Defintion of a crusier

[smbdyiam2]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise
every dictionary has a different meaning . some on small boats, some on large liners, some in cars, some on internet, some in bars, some in air-o-planes.
pick the one you want.

[sailorboy1]

Cruisers live and travel on their boat

Everything else involving a boat is called boating. Including living on a boat in 1 place (lots of people call that cruising because maybe 2 months ago they moved 5 miles and came back).

For example I used to tell people I was a sailor, now I tell them I'm a cruiser on a sailboat. The two are a LOT different. Trust me that when you go from being a boater to being a cruiser you will understand.

But that was on the serious side and currently I'm

2windy65marina99pretty999waterblue#trashydivebar## !!toe:-)toastedbahamianbreadforbreakfast

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

...So, yes, let's consider others' context when providing feedback and advice. My reality may not be your reality. If reality really exists.

We already do this quite effectively.

Within months of my first engagement with Cruising Forum people figured out my context, and decided it was so oddball and extreme that they might as well ignore almost all of what I say.

That has persisted to this day.

Rather than self-identify with some cumbersome categorization all you have to do is provide opinions for a while and people will figure out who you are pretty well.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by chrisr

OMG...some people have got way too much time on their hands ? don't you have something to fix ? if not, come over to my boat and i'll give you something



cheers,

Wait a minute... not only have I solved the internet, but I also get a free trip across the ocean to Australia? This is the best thread EVER!

(And yes, winter is loooong in these parts. Soooo tired of waiting for something to fix.)

[MicHughV]

to clarify, I thought I would add a picture of my boat...

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I think the powerboaters like to go fast thing is a bit inaccurate. There are plenty of slow powerboats out there and even more that go slowly in faster boats. And some of us with faster boats don't do it for the love of speed, but for the love of boating.

In my case, we only get so much continuous time to travel and go places as neither of us is retired, so having a faster boat lets us go to and see more places. By cruising at 17 - 18 kts instead of 7, we have the option to burn some extra fuel and push through the less interesting parts of a trip more quickly, then slow down and enjoy the sights when we get to somewhere interesting. For example, from my home port of Rochester, NY to Cape Vincent on the St. Lawrence River is a 73nm run to the river, plus a bit over 3nm up the river (at lower speed). If I do the run down the lake at 7 kts, the total trip time is about 11 hours. If I do the lake run at 18 kts and then slow down for the last bit, I'm there in 4.5 hours, so if I leave at 6 AM, I'm settled in by 11 and have all day, rather than arriving in the evening. Factor in the return trip from the area and I've gained a whole extra day, which means we can go more places, see more things, have more non-travel time to relax, etc.

And then there are 2 kinds of faster powerboats. The ones that are fast compared to a sailboat or trawler and the ones that are actually fast. For example, my dock neighbor has a Formula express cruiser. His normal cruising speed (around 30 kts) is faster than my boat will go wide open. Heck, he's barely even on plane at my normal cruise speed of 17 - 18 kts.

For the cruiser definition, I wouldn't say all cruisers are liveaboards. Most cruisers have a liveaboard capable boat, but it's entirely possible to cruise part time rather than full time. Plenty of people cruise for a few months during the summer, then take the winter off, even if that means leaving the boat somewhere away from home for a while to resume a trip in a few months.

As OP and Founder of this Cruiser Recognition Algorithmic Parser (I have officially given it a name and acronym: CRAP) I officially declare the definition of "powerboater, fast" as a boater who doesn't look behind them to see the devastation in their wake. We hate's them Precious, yes we hates the nasty powerboaters...

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Within months of my first engagement with Cruising Forum people figured out my context, and decided it was so oddball and extreme that they might as well ignore almost all of what I say.

That has persisted to this day.

Rather than self-identify with some cumbersome categorization all you have to do is provide opinions for a while and people will figure out who you are pretty well.

Ah, a competing system. Begone! We will crush you with our capitalistic tenacity, propagandistic acumen, and cult-like following and thus relegate you to the dollar store of life/cruising modalities!

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

to clarify, I thought I would add a picture of my boat...

Mmmm beer. Or more importantly beer vs wine vs grog. Did you know those pernicious European boat builders are building in wineracks with absolutely no thought to a pressurized beer tap? Outrageous!

And I see you have wenches. I completely forgot "Wenches, clothing thereof." Is bikini-clad good enough or do we need to further divide into thong, micro and topless?

[DanCan]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

As OP and Founder of this Cruiser Recognition Algorithmic Parser (I have officially given it a name and acronym: CRAP) I officially declare the definition of "powerboater, fast" as a boater who doesn't look behind them to see the devastation in their wake. We hate's them Precious, yes we hates the nasty powerboaters...

Hmmmm.... advocating for the good old “walking the plank” to nasty powerboaters? )

[rbrazil]

Wow! Wow! Wow! You definitely get my vote for post of the year!! Cheers

[tekdiver]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Warning: the following is mostly tongue-in-cheek, although there is an underlying truth to the issue.

*** ***

It seems to me that many of the discussions on CF go off the rails because we are all so different in both our ambitions and realities. "How much does it cost to cruise?" You'd think this was a pretty straightforward question but it really isn't and the topic generally goes sideways faster than a drunken docking attempt on a windy day. Even seemingly innocuous discussions like "How much chain do I need in such-and-such area" often become completely nonsensical because no one can agree on what we are actually talking about.

It seems to me we all stubbornly live in our own bubbles. Of course he means to be on the hook 99% of the time! vs. No sensible person would ever anchor out if there was a marina nearby! is never considered when joining the discussion—we just dive in and start the pontificating.

So I propose we find a solution.

I started with a simple chart. "That," I said to myself, "would solve everything." "It's simple Self," I said, "Simply find your place on the chart and colour code your answers so as to clear up any potential misunderstandings with all our fellow CFers."



But then I got to thinking. It just wasn't enough. Where was the geography? We needed a plane for warm vs cold, anchorages vs moorings... And what about round-the-world vs regional? Or a scale for single-handers all the way up to large crew?

(I tried to make a chart—it turned into a disaster )


This was getting complicated. So maybe a chart is out. How about codes?
Crew size |Crew Period |Climate | Expenses | Area | Moorage Style etc.

So for example I would be a 2PTCMRA (2 crewed, part-time, cold-water, moderate spending, regional anchorer). We could have a big chart ... or an app...this is a great opportunity for an app developer—wait...ummm, we need a code for electronics too, with sub codes for radios, GPS, trackers, weather systems... hmmm...

So... ya. A chart. A BIG chart! We will need codes for anchor types too, and gun preferences, probably sub charts for specific regions cause we all know that the Med is different kettle of fish than the Caribbean— I mean literally, totally different fish and what we have here in the PNW is obviously so much better than anywhere else so...but I digress.

We will need indicators for partiers, outgoing folk, introverts, singles, people who can rebuild transmissions blindfolded, those who are still unsure what the pointy bits on a hammer are for... Oh, and most especially some way to differentiate where we fall on the scale of way over-prepared to "I bought a boat on the internet and cast off tomorrow—can someone show me how to sail?"

I guess we need a code for sailing purists. And one for those of us who have a funny stick in the middle of our powerboats. And racers. And dock-bound liveaboards. Is specifying whale preferences going too far? I like orca myself. What the hell let's add it in.

So now would start any thread participation with "I am a 2PTCMRAPNWNGIMIEMPSO..." and as a result any potential misunderstandings would immediately be averted.

Ok so that about covers it. I am starting to grid this out and will announce the official chart when its completed and will have to get the mods onboard to enforce total compliance. Won't work otherwise and this would have been a total waste of effort. Hmmm, I guess we will have to assess penalties as well. Maybe a grid to determine just how serious breaches, cases of mis-information, and what the levels of incompleteness are and empower Guardians of the Grid to deliver appropriate punishments. That can be phase 2.

This is going to be so cool!

Or... I guess... We could...I mean... Maybe...

Could we all just take a moment to thank god (and/or whatever diety, spirit or scientific principle you believe in) that we are all able to get out on the water in whatever way we can and that that is a whole lot of different ways?

Seriously, if we all just took a moment to consider an OP's situation or even a fellow thread participant's perspective there would be so many fewer stupid, inadvertent pissing contests. And then we could get on with the intentional ones.

Just a thought. Let me know if you still want me to go ahead with the grid idea.

Best post
ever!

[wolfgal]

What fun, Macblaze! Your ever-growing charts are so complicatedly fun! a holograph chart that actually turns around in space, popping up from my personal R2-D2 would take your idea to the next level. could you do this?.

And yes, i get the point and agree: we do need to keep in mind how there are just so many definitions of sailing out there and so many circumstances that surround/influence the different perceptions of that activity. good point....

But now you've got me thinking...

I've noted that there are folks on CF who are really good at certain things and not all things. Different folks tend to have different skills sets.

Some can rebuild engines while others are up to speed when it comes to gadgets, electricity, rigging, hull osmosis or repair...
Some offer great in-situ info: storm tactics, MOB situations, navigation skills, boat buying advice, passage-making advice...
Some are up to speed in the latest in safety gear and (let's be open-minded) anchors.
Some are great at costs, planning, budgeting... excel sheets
Some even grow their own food on their boats.

It truly amazes me how there are so many folks here with specific skill sets, and i think most all reading will agree that the sharing of these skill sets is really what makes the forum's heart beat.

so taking your idea from a different angle the skill-set angle is from where I would start

For example (an easy one), let's take the gal with the purple hair (Sailorchic or...?). Anyhow, the gal with the purple hair is amazing when it comes to engine issues. If anything, if she had a symbol, like an engine symbol - a kind of emoji perhaps, that appears under her image, then folks would know that she might bring something valuable to the table if the question at hand pertains to the engine.

Maybe it isn't a great idea, but, if i wasn't a regular reader of engine issues and my engine was not working that day, this little emoji would at least be an indicator, something that tells me that this particular person is acknowledged by our community to be pretty well informed..

i'm not one for creating hierarchy or anything like that, so i would not want a labelling of sorts... i just think that we can nod to those who have a specific skill set.

maybe these emojis can come about (poof) after a person is thanked by other members of the community a certain amount of times, and this, in a particular area?

anyway, thanks for the brainstorming session. it is fun!

wolfie

[captlloyd]

I do get weary of the same old pointless questions . “ how big of a boat do you need to safely cross the Atlantic? “ I don’t know, ask the reporter from Cleveland who crossed in 13 foot Tikerbell. “ What is a cruiser?” A person who leaves a dock in any boat and goes to another dock. As you can see I am not one to try to label everything and I do enjoy our many meaningful discussions. But I average I would guess about three of the usual eight to ten threads we get per day. Thank goodness for the ability to scroll on the internet ! Rant over.

[wrwakefield]

Great work!

I foresee this evolving to an online questionnaire with outcomes based upon your chaos charts...

You would call it the Macblaze-Briggs...

Of course, being online it might skew who can participate...

Cheers! Bill

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

As OP and Founder of this Cruiser Recognition Algorithmic Parser (I have officially given it a name and acronym: CRAP) I officially declare the definition of "powerboater, fast" as a boater who doesn't look behind them to see the devastation in their wake. We hate's them Precious, yes we hates the nasty powerboaters...

I always think of the scene from "The Gumball Rally" where Raul Julia breaks the rearview mirror off of the Ferrari he is driving, and tells his passenger, "The first rule of Italian driving? What is happening behind you, is of no importance."

Some power boaters really need to get a rear view mirror and look in it every once in a while.