Why do cruisers quit cruising?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Sad to say, I think I'll be hanging up my skippers hat soon for a new adventure.

I don't think there's anything sad about it MicHughV, as long as you're moving on for positive reasons. Seeking a new adventure, or even just to explore something different, sounds like a great reason to exchange your water yacht for a land yacht.

It all depends on why your cruising. If mainly about sailing, then handing in your skipper's hat would be hard. But for me, cruising is about a lifestyle. Living and cruising on a smallish sailboat allows me to live in a way I appreciate, but there are many other ways to achieve the goal. I can certainly see the possibility of moving onto something new.

[MicHughV]

From my perspective, cruising is not the same it once was. Too many rules and regulation these days. Outrageous marina prices, ad infinitum, I could really go to town on the many changes I've seen over the past 35 years.

Off course, it's in my blood, nothing I can do about that, but camping seems to be a lot like cruising, 'cept it's on land. I'm sure there are as many trials and tribulations going camping as going cruising.

And off course, I'm not the nimble 20 year old I was once. I might think I am, but doing things just seem to take a little longer these days.

Nonetheless, I had always planned to retire on a boat somewhere, so that is still the end game.

But in the meantime, I'm kicking tires, and...gulp.....will be going to an RV show soon, instead of my usual sojourn to area boatshows.

Watch this space...

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

From my perspective, cruising is not the same it once was. Too many rules and regulation these days. Outrageous marina prices, ad infinitum, I could really go to town on the many changes I've seen over the past 35 years.

Off course, it's in my blood, nothing I can do about that, but camping seems to be a lot like cruising, 'cept it's on land. I'm sure there are as many trials and tribulations going camping as going cruising.

And off course, I'm not the nimble 20 year old I was once. I might think I am, but doing things just seem to take a little longer these days.

Nonetheless, I had always planned to retire on a boat somewhere, so that is still the end game.

But in the meantime, I'm kicking tires, and...gulp.....will be going to an RV show soon, instead of my usual sojourn to area boatshows.

Watch this space...

It’s actually a lot of fun. I’m sure you will enjoy it. There are some really great places to stay. Lots to explore. Much more than the shoreline offers. it can feel remarkably like cruising. Especially when you are in remote places. Would love to see what you end up doing with the type of RV you can and the different places you’re looking to travel. During the boat field when I freaked out, I bought an RV out myself. I have traveled all over North America. Throughout the United States and Canada. It’s been a really good experience.

[Fore and Aft]

MicHughV last week we were hiking around Mt Cook NZ and I said to the family this is almost as good as sailing. The scenery is superb. The family was worried that I was having a midlife crises. I had to remind them I said "almost".
Cheers

[heinshe]

We had 5 boats in the caribbean in 12 years , mono hauls catamaran and a motor yacht , we also own a marina and a houseboat rental company in Canada my husband got tired of maintaining the boats for 12 months a year he wanted a break and just rent and travel to other places been there done that sailing We seen everything did everything we needed and wanted to do , boats are constant maintenance , now after one month of relaxing in the sun we rented a boat for a day in the caribbean to go to our favourite snorkeling spots he is content and fully relaxed which he never was when we lived on the boat for 5 months during the winter

[mako]

Originally Posted by Kinkircating

4) Boat is just too damn slow or have to motor too much- This is one that was mentioned by almost every single couple I spoke with that quit, they hated that they had a big heavy slow beast of a boat that needed 20knots of wind to sail and it took the fun aspect out of the actual sailing part of it. Also on the flip side those who are still out there doing it have switched over to boats that can sail in light wind and make faster than average passage times.

6) Not being able to afford a nice boat - this sort of goes along with 3 & 4, but was a common theme that if you were on a boat that is just one notch above camping and it was constantly breaking (more so than the normal 50% of the time lol)

@Kink, interesting point in #4, I hadn't thought of that but it makes sense.

Regarding to #6, I think about my last 2 boats, which were wonderful in general, but frustrating because they were too small and I wasn't able to accomplish what I really wanted.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by mako

@Kink, interesting point in #4, I hadn't thought of that but it makes sense.

4) Boat is just too damn slow or have to motor too much- This is one that was mentioned by almost every single couple I spoke with that quit, they hated that they had a big heavy slow beast of a boat that needed 20knots of wind to sail and it took the fun aspect out of the actual sailing part of it. Also on the flip side those who are still out there doing it have switched over to boats that can sail in light wind and make faster than average passage times.

Regarding to #6, I think about my last 2 boats, which were wonderful in general, but frustrating because they were too small and I wasn't able to accomplish what I really wanted.

This (#4) sounds sort of strange first because all sailboats are slow.

Second which supports the first is that I see folks motoring the main channel south on the Chesapeake Bay aboard some of the fastest, best pointing sailboats available while others of us are sailing our small, slow, non-pointing boats the same direction

Could be some cruisers / sailors are on a bit of a schedule.....

[MicHughV]

There has been some sticker shock recently.

I went out to price some trucks capable of pulling a camper, y'know, yer typical V-8 beast.
It would be miracle to walk out the door for under $60K. Used trucks not much better.

Campers can get get quite pricey too, new one's hovering around $30K. Used one's, 10-15K.

Fuel consumption, while towing a camper is not for the faint of heart either.

I'm starting to lean towards a tent strapped to a m'bike

[Sailor Sailor]

Originally Posted by MJH

You should contact Robin Lee Graham (s/v Dove) and ask him why he stop cruising after his circumnavigation (1965-1970) and moved to Montana.

Yes, there is a woman involved.

More than a woman involved, they had a child, which is a wonderful thing. The fact that their responsibilities influenced their life plans is wonderful too. There is a beautiful ending in The Dove.

Sacrificing yourself for others is what it is all about. It is amazing what love does. It even causes some to grow up.

Some people don't relish the thought of being confined to a boat for an extended period of time. It is more enjoyable to cruise occasionally at your leisure when it suits you and your family.

I have heard all the justifications for taking children cruising. Personally, I think my sons are better off running around the backyard playing frisbee with the dog, playing soccer on a field with other kids, taking long walks through the woods, and getting the best education possible in schools surrounded with all different types of other children and professional teachers who know what they are doing.

Sometimes, pursuing the "dream" is selfish and superficial. There are ends in life bigger and higher than personal comfort and adventure.

The real question is not why cruisers quit cruising, it is why some people feel it is necessary to put themselves and others at risk, inconvenience, and discomfort, toward no greater purpose in life. It is an activity that can be pursued occasionally with much greater enjoyment.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by thomm225

This (#4) sounds sort of strange first because all sailboats are slow.

Second which supports the first is that I see folks motoring the main channel south on the Chesapeake Bay aboard some of the fastest, best pointing sailboats available while others of us are sailing our small, slow, non-pointing boats the same direction

Could be some cruisers / sailors are on a bit of a schedule.....

Yes, but there's slow and then there's slow. A boat that's can make a long passage a day or 2 faster (and potentially with less time getting beat up by weather) or one that feels faster can make a big difference to how longer trips feel.

Slow is also relative to where you are. Out of sight of anything, you have a different sensation of speed. Close to land where it's obvious that you're moving along, slow doesn't feel so bad. It's in the middle state seen on many coastal trips (far enough from land that it doesn't really look like you're moving, but you can still see it) where the feeling of slow starts to really bother some people.

And yes, unfortunately some are forced to cruise on at least somewhat of a schedule. Depending on what else is going on in their lives, sometimes it's "we have 1 week to get to X, otherwise we can't go until some other time and we'll have to go somewhere closer".

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

There has been some sticker shock recently.

I went out to price some trucks capable of pulling a camper, y'know, yer typical V-8 beast.
It would be miracle to walk out the door for under $60K. Used trucks not much better.

Campers can get get quite pricey too, new one's hovering around $30K. Used one's, 10-15K.

Fuel consumption, while towing a camper is not for the faint of heart either.

I'm starting to lean towards a tent strapped to a m'bike

Sorry for the little thread drift here folks. I will back off. But, RVs are just the same as boats. They go through similar cycles with boom and bust.

boat prices are at all time highs. So are RVs. And then the vehicles are another matter. But they are still pricey.

If you have a little bit of patience and can wait somewhere around a year, I think you’ll see a little bit of a turnaround in the market. I know for a fact that they over built the RVs for the big surge in demand and now they are sitting on a lot of inventory. They are still charging a lot, but they haven’t become desperate yet. Also there will be people who, just like the thread topic, got RVs and ended up not liking them much. Snagging those in the fall or the early winter when they have to winterize it is a good time.

My rig is pretty old. But it’s really high-quality stuff. So it’s still going and going. And I’m speaking of the whole thing from the power train all the way to the interior and components of the living section of the RV. I have that motorcycle and tent set up as well. It’s actually pretty fun. But, not very comfortable sometimes. And you can’t carry enough of your stuff.

There are also some middle grounds. I don’t know if you would be camping with some significant other? Or if you camp by yourself.

But there have been some new things in the market that really bring the cost of camping down while bringing the comfort up.

these are some very elaborate tents that fit on the top of a vehicle, often used for expedition/overlanding type camping. there are also these things called car tents that are made for specific vehicles with hatchback type of openings. Like an SUV would have. They open up the back of the vehicle and integrate with the back of the vehicle making it much longer like a tent on the outside. And then on the inside of the vehicle you sleep with all the seats down or something. Some of these look like they would actually work pretty well.

They make any manner of add-on components for more standard vehicles these days. Like you can buy a galley rack and put it in the back of an SUV. And combined some external tent that is made for just for that model of SUV.

and finally, if you aren’t going too far off grid, I believe Tesla‘s now have this really great feature for camping that you could integrate with some of these types of tents. They have a camping mode. Where are you just set the temperature inside the vehicle to whatever you want. It will kick on an air conditioner or heat while you sleep. And it’s run by electricity and heat pump rather than a generator so there’s no carbon monoxide issue. Truly game changing for car camping.

And don’t forget you can do car camping itself also. For a lot less money you can rip out seats and put them away somewhere for storage, and really set a car up so you can sleep in that thing. That’s also a possibility a little bit more comfortable than the motorcycle and tent thing.

[MicHughV]

Well, while I'm accustomed to a spot of roughing it here and there, and don't mind taking a wave over the bow, the missus doesn't share my point of my view in this matter

[Captain Graham]

I think there might also be the boredom factor.
So people have a hard time doing nothing for hours.
Just look at how quickly people pull out their smart phones when waiting.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Well, while I'm accustomed to a spot of roughing it here and there, and don't mind taking a wave over the bow, the missus doesn't share my point of my view in this matter

Ahhhh. Full fledged RV it is! Say no more

[DragonflyBob]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

A number of people have keyed into the OP's #4: "Boat is just too damn slow or have to motor too much...". This really makes zero sense to me. Surely anyone who has bought a cruising sailboat understands that sailing is pretty much the slowest way to go anywhere .

If someone only discovers this AFTER having bought a cruising boat, then clearly they did not even do a modicum of research before making the jump. This means certain failure, if not on this aspect, then something else. This person will not last long.

And no boat I'm aware of needs this fictitious "20knots of wind" to move well. Not even very heavy ones. I should know (look at what I sail ). Anyone who claims they need 20 knots clearly doesn't know how to sail. Either that, or they have an exceedingly poor boat, or are severely under-canvassed.

Comfort is a very different that speed. Everyone needs to be comfortable, although what that means for different people can vary quite a lot.

Nice insights Mike. I think the mistakes a lot of people make is either they buy a boat that has poor sailing qualities to begin with or they did not take the time to really learn how to sail and to be able to get the most from the rig and sails. I listened to Bob Perry on a recent podcast and he made the statement that too many cruisers cannot properly trim their sails or tune their rigs as they spend too much time invested in other priorities.

Sailing performance was high on our list. We have a boat (Dragonfly 32) capable of sailing at close to 20 knots and we might unleash the beast at times but for the most part this makes the boat easy and comfortable in light air when we can sail at or close to wind speed and then in the 10-20 knot range we can keep the speed in the low to mid teens with not much effort and be really comfortable. We do have to be more vigilant and proactive to reef earlier than later but it’s an acceptable requirement for us at this point.