Hello everyone.
First post, please be gentle!
I am wondering, as per the title of the thread, what made you know you were going to enjoy being a cruiser - before you actually set off being one? By cruiser, in my mind I am thinking either round the world type cruisers or liveaboard for substantial parts of the year sailing in a given favored region (say the Caribbean). Were you a hard core weekend sailperson first who finally got tired of the 9-5 and just set off? Were you someone who just decided that it was time for a change and wanted to be free to go exploring? Did you plan for multiple years or months before setting off? How did you know you had enough skills? How did you know you wouldn't get 100 miles on your journey and not go mad from the isolation of a passage?
For myself, I have been bitten by the bug even though I have only been on a sailboat once (a 48 foot monohull) for a day trip. I have no sail skills to speak of (but am reading the Annanapolis guide to for reference). Clearly I have a lot of work to do getting some sail coursework in before ever starting on a long journey (which I would planning on taking my wife with me for).
I 'think' I would have no problem with learning the required skills. I 'think' the isolation on the open water would be enthralling, not a problem. I 'think' I am handy enough I could handle problems as they inevitably arise. Money wouldn't be an issue, time wouldn't be an issue. I KNOW I am tired of the pointless 9-5 and life sapping drudgery of a 'normal' job. I KNOW I absolutely love the idea of sailing around the world with my wife - even knowing some of the negatives (bad weather, rude customs people, pirates!, gear breakdowns, no fresh steak on the bbq, people pulling in 50 feet from you on an empty 2 mile stretch of beach etc). I believe the positives though would vastly outweigh that stuff (freedom!, friends, open possiblities, learning to be self sufficient, learning to sail, the 'coolness' and freedom again gets an extra mention).
But, none of that says 'you sound like a perfect candidate' really - it just sounds like someone who might have been bitten by the bug but has never really spent any time on a boat.
So, how can you tell? How did you tell? What could my next steps be?
I am thinking first that I maybe try and go on a charter vacation - that way I would get to experience first hand a week (or better yet two) on a boat. I am obviously looking for good things to read - the Annapolis guide for starters but will be looking for more obviously. I would obviously get lessons and start learning about gear and maintenance. I have already done a lot of thinking on what I think would make sense - to me - in terms of an ideal kind of boat anyway, that seems the easy part. Heck, this site along is filled with all kinds of great info I have been plowing through on stuff from 'all about radar' to 'how much clothes to bring'.
What other tips or tricks or thoughts can you share on knowing if this kind of plan is the right thing or just a romantic pipe dream? As mentioned, the money side of it wouldn't be a problem, the cutting the job side of things would be a dream, the skills I am pretty sure are learnable. What else do you 'need'?
Regards, and thanks for reading.
Yellowwducky
First post, please be gentle!
I am wondering, as per the title of the thread, what made you know you were going to enjoy being a cruiser - before you actually set off being one? By cruiser, in my mind I am thinking either round the world type cruisers or liveaboard for substantial parts of the year sailing in a given favored region (say the Caribbean). Were you a hard core weekend sailperson first who finally got tired of the 9-5 and just set off? Were you someone who just decided that it was time for a change and wanted to be free to go exploring? Did you plan for multiple years or months before setting off? How did you know you had enough skills? How did you know you wouldn't get 100 miles on your journey and not go mad from the isolation of a passage?
For myself, I have been bitten by the bug even though I have only been on a sailboat once (a 48 foot monohull) for a day trip. I have no sail skills to speak of (but am reading the Annanapolis guide to for reference). Clearly I have a lot of work to do getting some sail coursework in before ever starting on a long journey (which I would planning on taking my wife with me for).
I 'think' I would have no problem with learning the required skills. I 'think' the isolation on the open water would be enthralling, not a problem. I 'think' I am handy enough I could handle problems as they inevitably arise. Money wouldn't be an issue, time wouldn't be an issue. I KNOW I am tired of the pointless 9-5 and life sapping drudgery of a 'normal' job. I KNOW I absolutely love the idea of sailing around the world with my wife - even knowing some of the negatives (bad weather, rude customs people, pirates!, gear breakdowns, no fresh steak on the bbq, people pulling in 50 feet from you on an empty 2 mile stretch of beach etc). I believe the positives though would vastly outweigh that stuff (freedom!, friends, open possiblities, learning to be self sufficient, learning to sail, the 'coolness' and freedom again gets an extra mention).
But, none of that says 'you sound like a perfect candidate' really - it just sounds like someone who might have been bitten by the bug but has never really spent any time on a boat.
So, how can you tell? How did you tell? What could my next steps be?
I am thinking first that I maybe try and go on a charter vacation - that way I would get to experience first hand a week (or better yet two) on a boat. I am obviously looking for good things to read - the Annapolis guide for starters but will be looking for more obviously. I would obviously get lessons and start learning about gear and maintenance. I have already done a lot of thinking on what I think would make sense - to me - in terms of an ideal kind of boat anyway, that seems the easy part. Heck, this site along is filled with all kinds of great info I have been plowing through on stuff from 'all about radar' to 'how much clothes to bring'.
What other tips or tricks or thoughts can you share on knowing if this kind of plan is the right thing or just a romantic pipe dream? As mentioned, the money side of it wouldn't be a problem, the cutting the job side of things would be a dream, the skills I am pretty sure are learnable. What else do you 'need'?
Regards, and thanks for reading.
Yellowwducky