Frogwatch wrote:
Someone here made the statement that some marina owners think that
sailors are cheap and some of that accusation is true buit not
generally. After all, if you can afford the fuel for a trawler,
nobody will think you are cheap. Gas powered motor vessels consume so
much fuel that their owners cannot be accused of being cheap. This
leaves lowly displacement hull sailboats as the mode of cruising for
the lesser economically advantaged. However, most of us do not
hesitate to spend money on equipment we need but we simply are unable
to spend much on fuel at a marina thus giving the impression of
cheapness.
Then there are those who truly are cheap. 6 years ago, I came into
the same Port Tarpon Marina late at night and tied to the dock. Very
early in the morning, I had to wait for them to open so I could pay
for the night. The woman there was surprised saying that most sailors
who tie up for the night leave in the morning without paying. BAD,
BAD, BAD, never do that.If you use the man's dock, pay him. It is
false economy to not pay him. Often, he will be so happy you were
honest as to help you in some way. If you do not pay, you are scum.
Then, I have known a few sailors who truly were detached from society
and used almost nothing in marinas. I am not sure I would consider
them as much cheap as simply so self sufficient as to not have any use
for commercial stuff. These have tended to be eccentrics in old
trashed out boats living their own way. These guys I admire.
So, no, the average sailor is no more cheap than the average power
boater.


From what I have seen here from you, you are one of those "cheap"
sailors you are attempting to deride. Also, you say you admire the
"eccentrics in old trashed out boats living their own way."

Maybe you can share one of your famous PB&J sandwiches and a cup of
yesterday's cold coffee with some of your eccentrics.

The first thing I do when going out in someone's boat for the first time
is eyeball it to see how well it is maintained, and what shape and where
the safety equipment is.

I have a feeling I would stay on the dock if confronted by the
possibility of a ride in your boat. Almost every time you post about it
here, you're having a problem. You also seem to engage in dangerous
behavior on land in your caving. These would lead me to believe you
value some sort of "adventure" more than you value your life and the
lives of the people who travel with you.

I prefer "captains" whose first thoughts are about the safety of their
crews and themselves.