On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 08:11:30 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

If "you sit at the helm for hours on end, daily" then your not cruising,
your driving your boat.

This is acceptable for racing, but you either are talking 90 minute
club races (with a fair number of tiller-steered boats, which is
physically more active, as is steering and handling the main or a
genny sheet, quite common on the under-30 foot boats).

Cruising? Hell, no. I get the wife to actively steer while I tweak,
fix food or do boat jobs, or just peer around the horizon, practising
nav/piloting skills. Either that, or I get the tiller lock to handle
things. If it's a windy day and I have to go forward to handle a jib,
I pull out the trusty, dusty Autohelm 1000 to keep her pointed into
the wind at 2 knots of engine speed. Easy.

Unless I am alone, I don't do a lot of helming. Unless I'm racing, or
it's a shifty wind day or a narrow channel, it's a tad dull.

With windvanes or autopilot, the typical cruising crew only need to maintain
a watch in the cockpit and this is usually a very lax or relaxed routine.
Comfortable spot in the shade with a good book..

Yea, brother.

True that in bad weather the helm may need attention but, in my experience,
when the helm becomes too much for the AP or Vane, then it is also too much
for a helmsman and time to go to storm sails and a better boat balance.

Or head in if you don't have or want to be out there. I usually do,
unless stuff is in danger of ripping or breaking...which as I tend to
reef early and often (no furling to save my ass!), would represent a
serious underestimation on my part.

And "Getting out of shape", I don't think so.. Most sail handling, winch
grinding and anchoring activities are very strenuous and often aerobic. Not
to mention dingy rowing and swimming.. After all, that's what we do it for..

Another reason to avoid electric winches and such...to a point. I know
I wanted bigger coach house winches last year when I hauled my wife to
the top of the mast to unsnag a halyard...why, I required extra
refreshment afterwards!

Some cruisers feel the same as you and do exercise routines that lend
themselves to the confines of the boat or go ashore for long brisk walks
(sounds like sight seeing to me).

Whatever works. I have noticed that many cruisers fit a body type of
heavily muscled forearms, chest and shoulders and skinny little legs
(the SuperChicken physique!). On larger boats, I have seen stationary
bikes set up so that the legs can be kept big and the gut little G.
To each their own, but I suspect that wisely limiting the number of
labour-saving devices is a help here. We have a fair number of quite
aged sailors at my club (75-85 years old) and while some of them are
obviously ready to swallow the anchor, others are still quite fit and
ridiculously strong (as is enough to help me shift my 300 lb. mast at
launch and haulout), because they don't spend a lot of time sitting in
the first place, I suppose.

Which is probably not the answer the OP wanted to hear! G

R.