Cruising and reality
 

I once met a couple who had bought a boat on Lake Michigan, sailed
down the Miss. R and then across the gulf and then all over th
Bahamas. They were on their way back aqnd had stopped in
Apalachicola, FL and I asked how they had liked it. She had hated
it. He had liked it but her dislike was enough.
Another couple I know spent years re-building a boat to get ready to
go cruising and then finally after 10 years of planning, set off. For
some reason I still do not know, it din't work out and hey came back
within 4 months.
Another couple I know is working on their boat talking constantly
about how they will take off as soon as they retire. What if it
dosn't work out for them and they do not like it? That's a lot of
wasted effort and years.
Doesn't it make more sense to have a smaller boat you can afford with
far fewer things to go wrong so you can afford to go NOW? A smaller
boat you can afford allows you to arrange your work to allow more time
for shorter coat hopping trips until you finally get some real time.
I see too many big boats that sit at the dock rarely being sailed and
we all know the saying that the amount of use a sailboat gets is
inversely proportional to its size.

Cruising and reality
 

On Apr 15, 8:23*pm, Frogwatch wrote:
I once met a couple who had bought a boat on Lake Michigan, sailed
down the Miss. R and then across the gulf and then all over th
Bahamas. *They were on their way back aqnd had stopped in
Apalachicola, FL and I asked how they had liked it. *She had hated
it. *He had liked it but her dislike was enough.
Another couple I know spent years re-building a boat to get ready to
go cruising and then finally after 10 years of planning, set off. *For
some reason I still do not know, it din't work out and hey came back
within 4 months.
Another couple I know is working on their boat talking constantly
about how they will take off as soon as they retire. *What if it
dosn't work out for them and they do not like it? *That's a lot of
wasted effort and years.
Doesn't it make more sense to have a smaller boat you can afford with
far fewer things to go wrong so you can afford to go NOW? *A smaller
boat you can afford allows you to arrange your work to allow more time
for shorter coat hopping trips until you finally get some real time.
I see too many big boats that sit at the dock rarely being sailed and
we all know the saying that the amount of use a sailboat gets is
inversely proportional to its size.

There's a guy locally that has a huge 80+ foot whatever moored and
slipped at Kentucky lake, and it sits. In the fall, he'll fire it up
and tool it down to Fla. and slip it there, and fly back. Then in the
spring, he'll fly back down, fire it up and cruise back to Ky. Lake.
And ti sits. He's done that for years.

i never saw much future in that, really.

Cruising and reality
 

"Frogwatch" wrote in message
...
I once met a couple who had bought a boat on Lake Michigan, sailed
down the Miss. R and then across the gulf and then all over th
Bahamas. They were on their way back aqnd had stopped in
Apalachicola, FL and I asked how they had liked it. She had hated
it. He had liked it but her dislike was enough.
Another couple I know spent years re-building a boat to get ready to
go cruising and then finally after 10 years of planning, set off. For
some reason I still do not know, it din't work out and hey came back
within 4 months.
Another couple I know is working on their boat talking constantly
about how they will take off as soon as they retire. What if it
dosn't work out for them and they do not like it? That's a lot of
wasted effort and years.
Doesn't it make more sense to have a smaller boat you can afford with
far fewer things to go wrong so you can afford to go NOW? A smaller
boat you can afford allows you to arrange your work to allow more time
for shorter coat hopping trips until you finally get some real time.
I see too many big boats that sit at the dock rarely being sailed and
we all know the saying that the amount of use a sailboat gets is
inversely proportional to its size.


I wonder how many stories there are of people who actually enjoyed it. There
must be a few. :)

I think you're right. It does make sense to have a boat you can afford.
We're not looking at a megayacht, which I suppose if we went into hock, we
could "afford" (the very broadest sense of the word). As I said, two of us
are not really too concerned about "jobs" at this point. The other two are,
and we're trying to accomodate everyone.

I think it would be quite reasonable to expect the boat would mostly sit at
the dock for a year, since we're not planning on leaving before that. Even
if we sailed every weeked (which is highly unrealistic - more like twice a
month over the course of the year), that would still have it mostly sitting.
The other three live down that way, so they'd be much more likely than I to
go. In fact, assuming all goes as planned, I would likely be sailing on
school boats, since I'm learning.

--
Nom=de=Plume

Cruising and reality
 

nom=de=plume wrote:
"Frogwatch" wrote in message
...
I once met a couple who had bought a boat on Lake Michigan, sailed
down the Miss. R and then across the gulf and then all over th
Bahamas. They were on their way back aqnd had stopped in
Apalachicola, FL and I asked how they had liked it. She had hated
it. He had liked it but her dislike was enough.
Another couple I know spent years re-building a boat to get ready to
go cruising and then finally after 10 years of planning, set off. For
some reason I still do not know, it din't work out and hey came back
within 4 months.
Another couple I know is working on their boat talking constantly
about how they will take off as soon as they retire. What if it
dosn't work out for them and they do not like it? That's a lot of
wasted effort and years.
Doesn't it make more sense to have a smaller boat you can afford with
far fewer things to go wrong so you can afford to go NOW? A smaller
boat you can afford allows you to arrange your work to allow more time
for shorter coat hopping trips until you finally get some real time.
I see too many big boats that sit at the dock rarely being sailed and
we all know the saying that the amount of use a sailboat gets is
inversely proportional to its size.


I wonder how many stories there are of people who actually enjoyed it. There
must be a few. :)

I think you're right. It does make sense to have a boat you can afford.
We're not looking at a megayacht, which I suppose if we went into hock, we
could "afford" (the very broadest sense of the word). As I said, two of us
are not really too concerned about "jobs" at this point. The other two are,
and we're trying to accomodate everyone.


Not worried about "jobs," eh?
Canuck57 has you libs pegged pretty well.
There's the welfare crowd, then the limo libs who don't have any work to
do except keep an eye on their investment portfolios, and cry about
unemployment and the homeless.
When they're not figuring out what yacht to lay a cool quarter million
on, that is.
You got bpuharic crying about his 401k dropping down to what - half a
mil? - while claiming he's "middle class," then you worrying about what
yacht to buy for a quarter mil.
And "letting it slip" that you could "afford" a megayacht.
All the while it's the "little guy" paying for it all.
Oh wait. You deserve what you have. That's right.
But then you claim that dog eat dog is the other side's philosophy.
You're just another braggart like Harry telling us how conspicuous
consumption works, and tooting your horn.
It's no wonder that Bill, who has patents and worked with Habitat, or
Richard and Frogwatch, whose initiative provided jobs for many and made
the world a better place, have more cred here than any limo lib.

Jim - Disgusted by rampant lib hypocrisy. No wonder there's a Tea Party.

Cruising and reality
 

On 4/16/10 9:07 AM, Jim wrote:

Canuck57 has you libs pegged pretty well.


Gosharoonie, droogies, is that flajim posting under his old handle, or
is it anon-e-moose posting as jim, or is it someone else faking his way
into flajim's shoes...

The fact that the poster is a fan of Canuck the Psychotic makes you
go...hmmmmmm.
:)

Cruising and reality
 

"nom=de=plume" wrote in message
...
"Frogwatch" wrote in message
...
I once met a couple who had bought a boat on Lake Michigan, sailed
down the Miss. R and then across the gulf and then all over th
Bahamas. They were on their way back aqnd had stopped in
Apalachicola, FL and I asked how they had liked it. She had hated
it. He had liked it but her dislike was enough.
Another couple I know spent years re-building a boat to get ready to
go cruising and then finally after 10 years of planning, set off. For
some reason I still do not know, it din't work out and hey came back
within 4 months.
Another couple I know is working on their boat talking constantly
about how they will take off as soon as they retire. What if it
dosn't work out for them and they do not like it? That's a lot of
wasted effort and years.
Doesn't it make more sense to have a smaller boat you can afford with
far fewer things to go wrong so you can afford to go NOW? A smaller
boat you can afford allows you to arrange your work to allow more time
for shorter coat hopping trips until you finally get some real time.
I see too many big boats that sit at the dock rarely being sailed and
we all know the saying that the amount of use a sailboat gets is
inversely proportional to its size.


I wonder how many stories there are of people who actually enjoyed it.
There must be a few. :)

I think you're right. It does make sense to have a boat you can afford.
We're not looking at a megayacht, which I suppose if we went into hock, we
could "afford" (the very broadest sense of the word). As I said, two of us
are not really too concerned about "jobs" at this point. The other two
are, and we're trying to accomodate everyone.

I think it would be quite reasonable to expect the boat would mostly sit
at the dock for a year, since we're not planning on leaving before that.
Even if we sailed every weeked (which is highly unrealistic - more like
twice a month over the course of the year), that would still have it
mostly sitting. The other three live down that way, so they'd be much more
likely than I to go. In fact, assuming all goes as planned, I would likely
be sailing on school boats, since I'm learning.

--
Nom=de=Plume

How many miles would the sailboat be moored from your residence?

Cruising and reality
 

On Apr 16, 11:13*am, "Don White" wrote:
"nom=de=plume" wrote in message

...



"Frogwatch" wrote in message
...
I once met a couple who had bought a boat on Lake Michigan, sailed
down the Miss. R and then across the gulf and then all over th
Bahamas. *They were on their way back aqnd had stopped in
Apalachicola, FL and I asked how they had liked it. *She had hated
it. *He had liked it but her dislike was enough.
Another couple I know spent years re-building a boat to get ready to
go cruising and then finally after 10 years of planning, set off. *For
some reason I still do not know, it din't work out and hey came back
within 4 months.
Another couple I know is working on their boat talking constantly
about how they will take off as soon as they retire. *What if it
dosn't work out for them and they do not like it? *That's a lot of
wasted effort and years.
Doesn't it make more sense to have a smaller boat you can afford with
far fewer things to go wrong so you can afford to go NOW? *A smaller
boat you can afford allows you to arrange your work to allow more time
for shorter coat hopping trips until you finally get some real time.
I see too many big boats that sit at the dock rarely being sailed and
we all know the saying that the amount of use a sailboat gets is
inversely proportional to its size.

I wonder how many stories there are of people who actually enjoyed it.
There must be a few. :)

I think you're right. It does make sense to have a boat you can afford.
We're not looking at a megayacht, which I suppose if we went into hock, we
could "afford" (the very broadest sense of the word). As I said, two of us
are not really too concerned about "jobs" at this point. The other two
are, and we're trying to accomodate everyone.

I think it would be quite reasonable to expect the boat would mostly sit
at the dock for a year, since we're not planning on leaving before that..
Even if we sailed every weeked (which is highly unrealistic - more like
twice a month over the course of the year), that would still have it
mostly sitting. The other three live down that way, so they'd be much more
likely than I to go. In fact, assuming all goes as planned, I would likely
be sailing on school boats, since I'm learning.

--
Nom=de=Plume

How many miles would the sailboat be moored from your residence?

Even if you love sailing, the harsh reality is that you'll get more
use from a power boat. Unless you are cruising full time, the cost of
fuel is small in relation to the cost of your "lost" hours in moving
the boat to a new cruising place.
Once I realized this, I took the old 6.5 hp diesel out of my boat that
only pushed her at 4.5 kts and replaced it with a 13 hp one that
pushed her at over 6.3 kts. It doesn't sound like a big diff but it
makes a huge difference in getting places.

Cruising and reality
 

On 4/16/10 11:13 AM, Don White wrote:
wrote in message
...
wrote in message
...
I once met a couple who had bought a boat on Lake Michigan, sailed
down the Miss. R and then across the gulf and then all over th
Bahamas. They were on their way back aqnd had stopped in
Apalachicola, FL and I asked how they had liked it. She had hated
it. He had liked it but her dislike was enough.
Another couple I know spent years re-building a boat to get ready to
go cruising and then finally after 10 years of planning, set off. For
some reason I still do not know, it din't work out and hey came back
within 4 months.
Another couple I know is working on their boat talking constantly
about how they will take off as soon as they retire. What if it
dosn't work out for them and they do not like it? That's a lot of
wasted effort and years.
Doesn't it make more sense to have a smaller boat you can afford with
far fewer things to go wrong so you can afford to go NOW? A smaller
boat you can afford allows you to arrange your work to allow more time
for shorter coat hopping trips until you finally get some real time.
I see too many big boats that sit at the dock rarely being sailed and
we all know the saying that the amount of use a sailboat gets is
inversely proportional to its size.


I wonder how many stories there are of people who actually enjoyed it.
There must be a few. :)

I think you're right. It does make sense to have a boat you can afford.
We're not looking at a megayacht, which I suppose if we went into hock, we
could "afford" (the very broadest sense of the word). As I said, two of us
are not really too concerned about "jobs" at this point. The other two
are, and we're trying to accomodate everyone.

I think it would be quite reasonable to expect the boat would mostly sit
at the dock for a year, since we're not planning on leaving before that.
Even if we sailed every weeked (which is highly unrealistic - more like
twice a month over the course of the year), that would still have it
mostly sitting. The other three live down that way, so they'd be much more
likely than I to go. In fact, assuming all goes as planned, I would likely
be sailing on school boats, since I'm learning.

--
Nom=de=Plume

How many miles would the sailboat be moored from your residence?




Yes, *that* certainly can be a reason not to use the boat as often as
you like.

I doubt I'd be a candidate for cruising these days. I like boating, but
for a day or for a day or two at a time. But that's just me. I know some
"cruisers" who are really into it. But...if you buy a large boat without
first having cruised, well, you're really buying a pig in a poke.


--
http://tinyurl.com/ykxp2ym

Cruising and reality
 

On Apr 16, 12:25*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:07:20 -0500, Jim wrote:
When they're not figuring out what yacht to lay a cool quarter million
on,

No offense Jim but a cool quarter mil is not going to buy a yacht.
That is just a boat. Yachts go more like several mil.up to hundreds of
mil. They might have a quarter mil boat swinging on davits.

You just need a change of venue, around here a trashed out oyster boat
carrying a 6 pack of Miller is a Yacht.

Cruising and reality
 

On Apr 16, 10:31*am, Frogwatch wrote:
On Apr 16, 11:13*am, "Don White" wrote:





"nom=de=plume" wrote in message

...

"Frogwatch" wrote in message
....
I once met a couple who had bought a boat on Lake Michigan, sailed
down the Miss. R and then across the gulf and then all over th
Bahamas. *They were on their way back aqnd had stopped in
Apalachicola, FL and I asked how they had liked it. *She had hated
it. *He had liked it but her dislike was enough.
Another couple I know spent years re-building a boat to get ready to
go cruising and then finally after 10 years of planning, set off. *For
some reason I still do not know, it din't work out and hey came back
within 4 months.
Another couple I know is working on their boat talking constantly
about how they will take off as soon as they retire. *What if it
dosn't work out for them and they do not like it? *That's a lot of
wasted effort and years.
Doesn't it make more sense to have a smaller boat you can afford with
far fewer things to go wrong so you can afford to go NOW? *A smaller
boat you can afford allows you to arrange your work to allow more time
for shorter coat hopping trips until you finally get some real time.
I see too many big boats that sit at the dock rarely being sailed and
we all know the saying that the amount of use a sailboat gets is
inversely proportional to its size.

I wonder how many stories there are of people who actually enjoyed it..
There must be a few. :)

I think you're right. It does make sense to have a boat you can afford.
We're not looking at a megayacht, which I suppose if we went into hock, we
could "afford" (the very broadest sense of the word). As I said, two of us
are not really too concerned about "jobs" at this point. The other two
are, and we're trying to accomodate everyone.

I think it would be quite reasonable to expect the boat would mostly sit
at the dock for a year, since we're not planning on leaving before that.
Even if we sailed every weeked (which is highly unrealistic - more like
twice a month over the course of the year), that would still have it
mostly sitting. The other three live down that way, so they'd be much more
likely than I to go. In fact, assuming all goes as planned, I would likely
be sailing on school boats, since I'm learning.

--
Nom=de=Plume

How many miles would the sailboat be moored from your residence?

Even if you love sailing, the harsh reality is that you'll get more
use from a power boat. *Unless you are cruising full time, the cost of
fuel is small in relation to the cost of your "lost" hours in moving
the boat to a new cruising place.
Once I realized this, I took the old 6.5 hp diesel out of my boat that
only pushed her at 4.5 kts and replaced it with a 13 hp one that
pushed her at over 6.3 kts. *It doesn't sound like a big diff but it
makes a huge difference in getting places.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

6.5 hp diesel? What make?

kubota? Yannmar? Lombardini? I'm surprised that 6.5 could push
anything of that size. other than a small riding mower.