What happens to all the wannabees?

[MicHughV]

I could write three books...."Dumb....Dumber....Dumbest" things I ever did whilst learning the ropes...many were funny.....lots were fightening...and quite a few were expensive...

[In Training]

not a wannabee anymore! Purchased 2003 49 ft bavaria located currently at salt pond marina in virginia. we were at the boat last weekend. Husband is on boat permanently, I came home to get house ready to sell. will meet him in florida in 3 or 4 weeks. Then we will head south. Only took 12 years to make a realty, and kept the dream going by reading various posts on this site. so thank you everyone for keeping us motivated.

[Bowdrie]

Perhaps a bit off-track, but the financial aspect of "cruising" probably comes back to bite a lot of people.
But, it reminds me of a passage in the book, "Wanderer" by Sterling Hayden, in which he writes, (I'll have to paraphrase,) "The time to go sailing is when you are broke, when you have money there are too many reasons not to go"
Of course, in 1959 when he took off with his kids to Tahiti, I don't think that you had to pay for a mooring ball anywhere.
Every October the harbors of SoCal would be filled with boats waiting for the end of the month to head South into Mexico, and as sure as God made little green apples, several of those boats would be listed for sale before Easter, some by New Years.

[Fore and Aft]

Bowdrie I have posted somewhere before that the quickest breaking of the dream for one of my customers was a week from the boat being purchased/surveyed and then being listed for sale again. But usually three months is about average for a lot of my customers to decide boating is not for them.
Often some of these customers make me feel like a dinosaur as they talk about these sailing YouTube channels and I have no idea what they are talking about.
Cheers

[ksuderman]

Well, I just moved from the "Wannabe" column to the "WTF Have I Just Done" column. Fortunately, I think I have kept my dream modest with no delusions (well, not too many) that we will be full time live aboard cruisers circumnavigating the globe. Puddling about Cape Cod and Long Island will do for now.

Interesting, scary, and expensive times ahead; and all at the same time!

[thomm225]

Probably most of the Wannabees have figured out that being stuck on a boat 24/7 ain't all that great!

[subdude]

My wife and I were wannabes for several years. We shopped and refined our boat interests over a long period of time then, after the kids shot off in their own directions, so did we. Made the leap into half-year liveaboard life on the Salish and haven't looked back.

The old "best two days of my life" cliche is a sentiment to which I do cannot subscribe. We knew what we were getting into (kinda), and the sailing is fine every day

[Fishigan]

Yeah, some wannabes just take longer to get off the shore than others. I like making money, it enables me to do a LOT of stuff I like to do. When I leave shore that will come to an end so I need a nest egg to make it to the 401K days. I am 50 now, started this dream when I was 43ish. Today, I have a short list of boats, been reading the 101, 103 & 104 books, we have our sailing lessons booked for March (101 & 103 course), flight is booked, hotel is booked. Going through the stuff we own and having a garage sale in April. Then it's a matter of selling the cars and the house. We plan to be off in spring of 2023 at the latest.

[MicHughV]

I think the secret to success is age related.

When you are in your 20's, you are likely single, it's an adventure, you can live on beanies and wienies, you don't need a/c, and you are happy with pretty much any boat you can afford under $20K and your cruising budget is $5/day.

Fast forward 30 years, and you're requirements now encompasses a boat that is at least 40', needs all the toys, solar panels, water makers, generators, twin a/c's, and a small fortune in electronics. Additionally, you are likely now married, most probably to a woman who doesn't care a whit about boats, and wants to turn around when the waves exceed 6".

Yes, I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I've often come across a group of newbie sailors, that are in the progress of analyzing every single part of the weather on a dozen different computer screens, looking for that one perfect day, before they untie the dock line. In the end, they don't go anywhere.

One only has to look at the plethora of sailboat for sale in south Florida. Boats that are equipped to the max and have every gadget known to mankind onboard.

These are, in my opinion, all "broken dream" boats.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Probably most of the Wannabees have figured out that being stuck on a boat 24/7 ain't all that great!

I think most wannabes see beaches and sunsets, and think a boat is like an RV- no experience necessary. It doesn’t help when forum members tell them it’s OK to dive into a $300k 45’ boat. A tiny fraction of the wannabes actually do it. Those that do buy boats quickly find out it’s not all lounging, Mai tais, and rainbows.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by ksuderman

Well, I just moved from the "Wannabe" column to the "WTF Have I Just Done" column. Fortunately, I think I have kept my dream modest with no delusions (well, not too many) that we will be full time live aboard cruisers circumnavigating the globe. Puddling about Cape Cod and Long Island will do for now.

Interesting, scary, and expensive times ahead; and all at the same time!

Oh no, you poor soul, is it too late? can you back out and join the golf club? You have years of work in cold muddy boat yards, never seeing the wife or kids, run before its too late

Congrats and enjoy the journey.

Pete

[MicHughV]

I lived in England for while, when I was beebopping around Europe.....Somerset.

I often went to the coast to " look at" boats...remember seeing a lot of bilge keelers and often wondered....can I sail one of these across an ocean ??? I was a "wannabee" back in those days.

[Bowdrie]

My dreams were shattered when I learned that there were buildings in Papeete that were higher than two stories and didn't have thatched roofs.
And that men no longer went ashore without wearing a white suit and Panama hat to visit the Customs Office.

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I think the secret to success is age related.

When you are in your 20's, you are likely single, it's an adventure, you can live on beanies and wienies, you don't need a/c, and you are happy with pretty much any boat you can afford under $20K and your cruising budget is $5/day.

Fast forward 30 years, and you're requirements now encompasses a boat that is at least 40', needs all the toys, solar panels, water makers, generators, twin a/c's, and a small fortune in electronics. Additionally, you are likely now married, most probably to a woman who doesn't care a whit about boats, and wants to turn around when the waves exceed 6".

Yes, I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I've often come across a group of newbie sailors, that are in the progress of analyzing every single part of the weather on a dozen different computer screens, looking for that one perfect day, before they untie the dock line. In the end, they don't go anywhere.

One only has to look at the plethora of sailboat for sale in south Florida. Boats that are equipped to the max and have every gadget known to mankind onboard.

These are, in my opinion, all "broken dream" boats.

agree with much of this MicHugh... though would like to add a personal observation:

once someone gets into a couple, it is either all-systems-go (cause other-half loves to sail too) or it becomes an it-ain't-gonna-happen situation (cause other-half doesn't have the same desire/goal).

being in a couple yet alone in this dream is downright frustrating... and can feel highly unfair at times. and my feeling is that many, many "broken dream" stories first break here.


wolfie

[mako]

I remember one scary thread, years ago, where a newbie was having trouble with his catamaran someplace and started talking about suicide.