[Raggbagger]

Its a cold hard reality isnt it ? Happened to several friends of ours that looked at my wife and I , saw what a wonderfull colorfull exotic carefree life we had . Cruise into port . Crack open the rum . Dance on the foredeck as the sunsets between the palm trees . Next morning scuba till noon and off for a perfect sail . That evening same thing dance till the sun sets yada yada yada . We looked very appealing I imagine . What they dont see or even contemplate is the beating we took on the first run out the Chessapeke with waves coming at you so fast that salt water was forced into your mouth and eye sockets no matter how hard you grimaced . The terrifying lightning storms we met up with in the Pamlico . Not to mention the oil changes , fuel filter changes , and poo factor of mascerator pumps that get clogged . Yup thats when the true glamor of sailing hits a high note . Grey water tanks can smell worse than holding tanks depending on your diet . And on and on , as they say its not all beer and skittles . Thats the beauty of it though its a self purging sport/lifestyle/hobby/ habit thing . Those that last at it where meant to be there and those that dont provide us with some marvelous buying oppotunities . I'm all for anyone getting into it , just don't let your boat rot at the dock if you know its not your cup of tea . I agree with the comments about getting the right boat for the right job . After all theres a gazillion different boats to choose from out there before you come to terms with the fact that you may be a stinkpotter .