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Aussiesuede · 10-04-2009, 13:37

We were chatting about last night and a pertinent question popped up. Do you consider yourself a Cruiser who sails, or a Sailor who cruises/ (ie. which is the greater of the two passions?)

Reality Check · 10-04-2009, 14:24

No idea what the difference would be

Soft Air · 10-04-2009, 14:35

lost...

DPMatty · 10-04-2009, 14:47

I think it's pretty obvious. I'm a cruiser who sails. While I certainly enjoy sailing, I do it to go places. For me a sailboat is a waterborne equivalent of an RV. For a guy like JeffH it's the exact opposite, his boat is the equivalent of a sports car.

Here's a good test. When you look at a big old Taiwanese Turkey, do you see a very slow boat, or a very fast house?

The slow boat guys are sailors. The fast house guys are cruisers.

slomotion · 10-04-2009, 14:57

Well, I feel kind of funny saying a "cruiser who sails" unless that’s meant to distinguish sailboats from power boats. Obviously, you have to enjoy sailing to go cruising on a sailboat, and I’m sure there was a time when, given the chance, I would have gone sailing every day. But cruisers don’t do that. When we went cruising, we sailed from Florida to South America and back. It took us 2 ½ years. I suspect that there were many serious yacht club sailors who logged more miles in the same amount of time. I have never known a liveaboard cruiser to up anchor and go for a day sail just for the fun of sailing. For us, cruising was all about going places and maybe staying for awhile. We spent far more time at anchor than we ever did actually sailing.

Aussiesuede · 10-04-2009, 15:05

Do you cruise via sailing because sailing is your passion - or is sailing a reasonable means to an end (and one you happen to enjoy). Most cruisers who obviously love to travel, could not arrive at as many destinations via air travel and hotels - as they could cruising. There are a great many destinations that can ONLY be experienced via arrival on a private boat, since they are too remote and have no commercial transport connection.

Some travel the world to see just these types of destinations, and engage these types of unique experiences. Many of these types ALSO enjoy sailing as a past time - so it's obvious that the idea of sailing around the world would creep into conciousness. Others get involved in sailing, and become quite passionate about it as a past time. Some where along the process, they decide that cruising the world just might be a great idea of interest to them. These types often arrive to the cruising lifestyle as a result of their passion for sailing whereas many of the former type utilize sailing - one of their past times, as a means to being able to explore the world when the might not be able to otherwise.

So the question i was trying to ask was basically which of the two endeavors is the primary for you? The "Cruising" lifestyle, or the actual "Sailing" ? The two aren't mutually exclusive - but it would seem that one would be more of a driving force? For me, my love of travel saw me come to the cruising lifestyle. Through my job as a Human Capital Consultant, I traveled EXTENSIVELY over the first 19 years of my career, covering a sum total of 62 countries. Predictably, those were destinations which were connected by commercial air transit routes. In 1992, I was invited on a sailing trip while on contract in Hawaii, and grew an affinity for sailing. Little by little, that interest grew - and I crewed on a few boats, went on a couple yacht deliveries, partnered on a sailboat, and eventually decided to take the plunge and get my own.

While I thoroughly enjoy sailing, my passion does not reach the level of many I encounter on the water. When I had thoughts of winding down my career early and traveling, my experience with cruisers I'd met along the way seemed A LOT more inviting for the type of traveling I wanted to do. Commercial air travel simply would not allow for a decades long exploration of the more uncharted parts of the planet I wish to explore. I've had great affinity for most of those in the cruising lifestyle I met along the way, and my enjoyment of sailing made entertaining joining the lifestyle an obvious means to an end. But for me, it's the cruising that's of primary interest - and the sailing is an enjoyable challenging way to explore what I wish to explore. Hence I'd describe myself as a cruiser primarily, and a sailor secondarily. I suppose the best analogy would be "are you an RV'er or a Driver?" Does your love of driving see ya exploring with an RV, or is it the desire to explore that is in the primary - and driving the RV is the means to that end?

Aussiesuede · 10-04-2009, 15:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by DPMatty

I think it's pretty obvious. I'm a cruiser who sails. While I certainly enjoy sailing, I do it to go places. For me a sailboat is a waterborne equivalent of an RV. For a guy like JeffH it's the exact opposite, his boat is the equivalent of a sports car.

Here's a good test. When you look at a big old Taiwanese Turkey, do you see a very slow boat, or a very fast house?

The slow boat guys are sailors. The fast house guys are cruisers.

Well put and straight to what I was trying to get to...

Bash · 10-04-2009, 15:39

...the question represents a false dichotomy. Kind of like if you'd asked whether I was a tennis player or an athlete.

DPMatty · 10-04-2009, 15:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bash

...the question represents a false dichotomy. Kind of like if you'd asked whether I was a tennis player or an athlete.

I see it more like asking if you are a cross country skier or a downhill racer.

Aussiesuede · 10-04-2009, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bash

...the question represents a false dichotomy. Kind of like if you'd asked whether I was a tennis player or an athlete.

That analogy would not be a good mesh since "Athlete" covers those who participate in a variety of disciplines. All Tennis players are athletes, but not All sailors are cruisers (some sailors are weekend racers or coastal travelers) , nor are all cruisers sailors (some cruisers are power boaters).

Rv'er vs Driver would be more analgous since Driving is to RV'ing what Sailing is to Cruising. Both Driving and Sailing are methods of transit. Cruising and RV'ng are modes of exploration which inherently utilise those respective methods of transit.

For me, if I were to travel by RV, i'd be a "Driver" since Driving is a passion of mine (much the way sailing is a passion for many). I venture to say I'd likely be in the minority of RV'ers since I'd guess that more would see the driving part as nothing more than a means to an end, whereas for me - I would never RV unless i could do the driving most of the time since that's what attracts me (I'm not otherwise attracted to the Rv'ing lifestyle).

Bash · 10-04-2009, 16:29

...it's the dichotomy that's false, not the analogy. I need not choose between the two options, cruiser or sailor, because I can be both, cruiser and sailor.

Similar, though, to the other cruiser's dichotomy, whether one prefers the journey (getting there) or the destination (being there.)

I like it all.

Aussiesuede · 10-04-2009, 16:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bash

...it's the dichotomy that's false, not the analogy. I need not choose between the two options, cruiser or sailor, because I can be both, cruiser and sailor.

Similar, though, to the other cruiser's dichotomy, whether one prefers the journey (getting there) or the destination (being there.)

I like it all.

Good point, and a more complete poll would have been to include a third option for those who find themselves of your position of it being a rather even spilt between the two - where both are relatively of equal prominence.

cal40john · 10-04-2009, 16:40

I like DPMattys answer. I'm a sailor who cruises. If I had to fire up the motor everytime the wind went under 10 knots, I'd just as soon have a motorboat. My attitude about motorboats is I'd just as soon have an RV.

Cruising time for me competes with sailing my Hobie 20 and the other 40 some dinghies I have access to at my sailing club, including Lasers, 505, I-14, Lightning, Ensign, Hobie 21, etc.

John

DPMatty · 10-04-2009, 17:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by cal40john

I like DPMattys answer. I'm a sailor who cruises. If I had to fire up the motor everytime the wind went under 10 knots, I'd just as soon have a motorboat. My attitude about motorboats is I'd just as soon have an RV.

Cruising time for me competes with sailing my Hobie 20 and the other 40 some dinghies I have access to at my sailing club, including Lasers, 505, I-14, Lightning, Ensign, Hobie 21, etc.

John

See and I love to sail, I do. Raced as a kid and all that, but I didn't really LOVE it, until I could travel with it. I would rather surf than sail a laser around a bouy, but sail up to Maine for a few weeks exploring? I'm in heaven.

My gal says I'm like a little turtle who likes to have his home always with him.