Is it the Actual Sailing or the Adventure and Possibility?

[thinwater]

I started with a beach cat. That's sailing. Then a Stiletto 27 (mostly sailing), and then a PDQ 34 (cruising--we would often not move for 3-5 days at a time.



And now I moved back down, to and F-24 for the sailing. Hanging at anchor for days can be zen and relaxing, a perfect escape from work. Now having a boat that can tack in just a few seconds is a great escape from semi-retired relaxation. I don't need a boat to relax.

[Rick Williams]

I've always looked at the boat as a magic carpet. In a time when everything seems increasingly scripted so we fit into what society wants us to be, our sailboat will take us anywhere and anytime we want and if we're creative about it, we can stay out for a very long time. It's the perfect "small house." And with sails we're not dependent on fuel docks and if you're not in love with the aesthetics of wind and waves and curving sails then you're working way too hard at something you don't like.

[Chotu]

I like a home that goes places.
If I could have a nuclear powered boat, I would.
Sailing is just the only quiet, low air pollution,, feasible way to travel with your home from place to place, so I sail.

My ideal form of transport would be a hovering home that is powered by engines like Star Trek.

[redhead]

There is absolutely nothing in the world like that moment when you have everything trimmed just right and you turn the engine off and ...whoosh...silence, except for the windsounds - and you keep moving. How cool is that? I fell in love with that moment 30 years ago and have been chasing it ever since.

That being said, I also love being able to move around and take my "house" with me. No packing, unpacking, sleeping in strange beds, etc.
The down side of this is that I'm positive there are many excellent adventures waiting just inland, but I'm on the boat, so I just get to see coastal villages.

But mostly, it's that moment when the engine goes off and you go sailing.

[CNulli]

The only answer is, yes.

[LauraleeG]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

As we (my partner and I) were moving into the cruising life we conciously discussed what we both wanted to achieve. Not the little achievements like where to go and what to see, but the big things. This is how we came up with out little acronym: CLAFC

Creativity, Learning, Adventure, Freedom & Cessation.

Each of these terms expresses a world of ideas that are important for how me and my partner choose to live. We live with these ideas whether we are off wilderness sailing, or living on land.

Creativity is a life-giving view of the world. For me it means seeking new ways of doing things, and simply enjoying the aesthetic of the here and now.

Learning … never stop learning. Living off the prescribed path is a great way to foster this.

Adventure comes in all forms, be it the big sail, or the small walk. I will never shatter records, discover new things, or challenge the gods of nature in any way, but I do enjoy poking into that unknown cove, or trying that weird looking vegetable.

Freedom drives much of what we do. To me freedom is the ability to do what I want, when I want. It’s an ideal which is never full reached, but I can do some things to go toward the Form of Freedom. For me (and not necessarily for anyone else):

• I avoid debt (b/c this is one of the ways our society keeps people chained to the treadmill).
• Keep mechanical & electrical systems simple (b/c I’m not much of handyman).
• And live inexpensively, (b/c I’m kinda lazy and don’t like wage work).

Cessation is my active way of ceasing to be part of the problem. From over-consumption to financial greed, my society does great harm to the planet we all call home. I don’t have the energy to try and save the world, but I can stop being part of the problem (at least to some degree).

You'll notice that sailing is no where in there. Although I like sailing, it's definitely not the reason we're "doing it."

I might steal this!!! 😀

[Ranger58]

For me it's the adventure, but I do love the sailing as a component of the adventure. I also think taking people out and showing them this world is extremely fun; teaching rookies the ropes.

For my Dad, who is an old salt, we used to say it was the "model building". He just loved tinkering, fixing, changing his boat and making it look great in true Bristol Fashion. We used to joke that he was just enjoying model building except this model was on a 1:1 scale.

[ArmyDaveNY]

It;s not the sailing OR the adventure, it is the sailing AND the adventure, AND a lot of other things.

[singlespeed]

The bigger the boat, the less often it leaves the dock or port. Dinghies sail more often than larger boats. I love the cruising life, but actual sailing is the means to get someplace else without the noise of a motor. Pleasant tropical nights underway, while accompanied by dolphins at the bow are magical, but entering a new anchorage is a real thrill.

[LauraleeG]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I like a home that goes places.
If I could have a nuclear powered boat, I would.
Sailing is just the only quiet, low air pollution,, feasible way to travel with your home from place to place, so I sail.

My ideal form of transport would be a hovering home that is powered by engines like Star Trek.

Lol... with a cone of silence and a shield against viruses!!!

[LauraleeG]

Originally Posted by singlespeed

The bigger the boat, the less often it leaves the dock or port. Dinghies sail more often than larger boats. I love the cruising life, but actual sailing is the means to get someplace else without the noise of a motor. Pleasant tropical nights underway, while accompanied by dolphins at the bow are magical, but entering a new anchorage is a real thrill.

Didn’t have a dinghy last year- this year we do! Had no idea that taking the dinghy and going for a ride would be so exciting and fun— a lot of return for a small overall investment !!

[barnakiel]

To me it is none.


If you forced me to elect from only these two choices, at a gun point .... I would vote for sailing. Just the plain pleasure of sailing - trimming sails, feeling the boat adapt, trimming more, adjusting course, listening to the boat to see if what I do is adequate - is she sailing faster, safer, more comfortably? Feel the wind, get a splash now and then, sail ...


ADVENVURE? No, F thanks! I like adventure movies, adventure games. But being a part of an adventure, on the water, is like taking pocketfulls of gunpowder to a barbacoe night ...


Of other things: navigation - finding where we are, taking a sight, comparing to the gps, or piloting along a new coast, etc. The game of not ending up on a rock.


Then again: boat projects. Making canvas. Laminating, some woodwork, hauling out and doing the bottom. Getting ready for a crossing - physically (gym, running, weights) and mentally (meditation, sleep pattern, mindset, awareness).


Why I place sailing this low on my list is that now our boat is 26' and 4 tonnes. This is OK but sure nothing compared to a proper sailing boat (like a 420, a Laser or a 29er). Cruising boats are pigs and tubs and provide little in the way of sailing. They are much more like driving cars (at best) or being driven in a car (most, just think of AP).


I guess you ask 100 sailors, you get 100 different answers, which is I think an amazing thing and very valuable in this particular hobby.



b.

[ilanortho]

Both; depends on conditions. Anywhere I go on Lake Michigan I can get there 100x faster by other means. When the weather is nasty out on the water I wonder what kind of fool does this. But when everything is just right (30% of the time), the sails snap to, the diesel goes silent and the wake streams behind and course is made, that's nirvana and that's what I live for. Also, when I get somewhere far away and drop anchor or dock, the sheer satisfaction , even if it was an arduous uncomfortable sail (or even maybe more so) I feel great about myself. Also I love working on my boat over the winter and improving her. When all systems work as intended... Immense pride (when they don't I want to sell her)

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

As we (my partner and I) were moving into the cruising life we conciously discussed what we both wanted to achieve. Not the little achievements like where to go and what to see, but the big things. This is how we came up with out little acronym: CLAFC

Creativity, Learning, Adventure, Freedom & Cessation.

Each of these terms expresses a world of ideas that are important for how me and my partner choose to live. We live with these ideas whether we are off wilderness sailing, or living on land.

Creativity is a life-giving view of the world. For me it means seeking new ways of doing things, and simply enjoying the aesthetic of the here and now.

Learning … never stop learning. Living off the prescribed path is a great way to foster this.

Adventure comes in all forms, be it the big sail, or the small walk. I will never shatter records, discover new things, or challenge the gods of nature in any way, but I do enjoy poking into that unknown cove, or trying that weird looking vegetable.

Freedom drives much of what we do. To me freedom is the ability to do what I want, when I want. It’s an ideal which is never full reached, but I can do some things to go toward the Form of Freedom. For me (and not necessarily for anyone else):

• I avoid debt (b/c this is one of the ways our society keeps people chained to the treadmill).
• Keep mechanical & electrical systems simple (b/c I’m not much of handyman).
• And live inexpensively, (b/c I’m kinda lazy and don’t like wage work).

Cessation is my active way of ceasing to be part of the problem. From over-consumption to financial greed, my society does great harm to the planet we all call home. I don’t have the energy to try and save the world, but I can stop being part of the problem (at least to some degree).

You'll notice that sailing is no where in there. Although I like sailing, it's definitely not the reason we're "doing it."

I'd wondered what that meant

Great answer.

[waterman46]

I think the love of cruising, and I mean all aspects of it, the sailing, navigation, the new places to discover, the simple and independent way of life, the need for all of that is just something I was born with and cannot explain rationally.

But this can't be done in any form on land, for me, because I need to be in, around and on water, especially salt water.