How Do You Decide What to See and What to Skip?

[CdS2 Roland]

Hello,
You can use Jimmy Cornell "World Cruising Routes" a good source of information. Once your first leg done, the next one will show up. This said, hurricane season, weather, visa, custom rules, etc will push you forward.
I decided to sail downwind, so I will not go back to a missed island and perhaps stop there in the next circumnavigation.

[OldManMirage]

Originally Posted by Notfast

I'm going to make a plaque for my main bulkhead with that quote, hahaha, love it

I can second that. I am definitely a "Journey" type sailor. Destination is important because you have to have a goal, but ultimately I'm out there to sail.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

I can second that. I am definitely a "Journey" type sailor. Destination is important because you have to have a goal, but ultimately I'm out there to sail.

And on the other side I am all about the destination. I only got into boating to go see destinations. And I only got into sailing because I didn't think I would be able to afford the fuel for a power boat.

[David B]

Originally Posted by Notfast

My cruising plans don't involve returning to my point of origin and instead just spending lots of time wherever along the way. I was looking at charts of my local waters (British Columbia) and thinking of the fact I'll have to leave the area forever having left so much unseen. This made me wonder if there's a good way to determine what's worth seeing and what to skip, how do you decide? BC is beautiful but the lengthy off-season is filled with gales and cold rain and snow. I can endure it but it's not fun and so, at best, I might get a few months cruising in before I begin my southbound passage to Mexico in late summer.

I think I'll have a hard time deciding when to leave the Baja region because of the pleasant climate and the Marquesas will probably be similar. One could argue it makes more sense to follow the seasons and do proper circumnavigations but the exorbitant cost of a Panama Canal transit makes that a no go for me and my tiny Westerly Centaur sloop.

What say ye, Internet?

We learned a long time ago that quality over quantity works for us.
Rather than rushing madly from one spot to another, we are happy in the knowledge that this amazing planet can never be discovered in its entirety by one couple, and therefore we don't let what we haven't seen bother us.

Instead we enjoy what we discover, and stay as long as we wish, getting to know the local people, customs and alleyways that can reveal so much tourists miss.

With that strategy, there will be a lot of places we never get to see, but we discover a lot more 'locally' too - and make real friends who last a lifetime. We are not averse to returning to old favorites either - the places worth returning to never disappoint second (or more) time around.

As to where, well we listen, read, and then decide for ourselves - the adventure of discovery continues.

The year will come when we avoid overnights or days at sea, and then too we will be content with just day sails or even staying at a favorite spot and just treating our boat as a floating holiday apartment.

One can hardly be bored when surrounded by water, beautiful coasts - and people.

[Notfast]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

people remember stuff like....

"oh yeah, Papeete, got thrown out of a bar there..."
"Met this cool chick in Cape Town...
"Almost got arrested in Belize....
" biggest lobster I ever got was in the B'mas...
" lost my dink in St. Maarten....
" one of my crew abandoned me in Bermuda....

you never hear anyone say....
" I'll never forget that beach in Cozumel....
" the trees were so pretty in Puerto Rico...
" that sky, that night in St. Tropez....

I don't know, maybe it's my relatively introverted nature but I definitely remember locations with fondness. One of my favourite boating memories is a glass calm anchorage surrounded by rocky shores and coniferous forest. The water moved so subtly that laying in bed at night seemed similar to a sensory deprivation tank. It was surreal...

then a guy I had met and was chatting with remarked how he could kill me and nobody would ever find out...lol I definitely remember the former aspects of the visit as the better part 😆✌️

[Notfast]

Originally Posted by David B

We learned a long time ago that quality over quantity works for us.
Rather than rushing madly from one spot to another, we are happy in the knowledge that this amazing planet can never be discovered in its entirety by one couple, and therefore we don't let what we haven't seen bother us.

YES! Excellent way of thinking! Well said

[MicHughV]

I remember when I left.....my dad said..."you'll be back in six months""".......took about six years before I saw him again...

[Jaimesan]

Sometimes it is not just to see the places but experience something somewhere.
Unexpected things happen anywhere.
I would not be worried if I miss a bay or a beach or a village because you have been busy in another one.
The fear of missing something might be there but arriving to a place that is so crowded that loses the main point of visiting it is also a bummer.
I am talking about the Mediterranean but I guess can be anywhere.
“Second class locations” may have first class people, together with the fact that weather has the last word, I would not be worried if missing something, just go with the flow.
Having the luxury of time to be fed up of an area and search for a new one is also appealing to me.

[Discovery 15797]

Are you a 'go with the crowd' type person, or do you enjoy a bit of peace and solitude?

I abandoned my dreams of circumnavigating because I found a lot more enjoyment of visiting islands and spending time with the people.

Guide books and cruising guides are good starts. But, ultimately you can either follow in the wake of others, or go where your heart takes you. It's your life; live your adventure!

[sailcrazy]

albeit we started in Asia (bought our boat in Singapore), but then sailed the Philippines for 10+ years, sailed Asia, Sailed the (eastern half) of the Medd, and now here in the Caribb. Read the Guide books, talk to other cruisers/other folks/locals, spend some quality bar time shooting the breeze and talking to others, then get up in the moring, flip a coin, and go do it! There will always be places you miss, and others you wish you had spent more time at.....but just think of all the placed you did see! And some mornings...you just stay put. You will never see it all...but that's for the next big sail!