No right, no wrong, kind of boating

Wifey B:

There is no right boat, no wrong boat. It's whatever boat makes you happy.

There is no right speed, no wrong speed. It's whatever speed makes you happy.

There is no right or wrong as to marina or anchoring. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right distance or wrong distances. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right or wrong electronics. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right, no wrong anchor. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right or wrong cruising grounds. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right anchorage, no wrong anchorage. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right marina, no wrong marina. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right amount of equipment, no wrong amount. It's whatever makes you happy. (Had to delete some smiley faces. Didn't know there was a 20 image limit so that's why from here on doesn't have them after happy.)

There is no right amount or wrong amount of creature comfort. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right material for a boat, no wrong material. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right fuel, no wrong fuel. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right brand of engine, no wrong brand. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right age for a boat, no wrong age. It's whatever makes you happy.

There is no right style of boat, no wrong style. It's whatever makes you happy.

It's pleasure boating. It's whatever makes you happy.

No absolutes. No one's way is better than another's. Conversations with varying opinions and views are great and incredibly helpful as long as people keep in mind, they are just that, opinions, views, perspectives. They are not the one and only way. Yes, there is right and wrong on legal issues, and there is some factual information discussed, but that's a small part of what we discuss. It's an interchange of ideas, of thoughts, of experiences. Mr. Coot, of Delta fame who loves cruise ships and going slow. His boating is absolutely not for me, but omg do I smile when I see how much he enjoys it and how right it is for him. I know my style is far far far far far far far out of the mainstream here, but I love reading of others and the places we cruise and waters we share are the same.

This isn't a place for my way or the highway. This is a place to read others and think, oh I like that, or, omg I'd hate that, but to keep in mind that you're not right and them wrong, just different views. Someone just designed the most elaborate over the top security system in full anal mode and it's fine to think that although be assured he's not the only one like that here, but he's not forcing you to do the same, just sharing, and then if your ideas are the polar opposite, that's fine.

Just to keep in mind. Fine to jump in and say that's not for me and to run and or to or to even or get out the . But ultimately we need throughout the land of TF and not telling someone that their ideas are stupid and they're full of for having them.

I'm on my baby boat now and you know what? I'm doing whatever makes me happy. Like it or not.

BandB said:

Wifey B:

I'm on my baby boat now and you know what? I'm doing whatever makes me happy. Like it or not.

Click to expand...

Hope you put sunblock on first. Nothing worse than sunburned private parts.

Ted

That depends on what boating forum you are on and who is participating in the discussion. On some forums, everything is wrong if it's not a certain poster's way of doing it.

O C Diver said:

Hope you put sunblock on first. Nothing worse than sunburned private parts.

Ted

Click to expand...

Hubby rubbed suntan lotion all over me.

As an aside, I saw some talk in Hawaii about banning sunblock.

Boating etiquette is often a regional thing....sure there are constants that apply pretty much everywhere with slight tolerance variations...but the concept remains the same.

An example might be how close is acceptable to anchor near someone....very similar to personal space in different regions of the country.

I can say my trip from Ft Pierce, FL to the keys and back was an eye opener for some boating and bridge tending habits. Certainly on the fringes of boating I have seen elsewhere.....and certainly pushing the "whatever makes you happy" to the edge as their antics created plenty of "not so happy" boaters.

I'm with you on this one WifeyB. Whatever gets you out on the water is a good thing.

As long as you are respecting other people, and respecting our environment you can't go wrong.

There are unhappy people everywhere. The only mistake is thinking that you can change that by changing your behavior.

...sound like a nice mantra to remember every time forum discussions go up with personal egos...

Totally agree with WB and this goes way beyond boating. Unfortunately there seems to be a deeply imbedded behavioral trait in humans which causes us to look at what others do, measure it by our own standards, and cast stones and not always verbal stones.

There is a geographical component. The boaters on Broken Bay/Hawkesbury are way nicer than the 50ft speedboat users on Sydney harbour.
Even then there are exceptions. Last weekend I heard on VHF a curt "How much of the river do you want?" from the boat we were following to the approaching Riv on the wrong side of the channel.

There is also another component to people and their boating habits that eluded me for many years. Then, a friend who was a captain on a billionaire's yacht enlightened me. That is, the ability to use time wisely.

His owner was literally worth a billion dollars. He had all the money he could spend. What he didn't have, was any more time than a bum on the street.

My friend used to describe the weird schedule of their voyages. He, and the rest of the crew, would take a leisurely pace down to the Bahamas or Key West, the owner's favorite destinations. It would often take them three or more weeks to get there. They would loaf along, under hull speed, enjoying the trip, and having a wonderful time, only having to be at the owner's ultimate destination, before he was.

A couple of days after they would tie up, the owner would arrive in his Lear Jet. For the next two or three days it would a frantic pace. Everywhere they went, the yacht was firewalled, throwing wakes up you could surf on, the tender run at dangerous speeds, night and day, trying to get everyone on the owner schedule, with everything in a hurry, hurry mode, just to try and squeeze 25 hours out of a 24 hour day for the harried owner.

At the end of this whirlwind adventure tour, they would take him back to the airport, and he would blast off the runway like a carrier launched fighter jet, and be gone.

And, they would return, by the same leisurely, fun, pace they had come down at. Stopping and smelling the roses, all the way back.

In the end, the owner was constantly frustrated by the simple fact that while he was rich in money, he didn't have a second more of time than anyone else. And, while he was excellent at managing his money, he was a disaster at managing him time. And, his attitude, when on his vessel, demonstrated that.

And, all of the owner's weren't like that. They were tied up next to Dale Earnhardt, Sr. one time, and he appeared to be having as good a time as his crew. In fact, he came over and hung out with my friend and some of the crew, just shooting the breeze one day, and truly looked like someone who was happy with his life, and his slow pace when boating. The owner never even got to meet him, and probably would have run right by him, heading to his next vacation appointment, without even noticing, if he had.

I've since heard that sentiment expressed about the owners, by many of the crews of the yachts I have encountered on my cruises. I try and remember that. Twenty four hours a day. Use them wisely. Enjoy them. Before they are gone.

Good heavens, a nautical Zen thread.

Every day is a good day.

I'm good with everything except the " wrong anchor " & " wrong fuel " ... anyone of these two, will not make you happy ... F.B.

Group9 said:

In the end, the owner was constantly frustrated by the simple fact that while he was rich in money, he didn't have a second more of time than anyone else. And, while he was excellent at managing his money, he was a disaster at managing him time. And, his attitude, when on his vessel, demonstrated that.

Click to expand...

And it's sad, he failed to look inward and realize that he had a choice. How much is time with your spouse and kids worth to you? So many businessmen have their jobs long after losing their families.

In my younger days I was a workaholic, but the moment I met my wife that changed as I decided my time with her was important. Not in lieu of work, but partitioned into an important allocation of my time each week. I went from 65 hour weeks to 45 hours.

All the boats around that never get used, reflect plans contradicted by lack of time.

If I had to sell my boat to keep my time, I'd do it in an instant. Think of it. Life exists in time, is measured in time. We each have so much of it from birth to death. It's the most valuable resource and very finite.

BandB said:

Think of it. Life exists in time, is measured in time. We each have so much of it from birth to death. It's the most valuable resource and very finite.

Click to expand...

This was a positive outlook on life with pragmatic thinking.

We're all traveling through time together, every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride in which an attitude of gratitude is everything.

BandB said:

Life exists in time, is measured in time. We each have so much of it from birth to death. It's the most valuable resource and very finite.

Click to expand...

So true. You can always make more money, but you can never make more time. Once it is gone, it is gone, so spend it wisely. I'm only 59, but I regret so much of what I have wasted already. I try very hard not to do it any more.

WB's original post reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."
Maya Angelou

The wrong kind of boat has those white sheet things flapping above it.

"The wrong kind of boat has those white sheet things flapping above it."

Not if you want to travel further than full fuel tanks will go.

But yes, RED Sails are far kinder on the eyes when distance cruising.

Band B I like the original intent of your first post! Their is far to much "My way or the Highway" in the world today (spilling over into forums) and the posters that stay away from that are far more informative and engaging than the occasional "know it all' s " that resist even considering others point of view..... now I will go hide and lurk as to not get lambasted....

Funny, some of the comments pertaining to the "correct boat" as it pertains to online forums in particular got he thinking about my own experiences reading and even participating in many of these avenues.

I have never purchased an off the shelf boat, beginning with not being a person of unlimited means in the "hip pocket". So this has caused me to build my own boats when the young kids and the wife wanted to be on the water.

With that I have salvaged a lot of materials , mostly wood products and parts and what could be said as making do with what others would never admit to having anywhere close to their boats or would ever be seen on either.

Since the first build, we have boated for over 40 years and have never looked back and continue to care less about what others think about our many msifits and unorthodoxed creations. Form has always followed function.

And I tell folks sometimes in my own way that may frown upon the less than perfect shine that their opinions will matter when they help fund my projects, including the type of material and paint I use and a few dimples that may show up in the surface .[long sentence]


And its unbelievable how good a paid off boat runs too.

Designers are designing boats for about 15 different kinds of people. Trying to please everybody. And then theres the committe designed boat. So it's not surprising we all end up w the wrong boat. I'll bet the designer never gets to pull a boat off the drawing board the way he wants it or the way he thinks it should be. Maybe a custom boat at times. But the designers client would need to be just like the designer.

Nomad Willy said:

Designers are designing boats for about 15 different kinds of people. Trying to please everybody. And then theres the committe designed boat. So it's not surprising we all end up w the wrong boat. I'll bet the designer never gets to pull a boat off the drawing board the way he wants it or the way he thinks it should be. Maybe a custom boat at times. But the designers client would need to be just like the designer.

Click to expand...

What is your obsession with designers and design? Boats aren't for designers, they're for boaters. And why did you bring that to a thread started to discuss tolerance for the views of others? Then you bring the whole wrong boat thing back into discussion. There is no such thing as a wrong boat. Just you think everyone else is stupid. Tip for you, we're not.

Did you not ever think that perhaps your comments in another thread were the impetus for Wifey B starting this one?

Greetings,
Mr. BB. I'm tempted to start a "wrong shoe" thread...

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. BB. I'm tempted to start a "wrong shoe" thread...

Click to expand...

You could go back to shoes or no shoes on board. We've had that one before, but I think it was more preferences than calling others wrong.

However, if I recall before, we didn't get into the designers intent and if I had nice deck shoes was I sinning by wearing them to walk up the dock and to the street. Or can I wear basketball shoes, when not playing basketball since clearly the designer only designed them for wear on a basketball court.

If you stand in one spot and stare hard....you probably only see one thing.

I was a landscape architect, virtually every design was for someone else with a large amount of their input.

Boats are pretty similar I think, either the marketing department or the paying customer for independent NAs usually have demands.