After reading hundreds of cruising logs, in-, near- and offshore, on
the net over the past several months, I have been struck by how often
and for how long cruising sailors report they are under engine power.
From what I have read, it would appear that sailors are under engine
power for something in the 80-90% range.

Why, then, have a sailboat? For the little time under sail and quiet?
Or is it a need to prove hardiness to oneself and to others?

wrote in message
oups.com...
After reading hundreds of cruising logs, in-, near- and offshore, on
the net over the past several months, I have been struck by how often
and for how long cruising sailors report they are under engine power.
From what I have read, it would appear that sailors are under engine
power for something in the 80-90% range.

Why, then, have a sailboat? For the little time under sail and quiet?
Or is it a need to prove hardiness to oneself and to others?

They can't be real sailors. We used the diesel as little as possible. One
fillup lasted the season. The motor was used coming into and leaving a
tight slip and when we were caught without wind...usually after 1800 hrs.

Most cruising boats just don't sail well in the often light winds that cover
waters a lot of the time. They start out heavy and then get loaded down with
more gear. Many people spend a lot of effort on dealing with how they will
handle heavy storm conditions, but little attention on dealing with light
air - hence the motoring. Here's a boat web site where they went from San
Francisco to Hawaii, through the SP and onto to New Zealand and used
something like 44 gals of diesel for the entire trip. It was on comfortable,
modern, performance design.. http://www.ditzen.com/

Paul
wrote in message
oups.com...
After reading hundreds of cruising logs, in-, near- and offshore, on
the net over the past several months, I have been struck by how often
and for how long cruising sailors report they are under engine power.
From what I have read, it would appear that sailors are under engine
power for something in the 80-90% range.

Why, then, have a sailboat? For the little time under sail and quiet?
Or is it a need to prove hardiness to oneself and to others?

Depends upon where one sails. You have to understand how to sail
to understand why motoring is sometimes necessary.

Doug
s/v CAllista

wrote in message
oups.com...
After reading hundreds of cruising logs, in-, near- and offshore, on
the net over the past several months, I have been struck by how often
and for how long cruising sailors report they are under engine power.
From what I have read, it would appear that sailors are under engine
power for something in the 80-90% range.

Why, then, have a sailboat? For the little time under sail and quiet?
Or is it a need to prove hardiness to oneself and to others?

wrote in
oups.com:

After reading hundreds of cruising logs, in-, near- and offshore, on
the net over the past several months, I have been struck by how often
and for how long cruising sailors report they are under engine power.
From what I have read, it would appear that sailors are under engine
power for something in the 80-90% range.

Why, then, have a sailboat? For the little time under sail and quiet?
Or is it a need to prove hardiness to oneself and to others?



It's so saddening to see a beautiful sailboat waiting for the Wappoo Cut
bridge to open so it can be dragged, kicking and screaming for help, down
that awful ditch towards Florida......especially when offshore conditions
are 15-20 knots on a great broad reach in 2-3' seas...damned near perfect.
Can't be the Gulf Stream as you gotta go offshore a long ways here to get
into that going north....

How sad, indeed.

Most of them shoulda bought a MOTORHOME! They're in WAY too much of a
hurry for ANY kinda boat!

I didn't own a motor for the first six years I owned my boat - used to have to get a real
head of steam up to coast up the long windward finger to get to my slip! Tough to
single-hand...

I've never actually bought fuel for a powerboat, but it seems to me that a sailboat gets
better knots per gallon than a similar sized stinkpot.

You are dead right on this.

These are the folks who never really learned to sail (on small boats)
Got the idea of buying a BIG boat because the interior looked better
than the Winnabago they were looking at .........

Very sad.


In article , Larry W4CSC
wrote:

wrote in
oups.com:

After reading hundreds of cruising logs, in-, near- and offshore, on
the net over the past several months, I have been struck by how often
and for how long cruising sailors report they are under engine power.
From what I have read, it would appear that sailors are under engine
power for something in the 80-90% range.

Why, then, have a sailboat? For the little time under sail and quiet?
Or is it a need to prove hardiness to oneself and to others?



It's so saddening to see a beautiful sailboat waiting for the Wappoo Cut
bridge to open so it can be dragged, kicking and screaming for help, down
that awful ditch towards Florida......especially when offshore conditions
are 15-20 knots on a great broad reach in 2-3' seas...damned near perfect.
Can't be the Gulf Stream as you gotta go offshore a long ways here to get
into that going north....

How sad, indeed.

Most of them shoulda bought a MOTORHOME! They're in WAY too much of a
hurry for ANY kinda boat!

Rich Hampel wrote in
:

You are dead right on this.

These are the folks who never really learned to sail (on small boats)
Got the idea of buying a BIG boat because the interior looked better
than the Winnabago they were looking at .........

Very sad.


The marinas in Charleston are full of unused "dock condos". It's amazing
how many never even get a visit from their owners!

Larry W4CSC wrote:

Rich Hampel wrote in
:

You are dead right on this.

These are the folks who never really learned to sail (on small boats)
Got the idea of buying a BIG boat because the interior looked better
than the Winnabago they were looking at .........

Very sad.

The marinas in Charleston are full of unused "dock condos". It's amazing
how many never even get a visit from their owners!

I don't think it is sad at all. I would rather sail a little bit, and
motor sail a lot and just motor some and be going somewhere on the
boat that I would sit at the dock somewhere. The marina queens are
what are really sad.

It isn't that I have to travel fast. It is that I have to get from
one safe place to another safe place. I like going someplace.

The nice thing about traveling by boat is that you bring your bed with
you and you don't have to pack and unpack. The motion of a sailboat
is nicer (even under power) with any kind of waves. I would never
have an RV - too much hassle.


grandma Rosalie

I "sailed" my boat, when I first got her, from LA Harbor to San Diego solo.
I was determined to use sail only the whole way, but when I realized that
sail was powering me at 2-3 mph and my motor was powering me at 5-6 mph, my
mind quickly changed. I just didn't have the time to sit there for nearly a
week to try to get the boat down here.

I think that sailors use power as little as they can, but as little as they
can turns out to, unfortunately, be quite a bit of the time.



wrote in message
oups.com...
After reading hundreds of cruising logs, in-, near- and offshore, on
the net over the past several months, I have been struck by how often
and for how long cruising sailors report they are under engine power.
From what I have read, it would appear that sailors are under engine
power for something in the 80-90% range.

Why, then, have a sailboat? For the little time under sail and quiet?
Or is it a need to prove hardiness to oneself and to others?