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The future of the sailing world. Why are there so few young people cruising??

119K views 908 replies 179 participants last post by  captain jack 
#1 ·
I'm curious on opinions on this one. When Baby boomers were in their 20's there were lots of them in small capable sailboats (some they made themselves) cruising across oceans; but now-a-days the majority of twenty-year olds appear to be utterly useless. I just don't get it, and I'm in my twenties, and cruising.


I'm also curious as to where people think the future of the sailing industry is going if there are so few young people involved?

Any thoughts?
 
#275 ·
Start early, start small. I paid for my grandson's week-long sailing camp. They just learn the basics on a Sunfish, but the seed is planted. He goes out with me on my boat, Hunter 29.5, but he finds it kinda boring when compared to the little boat.There's a lot of excitement in pushing the envelope, but knowing you're only going to get wet if you go too far.
 
#279 ·
A little late to post, but I don't want to be missed. I am 25, been dreaming of sailing on my own boat everyday since I was ten when all I did was read Patrick O'Brian novels and sail Lasers and I've finally got myself into a position to where I can sail half of my time, the other half working on ships (Hello Jones Act:) and GoneGlobal, I'll be seeing you in Marsh Harbour
 
#283 ·
I'm a 22 year old Singaporean and I'll be graduating in 2 years. The cost of living here is high. Although the tuition fees are subsidised, the property prices here are out of control. Even a standard 3 room government high rise apartment costs half a million USD. To buy a car, we are required to bid for a certificate of entitlement which costs us 70-80 USD on top of the actual price of the car. That's why the rat race for better jobs starts from a young age, where parents struggle to send their kids to good schools and students at universities clammer for honours degrees to get ahead in the game, ahead of the inflation swell.

Now I have spoken to many students my age about their hopes and dreams, and in my opinion, it's kinda sad that almost all the time it's work related. Most young folks are so intimidated by the massive financial obstacle that they lose grip of any desire of adventure.

I crave for adventure, but I face the same obstacles. The question, in this context, comes down to what are you willing give up. For me, I've decided never to get my own apartment/car before I purchased and maintained a stable balance sheet of owning my very own bluewater voyager, which as itself will become my apartment. It is unlikely that I'll sustain any form of long term employment thereafter, given the nature of circumnavigation voyages.

In other words, I will be giving up the typical career-paved-settling-down-with-wife-and-kids future every singaporean parent would want for their kids. Not many are willing to give that up, not as a matured adult you are supposed to become.

My friends tell me my head is still up in the clouds, and it's a matter of time before I grow out of my dreams. I dread the day I realise how unrealistic my dreams are, but until then, I'll keep moving towards my current perception of the life I so desire.

The world is shrinking faster than ever, and sailors, voyagers, circumnavigators, adventurers become a fast vanishing breed. Why travel then you can walk the trails of the Grand Canyon, dive the depths of the Great Barrier Reef with Google? I have been searching high and low for like-minded folks to pursue this common goal with but it has so far been fruitless.
 
#284 ·
I couldn't get through this entire thread but was glad to see that many on here are just working stiffs like me with old boats that went for short money.

I think that I am in good company

My comment on young people cruising...
I think that most of us were too busy making ends meet at that stage in our lives to really enjoy any free time that we had. I personally had a Bayliner that would allow me to zoom out to the islands to let the kids swim or zoom out to where the fish were at sunset, etc... (you get the picture)The ones that sailed (or sail) at a young age have a real passion for it. By the time most of us realize that the ride is much more enjoyable than the destination we find ourselves already forty-something knocking on fifty.

Just my $.02
 
#286 ·
I'm in my 20's and have not yet started sailing but want to badly. Two reasons I haven't started yet, I have lived in Colorado my whole life (enough said).

After graduating college I immediatly got a good job with my degree and I am still working there five years later. For the last year+ I have wanted to move to the coast and start sailing. What is really holding me back is the fact that I can't get myself to quit my good professional job, its the "American Dream" to be a professional and have a career and lots of money and a house etc. A lot of friends and family tell me I'm crazy that I'd quit my job to be a sailboat bum and follow whatever path the wind would take me.

In other words, some of us younger people with our careers out of college and the money to buy a boat and start sailing are to busy making more money and advancing their career, its time consuming. On the flip side a lot of my college buddies are still working college type low paying jobs and paying off their student debts therefor unable to buy a boat.
 
#287 ·
I didn't read the whole thread but I have 2 college aged kids. I agree with much of what's said, money is a little tighter for them, jobs will be a little tougher. But overall, I don't think sailing and kids has changed much at all.

Mine are both sailors, many of their friends are. Many go off sailing in smaller cheaper boats than we(their parents) sail in today. Some are going down the coast on winter breaks, some are crossing oceans as crew.

Like myself, I don't expect any of them to be able to afford the costs of owning a cruising sized sailboat and it's related costs for some time(I didn't until my upper 30's). Boats are cheaper to buy today but ownership costs are on the rise.

Another thing that's my own speculation; cruising, the style of the 60's and 70's, may not be as popular today and in coming decades.

But I don't see any drop in the popularity of sailing from my generation to the present. Local programs and participation seems to be on the rise.

What has changed; I don't know of one of these kids that goes on any of the sailing forums I frequent. My kids refer to my forums as "dads chat rooms" :)
 
#288 ·
The OP reminds me of something...
Oh! yeah..that's it... sorry.. O F syndrome. :D

Kinda like ya see (virtually) nuthin' but old geezers ridin' Harleys. Some ride dresser Hondas or Beemers and such. Very few youngsters can afford a Harley, et al....or even want one, for that matter ;)

The boats I drooled over back some 30 yr ago are now the "classics" and are finally affordable to my purse......some of them ;)
 
#289 ·
Yeah, then we old geezers start saying, "Whatever happened to riding motorcycles?", then one goes by at 150mph that cost a couple grand used. That's the kind of bike the kids I know ride! :)

With many kids into racing on sailboats, they may be drawn to faster sailboats, maybe more multi hulls? Those speed oriented kids know their sailing.

For wandering(sort of like what cruising is), the kids I know are going "woofing"(world organic farming-work for food) abroad, taking semesters abroad if they're in school(many colleges encourage), and doing more extreme type outdoor stuff, skiing, climbing, biking, hiking a country, etc. They're satisfying their urge to travel that way and few can really commit a year or more to go "cruising", not to mention pay for it today.

But if they want a good solid cruising type boat, there are some great deals out there(some are near free). But I'm just as glad my son, who needs more growing up, hasn't noticed that yet. :)
 
#290 ·
I'm in my 20s (admittedly my upper 20s though) and my boyfriend (who just hit 30) and I will be moving aboard our boat (34' seafarer) and sailing through the Caribbean in just about a month. While we were more than ready to go about our adventure, our friends in their 20s all viewed our plan as a dream, one they could never attain for themselves.

All it took was a little planning to make it work. Oh, and I do have student loan debt still.

Kelley
 
#292 ·
Why are there so few young people cruising??

They're subsisting in their mother's basement (Daddy's been sent/gone away because he doesn't have a job any more...), playing with video games. Or they're hanging out at malls in groups that are sexting each other with vid-phones, but rarely looking directly at anyone else.

per multimud: "Most young folks are so intimidated by the massive financial obstacle that they lose grip of any desire of adventure."

Or as another prior poster said, working at two dead-end part-time McJobs trying to make payments on their useless college 'education'.

Actually, the HS diploma youngsters who have gone into some craft are often better off. They may be able to get a used boat in a few years, if a second baby doesn't appear.

Sailboat manufacturers have come and gone over the decades and I reckon more will disappear during the 2010s.
 
#293 · (Edited)
Re: Why are there so few young people cruising??

They're subsisting in their mother's basement (Daddy's been sent/gone away because he doesn't have a job any more...), playing with video games. Or they're hanging out at malls in groups that are sexting each other with vid-phones, but rarely looking directly at anyone else.

per multimud: "Most young folks are so intimidated by the massive financial obstacle that they lose grip of any desire of adventure."

Or as another prior poster said, working at two dead-end part-time McJobs trying to make payments on their useless college 'education'.

Actually, the HS diploma youngsters who have gone into some craft are often better off. They may be able to get a used boat in a few years, if a second baby doesn't appear.

Sailboat manufacturers have come and gone over the decades and I reckon more will disappear during the 2010s.
Wow - holy cynics Batman. I think each of these responses is not only misguided, but ignorant and out of context. I am a young soon-to-be cruiser. My girlfriend and I are both giving up 6 figure careers to rebuild an old boat and take the plunge. We are lucky, but we still have to cover our student loans, etc.

The truth is, college is getting way too expensive, HS prepares you for **** and even though we have more college grads than ever in history, their degrees are costly and worth about as much as the paper they were printed on. Sailing is an expensive hobby. It's even more expensive to sustain long term as a cruiser without a retirement plan or a pension to pay the bills.

I have to say that I've found it rather troublesome how many "older" sailors poopoo the younger generation of sailors out there or even the idea of young cruisers. Many of the older cruisers on this forum put themselves in a higher class and practically discourage younger sailors with negative remarks and discouraging advice.

How often do you hear the old salts telling someone who wants to buy a boat and make a go of it - "you can't do that, you need 10 YEARS of sailing experience" or "you dont know what you're getting yourself into" or "you better reconsider..."

If people on this forum, ESPECIALLY THIS THREAD spent more time encouraging young sailors, volunteering time to teach, or shoot, even offering encouraging words of support, sailing would continue to grow.

"The ones who come before us will teach us the way forward" :hothead
 
#294 ·
Re: Why are there so few young people cruising??

Wow - holy cynics Batman. I think each of these responses is not only misguided, but ignorant and out of context. I am a young soon-to-be cruiser. My girlfriend and I are both giving up 6 figure careers to rebuild an old boat and take the plunge. We are lucky, but we still have to cover our student loans, etc.

The truth is, college is getting way too expensive, HS prepares you for **** and even though we have more college grads than ever in history, their degrees are costly and worth about as much as the paper they were printed on. Sailing is an expensive hobby. It's even more expensive to sustain long term as a cruiser without a retirement plan or a pension to pay the bills.

I have to say that I've found it rather troublesome how many "older" sailors poopoo the younger generation of sailors out there or even the idea of young cruisers. Many of the older cruisers on this forum put themselves in a higher class and practically discourage younger sailors with negative remarks and discouraging advice.

How often do you hear the old salts telling someone who wants to buy a boat and make a go of it - "you can't do that, you need 10 YEARS of sailing experience" or "you dont know what you're getting yourself into" or "you better reconsider..."

If people on this forum, ESPECIALLY THIS THREAD spent more time encouraging young sailors, volunteering time to teach, or shoot, even offering encouraging words of support, sailing would continue to grow.

"The ones who come before us will teach us the way forward" :hothead
You call my post cynical, but didn't adduce facts to counter it. In fact, you confirm the mistaken perception that it takes some years getting '6 figure' salaries in order to go cruising.

There are good technical and vocational tracks in some HS; the student and parents just need to take the initiative and spend a bit more in study time and money respectively.

A high school grad who first has spent a few years in some construction or reno trade, or even better, working in a boat-yard, can find a reasonably-priced deep-water vessel being reluctantly relinquished by an ailing 'old salt' (or his widow). And go cruising after getting getting current on how to sail a keel-boat. Or a cat.

The discouraging words are likely meant to encourage any would-be sailor to get instruction and experience before leaping off the coastal maps. Here be monster - waves.

And there are other hazards that haven't had some government nanny post convenient warning signs around them. Discouraging some wild enthusiasms may save some lives, and keep your name out of the media. Obits, or helicopter rescue stories.

The same cautions apply to mountain climbing... Know your equipment and capabilities before setting that first knuckle.
 
#295 ·
For whatever value to this open question may I add that there might be a relationship between the increasing obesity of American youth and their hours spent on-line looking at computer screens, vs. the outdoor pursuits / activities like sailing?

How many hours are Americans spending per week on-line?
Subtract those hours from outdoor activities.

There you have it.
 
#296 ·
For whatever value to this open question may I add that there might be a relationship between the increasing obesity of American youth and their hours spent on-line looking at computer screens, vs. the outdoor pursuits / activities like sailing?

How many hours are Americans spending per week on-line?
Subtract those hours from outdoor activities.

There you have it.
Thats just plain governmentspeak

I am a fat sailor:laugher:laugher:laugher:laugher
 
#299 ·
To answer the original question —

I'm only speaking for myself, but here is the reason I'm not cruising. I followed my parents expectations and went to a good college. I currently have over $100k in debt and have to work at least 50 hours a week to pay my bills. I can't afford to live on my own, let alone leave my career to sail the world. Luckily, I do have a great career that I enjoy and am able to sail the lakes here and go on occasional vacations while I work towards my (hopefully early) retirement plan of sailing the world.

Nothing useless about that....
 
#304 ·
To answer the original question -

I'm only speaking for myself, but here is the reason I'm not cruising. I followed my parents expectations and went to a good college. I currently have over $100k in debt and have to work at least 50 hours a week to pay my bills. I can't afford to live on my own, let alone leave my career to sail the world. Luckily, I do have a great career that I enjoy and am able to sail the lakes here and go on occasional vacations while I work towards my (hopefully early) retirement plan of sailing the world.

Nothing useless about that....
As long as a sailboat is seen as a luxury instead of simply an alternative choice, it will be pushed aside by many people on a budget.

We have liveaboard neighbors who pay less per year than a standard apartment costs in Boston.

And they all have jobs.

I know of a place that sells repossessed / salvaged boats for whatever you bid for them: Certified Sales Inc - Liquidation Sales
You can get a nice boat for less than 6 months rent, as long as you're willing to put some work into her.

Happy New Year!
 
#301 ·
I think a lot of you guys are missing one of the greatest reasons why young people aren't sailing - Lack of exposure. First you have to look at the price of real estate on the water. As it continues to climb, owning property on/near water is becoming more and more prohibitive for families. And when families don't live on/near, then their kids will have less exposure to the water and the experiences that come along with it. When these people who live further from the water do make it out they use "go-fast" boats for three reasons: they are easier to care for, easier to operate, and because of their speed they require less time to "get where you are going", thus they require less time.
So I cruised for a bit a couple of years ago and more often than not when I talk about cruising with my friends (typically in their 20's) they are surprised because they never even thought that it is feasible/safe/affordable to live on a sailboat. Most people only hear about sailing from the media, and these stories are virtually always about circumnavigations or ship wrecks, neither of which appeal to the vast majority of people.
The only pro I can see to the declining interest in sailing is that it means that over time the value of sailboats will fall, thus making larger boats more affordable to me.
 
#302 ·
I think a lot of you guys are missing one of the greatest reasons why young people aren't sailing - Lack of exposure.
I grew up in a lake house and most every vacation I went on was to the ocean. However, my father wasn't interested in the least (and still isn't) in sailing. Boy Scouts is actually where I first learned to sail, and later fell in love with it through their Sea Base program.

If lack of exposure is the problem, I think there is a lot that can be done to encourage sailing though youth organizations, schools, and community programs. Talk to your local boy scout troops, boys and girls clubs, and schools. Host an event and invite them to come sail!

Who else is going to expose others to sailing if the seasoned sailers aren't doing it?
 
#307 ·
Kids today are introduced to sailing the same way their parents(me), were.

At least that's what I see here on the coast of Maine. Most everyone I know that sails, spent time on the water as young kids. They in turn, if they have kids, take those kids sailing.

And we have always taken friends from families that don't sail. Some of those kids do sail now.

The internet can't be that much of a demon, look how many of us baby boomer parents are online, even many that are off cruising are online for vast amounts of time. :)

Reminds me of my grandfather. He would lament my generation(boomers) that were raised on tv. He'd do his complaining from my driveway as he listened to the Yankees on his car radio all day long.

The more things change, they more the look the same to me.
 

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#308 · (Edited)
I'm not so sure about the statement that there are not many young folks cruising. We have met many in their 20's and 30's with and without kids everywhere we have sailed in the world. But I must say there are less cruising in North American waters. But in the S. Pacific, Europe, and in high lats there are plenty enjoying the adventure as only the young can enjoy. And most are New Zealanders, Aussy and European. Some of the young are out looking for surfing adventures in distant lands, others are out cruising enjoying different cultures, playing musical instruments with the many talented cruisers and locals. Seems like most young cruisers love to play music.

I couldn't tell you the percent of young cruisers out there, a guess would be 30 %. When I sailed in the early 70's as a 21 year old there were more of us young sailors in distant lands but there were far fewer people living the dream.

We love to invite young cruisers aboard and share our food and beer be it in a port or at anchor, they don't always have a lot. They are so full of adventure and great conversation and most important they seem to always to be happy and content in what they are doing. Please invite the young aboard if you are out cruising long range you will enjoy doing so and they will love the invite.
 
#309 ·
I think, after reading most of the posts in this thread, there are several reasons that youngsters will never be sailors. First and foremost, the vast majority of young people I encounter daily want instant gratification. They seem to want everything immediately, and they think it should not only be fast, but also it should be loud and mindless, somewhat like the music they listen to on their I-Pods and smart phones.

Here in Paradise, with beautiful, turquoise blue waters, incredible sailing opportunities, wonderful, warm weather, palm trees, sugar white sand, etc..., the vast majority of individuals aged 45 or less seem to have their minds stuffed into a tiny electronic device in their hand. I've watched them nearly walk off the end of the pier while texting, they ignore then entire world when that phone vibrates and makes some weird sound, they can no longer have an intelligent conversation with anyone using their vocal chords and minds. Google and Yahoo is their new parents.

If they had a sailboat, or a powerboat, they would be looking for an app that would take control of the boat and steer it through a minefield of other boats, crab pot markers, buoys, etc..., thereby allowing them to text their friends while boating. I see parents completely ignoring their screaming children because they can't get away from their I-Pads, I-Pods and smart phones. Thousands of people are killed every year due to texting while driving. Youngsters can no longer perform simple mathematics without the aid of a calculator, let alone pick up a chart and plot a course to a destination just over the horizon. And, if it takes more than 5 minutes to learn, forget it - to them it's not worth the effort.

The cost of boating, of course, has risen to levels that limit this pastime to those that either have a significant amount of disposable income, or are willing to put forth the time and effort to fix up an old boat and make it sailable. Youngsters, those under 50 years of age, don't usually have a significant amount of discretionary income, and if they do, more often than not they don't have sufficient free time to enjoy the sport of boating.

Just my .02 cents worth.

Cheers from an old man living the dream,

Gary :cool:
 
#312 ·
Notice that I didn't say ALL! I do see some youngsters on Hobie-Cats (they go fast), sailboards (they go faster), Lightnings, and similar sailboats that tend to go much faster than their larger, cruising counterparts that are sailed by old codgers such as myself. They sail for a few hours on Thursday nights at the Havre de Grace races, dock the boat, and pull their I-Pads out of their waterproof cases when the last line is tied. Their next stop is usually at McGregor's for some loud, head-banging rock music with 8-word lyrics. ;)

I know this stuff can be addictive. When I'm in range of an open internet connection, and anchored or moored for the night, I check the sailnet each night. However, it was damned well relaxing when I was out of range for two weeks while coming down the ICW. I took some neat sunset photos, saw some incredible wildlife, and slept like a baby when the weather was relatively calm. It was really nice.

Good Luck,

Gary :cool:
 
#313 ·
I think it is a primarily relative wealth and job security. During the peak of the sailing boom in the early 80s households older than sixty five were ten times wealthier than younger people. Now they are forty seven times wealthier. Jobs are less secure and heavy college debt loads forces many into jobs with relatively poor working conditions and minimal time off (the unions have been marginalised). Young people simply have less time and money to sail. I am forty one, and the only one of seven sailing children fortunate enough to afford (money and time) a cruising sailboat.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
 
#318 ·
Nostalgia is nice but think it sometimes obscures reality.

I grew up in Port Moresby in the 70s and 80s. Watched as thousands transition from a stone age existence to modernity in one generation. No TV stations or even FM radio for me.

Later lived with my maternal grandparents in Brisbane. They were both born to dusty homesteads in outback Australia in 1909 and 1912. They also witnessed enormous change during their long lives.

Don't get me wrong, I empathise with our friend travellin's nostalgia. Just think his concerns are misplaced. I just think more older people are sailing in the US because older people in the US, have most of this country's wealth.

This, like all other things will change. It is no accident Obama got a record youth vote again. Taxes on wealth will continue to go up. Entitlements will be trimmed or means tested. When the wealth is more equally shared with younger generations we will see more of them sailing.

Humans have been sailing since the beginning of time and I don't think we are going to stop now. :)
 
#321 ·
Shanedennis,

I don't think this has anything to do with Obama's politics, or nostalgia. There's an old saying "stop and take time to smell the roses" that seems appropriate for the current generation of those under age 45. Many of them never see the roses let alone smell them because their daily lives revolve around their I-Phones.

As for the older generation having the majority of the money, yep it's true. They worked all their lives for what they have and sacrificed a lot so their children could get the best eduction and live in the best neighborhood they could afford.

Yeah, I'm one of those rich sailboat owners. I'm sailing around on a 1973 Morgan O.I. that I've been working on for over three years. I'm living on a small Social Security income, still work nearly every day of the week, and at age 72 there's little chance that I'll ever retire because increasing taxes continue to suck down what little income I make as a musician/entertainer/singer.

I worked hard for many, many, many years, scrimped and saved until I could put enough money away to pay cash for this old boat, thus reinforcing my statement about the "Me now" generation that want's instant gratification.

Most of the folks here in Boot Key Harbor are not rich, many still work full time jobs because they have to, and a significant number of them sold everything they owned, homes, cars, etc... in order to live this dream of sailing over distant horizons during the final years of their lives. I've got to know many of these individuals quite well and the vast majority of them didn't get into sailing until they neared age 50 or older. For most, it took that long to save enough money to buy the boat that would fit their cruising dreams.

So, stop, look around you, turn off that smart phone, and take time to smell the roses. Nostalgia and the dark ages can be quite beautiful - just ask those that have lived through them. ;)

Gary :cool:
 
#323 ·
...So, stop, look around you, turn off that smart phone, and take time to smell the roses...
I'll turn my smart phone off when you turn off your computer.:) Smart phones and iPads have only been around a few years. The decline in recreational sailing started in the late 80s before even before PCs were mainstream.

I'm just sticking up for my generation. I think they are not buying cruising sailboats because they are doing it tougher than the boomers. All the economic and social data backs me up on this. My kid's generation has it even tougher.

Speaking for myself, I was a poor boy and got my first full time job at 15. I worked hard. I saved hard. I own a bluewater cruiser and I use it. Before I bought the bluewater cruiser I travelled five continents by air and land. No shortage of rose smelling... despite the smart phone.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
 
#322 ·
>Perhaps it is just a side effect of having a new toy. And, maybe we can hope that the children will eventually get tired of their toy(s)....<

No, it's more seductive than just having a new toy. The newer electronic devices allow people to enter, or even create, mind-spaces that may be customized to their very own fantasies.

If someone has problems or worries (and who doesn't?), those multimedia devices allow a user to forget, at least so long as their mind is in that space. It allows them to ignore unpleasing reality, which can be harsh indeed. Not precisely a new thing; recall D&D?
 
#324 ·
The newer electronic devices allow people to enter, or even create, mind-spaces that may be customized to their very own fantasies.

If someone has problems or worries (and who doesn't?), those multimedia devices allow a user to forget, at least so long as their mind is in that space. It allows them to ignore unpleasing reality, which can be harsh indeed. Not precisely a new thing; recall D&D?
Oh, I thought it was for weather info, buying gear, getting advice and porn.
 
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