The Dark Side

[drynoc]

I bought my first boat (a 1980 Santana 35) in 2003 and joined this site at approximately the same time. I've enjoyed the site, made a very few minor contributions to it, and have thoroughly loved sailing my boat on the Potomac River.

But: I have to admit that I am tired of always boating at somewhere between 5 and 6 knots (and that's on the rare good wind days). My wife asked me this year if we could sail up to DC to see the July 4th fireworks, and I said yes, but that it would take something on the order of five to six hours to get there, depending on the conditions. And, at that time of year, we would probably have to motor the whole way. No interest, by her or me. But power boaters can get there in an hour, even if they go at moderate speeds.

So: my boat is up for sale, and I'm going to get a power boat. Sorry to be a heretic. I'll still get the urge to sail now and then, but I can always bum a ride for an afternoon, or rent a dinghy.

By the way: I have not been able to find a power boat forum that even remotely resembles Sailnet for quality.

[Gary1]

Chuckle.

You'll be back.

Been there, done that.

[drynoc]

Maybe. But if so, fine.

[bubb2]

Step back, take a deep breath and rethink this thing. The idea of jumping on board and turning the key and lets go and get somewhere is appealing to many.

However, you don't see the joy and contentment in the power boaters that you find in sailors who love just "being out there and doing it."

There is nothing like sailing under the stars to fill your soul! Power boaters just don't get it!

[BlowinSouth]

I had a 28 foot power boat with a single 460 Ford... it burned 17 gallons an hour!! At roughly $5.00 a gallon that's $85 an hour! Give me a slow sailboat anyday. Just sailed from Niantic, CT to Block Island, it took all night but didn't cost me a dime in gas.

[dealweb]

Well at least you gave sailing a try and hopefully you won't be one of those ignorant powerboaters that come to close to sailboats at high speeds.

[MMR]

drynoc

ChucklesR and I were exactly there, too. Wanted to GET there, so we got a powerboat...named her IMPATIENCE. Took her out several times, scared ourselves silly going 25-30 mph, went back to sailing.

So, wanna buy our powerboat?

[okawbow]

Not everyone is cut out to be a sailor. If your focus is the destination; sailing is probably not for you. A car or airplane is probably faster. However; most of the power boats I see lately, are still at the dock, or anchored somewhere. It takes a lot of fuel to push a 35' power boat.

[sailingdog]

Hmm... you could always get a trimaran... even the smaller ones, like mine can do nine-to-twelve knots regularly. Some of them, with a larger outboard, can motor at 12 knots...

[JohnRPollard]

Drynoc,

Personally, like you I'd rather have a small, efficient mortorboat on the upper Potomac than a largish sailboat -- for the reasons you mentioned.

Your boat is a good one for exploring the Chesapeake, whereas the upper/middle tidal Potomac is a great place for sailing dinghies/daysailors with centerboards. If you make the switch to the dark side, maybe consider having a two-boat fleet so you can enjoy the best of all worlds for your location. Take a look at Flying Scots.

Good luck to you, and please give us lowly sailors a wide berth.