How frequently do you drink when cruising...

manyboats said:

My father also. He showed me how stupid drinking is.

This is one parade I don't mind throwing water on.

I have a beer once and awhile and some wine. Alchol as a habit is an addiction. Need to be easily able to go w/o if for a week or two and not think about it.

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Wifey B: A follow up question for those who do like to have drinks each evening on their boat or someone's boat. Call it social hour or sundowning or whatever.

Where does this fit in with dinner and other activities? Do you have a couple of drinks then eat or eat first. What time do you eat dinner on these nights? On board or restaurant? What time does the happy hour/drinking start? I'm serious in asking this in just thinking about what we're typically doing vs. the others and honestly there are lot's of people I don't notice eating dinner although not like I'm paying that much attention. Maybe they had a large lunch.

Five days with us as an example/comparison:

Day 1 - Let's make this the day we arrive. So we always like to go walking after a day on the boat and explore briefly. We do that, make dinner reservations for 7:00 and all go to dinner. Get back to boat about 9:00 and perhaps a while on the deck or straight into the salon.

Day 2- Busy day site-seeing. We might hit the boat for a break mid day. Then we go till late afternoon. All back to the boat about 6:00-6:30. We grill something for dinner, eat, enjoy company. Much as Day 1, just not eating out.

Day 3-Get out in the tender and explore. See some more land sites. Maybe even some tennis fit in. Dinner much like Day 2.

Day 4-More enjoying the local town. Some entertainment or something we want to see this night. So we make early dinner reservations then enjoy whatever is going on. Back to the boat 10:00 or so.

Day 5-Last day here. We make it fairly relaxing. May go to a gallery or museum or who knows but back to the boat fairly early and dinner on board much like Days 2 and 3.

Day 6-Up and away early. A duplicate of day 1 but new location.

Now I'm sure whether one is at a marina or anchored changes the evening a good bit.

BandB said:

And as to photos, there are none of us due to some restrictions past events placed on us. That's a sacrifice we had to make. We've had to maintain very private lives and even being on forums has been a bold step outside.

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Sounds very exciting and I am more intrigued now. I'm picturing ex secret agents or witness protection program. But at the same time I also can't help suspecting that this forum is an experiment.

mahal said:

Sounds very exciting and I am more intrigued now. I'm picturing ex secret agents or witness protection program. But at the same time I also can't help suspecting that this forum is an experiment.

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Lots of us choose not to post many pictures or use TF as a social media tool. Some do, reasons for both.

Greetings,
Ms. BB. "...just thinking about what we're typically doing..." I don't want to know!

mahal said:

But at the same time I also can't help suspecting that this forum is an experiment.

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Perhaps in opening up a bit, being involved in a forum without going too far. We certainly live under fewer limitations than we once did.

We don't do facebook or twitter, but do enjoy three forums we're on, and have even had the good fortune to become acquainted further with a few members.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Ms. BB. "...just thinking about what we're typically doing..." I don't want to know!

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Wifey B: That sort of goes down with "This page left intentionally blank" as never truisms. Perhaps don't want details, but curiosity always up when one says that.

Could be eating ice cream. We freaking love ice cream. Well, except no Blue Bell. Sure glad that's not what we had in our freezer. Or our bellies.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. s. Interesting you mention MADD. Mothers huh? How about including the fathers and call the organization F'n MADD? Not meaning to make light of the terrible situation at all....

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I like it.

For us happy hour starts at 4:00 pm with a couple of gin and tonics. As we finish those, around 6:00, we start dinner while having a glass of red wine. Another glass with dinner, and then we're pretty much done, with maybe the occasional after dinner puff or two. Pretty much the routine for the last 35 years of marriage and no reason to change now. Obviously if the need arises we can be teetotalers. A prime example is on the hook in threatening weather, or being responsible for others. Always sober underway.

Aaaahhh. Gin-and-tonics ....

I never drink before or while under way. After we are securely tied up at dock, a beer or gin and tonic before dinner. A glass of red wine with dinner. My favorite nights end with a glass of wine, a guitar, and singing songs with (and about) the people I love.

I don't drink at all, but I'm not against other folks who do. That said, I'm a proffesional.mariner, and I see a lot of people doing things poorly every day, and I can say with some certainty that the amount of alcohol involved- either chronic or acute application- is directly proportional to the level of seamanship. All the old yacht club alcoholics will argue this point, but they will still want a sober operator to help them home when the time comes, and it comes to everyone eventually.

Lutarious said:

I don't drink at all, but I'm not against other folks who do. That said, I'm a proffesional.mariner, and I see a lot of people doing things poorly every day, and I can say with some certainty that the amount of alcohol involved- either chronic or acute application- is directly proportional to the level of seamanship. All the old yacht club alcoholics will argue this point, but they will still want a sober operator to help them home when the time comes, and it comes to everyone eventually.

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I disagree...I would say that seamanship might be directly proportional to sobriety...but plenty of completely sober folks don't have a clue either.

I would say the proportion of drinking professional captains has been atrocious through the years. Probably better every moment that goes by....but don't for a moment think every professional skipper out there is completely sober.

I rub elbows at mostly the lower levels but accident reports are better than guessing at who is sober and who is not. Seems that there's enough blame to go around, sober, not sober, experienced, not experienced....

psneeld said:

I would say the proportion of drinking professional captains has been atrocious through the years. Probably better every moment that goes by....but don't for a moment think every professional skipper out there is completely sober.

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Why do you think that's getting better? Different culture? Different backgrounds of the newer captains? Different age group? Crew members more likely to report the problem? I agree with your comment, just wondering why you think it is.

BandB said:

Why do you think that's getting better? Different culture? Different backgrounds of the newer captains? Different age group? Crew members more likely to report the problem? I agree with your comment, just wondering why you think it is.

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Just different times...both in how/why people are becoming captains , plus the laws, social pressures, and business oversight. None in particular...just all chipping away...just like the airlines.

But like all addiction issues, it will probably never go away unless we become a police state. Before, taking a nip was OK, drunks weren't tolerated for the most part..but the in between guys got away with it.

Nowadays, if you can believe many of the members here, hardly any even take a sip while or contemplating having a drink. When I was a kid, if the captain didn't polish off half the case of beer, it wasn't the norm.

Greetings,
Mr. ps. I agree with you for the most part but I think a lot of addiction issues can be made to go away without policing IF TPTB started treating the causes of addiction rather than the symptoms (drunks in alleys, crack heads in public parks etc.). The "war" on drugs, for example, is a failure and that's all I'm saying at this point until this thread gets slotted into OTDE.

psneeld said:

Just different times...both in how/why people are becoming captains , plus the laws, social pressures, and business oversight. None in particular...just all chipping away...just like the airlines.
.

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I think there's a big change in those becoming captains today. There are fewer of those who grew up in Eastern NC, father ran a SF charter, he followed along types, and more go to school with the plan to become a captain types.

The two big issues long associated with yacht captains were alcohol and sexual harassment. As those sometimes are seen together, the fact crew members feel a bit more empowered to report the harassment and the alcohol at the same time.

Like any profession though, let's keep in mind that the vast majority are professional.

psneeld said:

I disagree...I would say that seamanship might be directly proportional to sobriety...but plenty of completely sober folks don't have a clue either.

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Ted

BandB said:

Wifey B:
And as to photos, there are none of us due to some restrictions past events placed on us. That's a sacrifice we had to make. We've had to maintain very private lives and even being on forums has been a bold step outside.

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Yeah, ain't the Witness Protection Program wonderful!

Just kidding. Your 'prior life' sounds much like ours. We have no restrictions on our photos or information about our life so I often post photos. My Admiral is beautiful and I love showing her off.

Glass of Scotch, over a fire....