I could care less what the Land people say. I know better.

Living in Key West Fl, A lot of poeple have heard of my travels and are respectful, green with envey, ect.... for what I have done.