Clothing Optional Cruising??

[Nothernbay]

Hey all! I know this can be a odd and awkward question but this is something I been interested in finding more info about.. I am a man in my early thirties from New York who has been boating my whole life and have done a dozen trips from the northeast down to florida boat transporting and tournament fishing...

One thing I seem to see on occasion along the way on the inter coastal in the southern regions are couples mostly on trawlers or sail boats enjoying nude cruising... This has always sparked my interests!! Its look very like a very free and liberating feeling .. Just something that has stuck in my mind over the years so figured I would throw it out there and see if any of those people I see on the inter coastal come on this site...

[Lou_tribal]

Originally Posted by Nothernbay

Hey all! I know this can be a odd and awkward question but this is something I been interested in finding more info about.. I am a man in my early thirties from New York who has been boating my whole life and have done a dozen trips from the northeast down to florida boat transporting and tournament fishing...



One thing I seem to see on occasion along the way on the inter coastal in the southern regions are couples mostly on trawlers or sail boats enjoying nude cruising... This has always sparked my interests!! Its look very like a very free and liberating feeling .. Just something that has stuck in my mind over the years so figured I would throw it out there and see if any of those people I see on the inter coastal come on this site...

I saw a guy handling a cruiser boat totally naked this summer. Let me tell you that based on the sunny day it was and the colour of his skin, he must have had some hard time to sit down in the evening lol

L

[O C Diver]

Sunblock!!!

Ted

[wwestman]

The main difference we noticed about cruising the Caribbean vs the PNW is that everyone wears more clothes.

[psneeld]

Used to be a catamaran out of Miami in the 80s that did nude day cruises if my memory is correct, thought it was named Yellowbird.

As a USCG pilot, we were trained to look closely for the unusual.

[FOG]

It probably has a lot to do with economics.




No washing machine on board, ......... cruise naked!

[BruceK]

The real danger lies in standing over the windlass while paying out or retrieving.

[ghost]

I found many trawler owners to be older and more wrinkled. Best to keep clothes on.

[CPseudonym]

Originally Posted by BruceK

The real danger lies in standing over the windlass while paying out or retrieving.

Could be quite the teste

[kthoennes]

This thread reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when even Jerry's perfectly good looking, naked girlfriend was suddenly not so attractive when she was straining to open a pickle jar.

To each his own, but active boating, bending over the windlass on the bow, climbing the radar arch to change a bulb, pulling the start cord on the dingy, sitting naked on hot vinyl seats on the flybridge, hanging upside down through a floor hatch to clean the hairy gunk out of the shower sump box...

No.

[DHeckrotte]

We've sailed that way several times; very pleasant. And don't forget such other activities as might come to mind; very pleasant (I made SFBs {supplemental f*****g boards} for use in the cockpit at night.

And, as for appearances, most of us may well be more experienced or have higher mileage, but the sagging love of our life, is indeed the love of our life.

[BandB]

We like occasionally being on the boat naked and most of the time being very close to naked. However, the totally naked is something we do away from others as much as possible. You see more in the Eastern Caribbean where there are more nude beaches too. Miami only has one but topless is well accepted in Miami Beach as European and South American visitors led us to it.

From the legal side, laws on toplessness are generally confused and confusing and technically it's legal most everywhere but still people get arrested for it. Bottomless is far more an issue and not legal in public anywhere that I'm aware of in the US. Offshore you need to research where you are. For instance, the french side of the island, St. Martin, very free and open. Some areas would surprise you though. Fine if you're anchored off an unoccupied island in the Bahamas, but on land or close to land, they're very against it.

Huge difference in bikinis. Thongs normal in South Florida and, therefore, for boaters here. Not so accepted in other places even though legal anywhere I'm aware of. Doesn't stop someone from protesting or even arresting.

Someone mentioned sagging love of their life. We saw one of the most beautiful things one day on Hollywood beach. A Canadian couple in at least their 70's and maybe even 80's were swimming and enjoying the beach. She was wearing a bikini. he wearing a normal bathing suit but stomach hanging over. She was as wrinkled as possible. However, we observed them together, saw them hand in hand, saw them kiss while out in the surf. You could see that in each others eyes they saw the same as 50 years ago and the love had grown if anything. I applaud that they had the courage to dress as they chose and enjoy. We talked to them as they later walked back to the beach. I'm sure they expected negative, but we just told them how beautiful they looked.

[psneeld]

Outside of 3 miles is probably legal.

There were no US federal laws against nudity on federal property as far as I know as of several years ago.

Some federal land with beaches were being used as nude beaches in NJ so the state complained and the Feds did something that brought state laws to apply on those lands.

But offshore of 3 miles, havent heard of new laws that would be an issue.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by psneeld

Outside of 3 miles is probably legal.

There were no US federal laws against nudity on federal property as far as I know as of several years ago.

Some federal land with beaches were being used as nude beaches in NJ so the state complained and the Feds did something that brought state laws to apply on those lands.

But offshore of 3 miles, havent heard of new laws that would be an issue.

Here is the law they use in NJ, which if one wanted to fight on toplessness, they could.

Statute: NJSA 2C:14-4. Lewdness.
a. A person commits a disorderly persons offense if he does any flagrantly lewd and offensive act which he knows or reasonably expects is likely to be observed by other nonconsenting persons who would be affronted or alarmed.

Flagrantly lewd and offensive is the key phrase. That's an nebulous as the laws they tried 40 years ago to use to ban movies. By what standard, becomes the question. The words of violating the public's "moral sensibilities" was used by the court. People violate my moral sensibilities every day.

A lady won a wrongful arrest case against the city of New York a few years ago when she walked down the street topless. There was no law she violated.

We stick to toplessness on our own property, South Beach, and three miles offshore but not convinced most places have laws that would stand up. I do know Myrtle Beach, SC has an anti-topless law on the books, specific. Well, on the beach at night in late December we didn't get arrested 16 years ago and they'd had far more to arrest on than nudity. We had a lookout though to make sure no one decided to stumble across us and get offended.

[ksanders]

Nothing is better than having a nice shower, then drying off on the foredeck.

As far as cruising naked, too many bodily appendenges to get in the way.

Shorts and flip flops are much more fun

[BandB]

Here are other fairly typical statutes.

Statute: b. A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if:
(1) He exposes his intimate parts for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the actor or of any other person under circumstances where the actor knows or reasonably expects he is likely to be observed by a child who is less than 13 years of age where the actor is at least four years older than the child.

(2) He exposes his intimate parts for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the actor or of any other person under circumstances where the actor knows or reasonably expects he is likely to be observed by a person who because of mental disease or defect is unable to understand the sexual nature of the actor’s conduct.

So, under those laws if the intent isn't to arouse or gratify someone, it's not illegal. Now, who determines intent? And what is intimate parts? I'd say genitals and most courts would too, not breasts. The breasts are not sexual organs on men or women. Many men (I don't get it but ok) turned on by feet, does it make them illegal? What about a smile? Or the eyes?

I didn't know the general lack of sound laws until my wife got me started checking it out.

[MurrayM]

Stay away from the head of north coast BC mainland inlets in late spring. HORSEFLIES!

[Bigsfish]

Columbus Day weekend in south Biscayne Bay. Some wrinkled but most better looking.

[tallswede]

Most places if you are not within the city limits on the water there is no law that says you can't be nude. This is very tricky on lakes, harbors etc. but out on the bay or ocean there is no law that says you can't be nude. (with the possible exception of some Muslim countries). We sail nude often on Galveston Bay and it is not uncommon to see others doing the same but most folks don't flaunt it. They are just comfortable. We take into consideration the culture of where we are and try not to offend. We figure if we are anchored out in the middle of nowhere, we get to set the dress code and if someone comes along and anchors close by, we don't dress just for them. If they don't like it, they can leave. It gets too dang hot & humid down here on the Gulf Coast to have to worry about keeping clothes on all the time. Be sure to have a bimini or stay out of the direct sun as much as you can and use sunblock until you get a good base tan. Have fun!

Kevin

[Art]

Just a note:


Cave people did not wear groin cover because they were embarrassed or breaking any law... Guys did it so they didn't get their tender parts damaged. Gals did it for similar reason and so no dirt entered.


I have considerable nakedness in my background... but always wore some form of groin protection when it was smart to do so.


On a boat, due to potentials of damage from items encountered, I nearly always keep at least my briefs on.


Do like to swim nude though... little chance for damage!!