New Convert from Sailing

[Circumnavigator]

I've touted this article several times before here, but it seems appropriate again -- our trip in Fintry from Boston to all five Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence. Even as an experienced map user, I had no real vision for the length of the St Lawrence -- Montreal is 900 miles from the open Atlantic via the St. Lawrence River and Gulf and the Strait of Belle Isle.


see https://issuu.com/cruisingclub/docs/voyages_2020 from page 94(98) (the site and the magazine use different page numbers).


Jim

 

[Captain_Michael]

As the guy who started this thread, the trend has moved a tad to a sort of debate over which is better or more enjoyable, power boating or sailing. Like many on the thread, done a bit of both and each one fits at a certain time for certain reasons. But the larger part of the equation lies with the sheer enjoyment of being out on the water and making a landfall (where you aimed) after a journey. And part of it is the people one meets on the water and in marinas. Reminds me of the famous line in Halbertstram's book The Best and the Brightest about the Viet Nam war. General Westmoreland is inspecting troops and asks this young paratrooper if he enjoys jumping out of airplanes. The kid says no, but he said he did enjoy hanging around with people who do jump out of planes. I like sailing; I like motoring, and I prefer being around people who like those activities and enjoy being on the water.

 

[KnotYet]

I agree with both of these previous posts and concur that the connection to the water is a big thing I miss about sailing. I hope to find the right time and place to at least enjoy day sailing again. It's more than just being close to the water. It's hard to describe the feeling when there is no motor running and you are keenly aware of the forces of wind and water moving your boat and how you react to them.

I can't disagree.

I am grateful that I was exposed to sailing at an early age and that it 'took'.
Also grateful that I could buy and live aboard my sailboat while I learned the
many lessons that the sea was willing to teach.

I doubt I would have learned as much as fast by having a small powerboat instead.

Of course, there were times I felt a bit too connected to the water like when
crossing the Alenuihaha Channel where it took the strength of both legs to
push the tiller hard enough to keep from rounding up into the 40 ft waves!
(This while taking the green water in the face for 4+ hours!)

 

[Peter B]

....Of course, there were times I felt a bit too connected to the water like when
crossing the Alenuihaha Channel where it took the strength of both legs to
push the tiller hard enough to keep from rounding up into the 40 ft waves!
(This while taking the green water in the face for 4+ hours!)

Yeah, too true, and yet don't you just feel so 'alive', when after the situation is controlled, and you can relax, the subsiding adrenaline surge is better than the best cup of coffee, don't you think.

I still vividly remember the first time out in our Tasman 20, having learnt sailing completely from reading, and crewing about twice on a Farr 6000, and, as luck would have it, we got caught in a Southerly buster. I learnt damn quick how to drop the jib, (even the smallest was too much), and put a big reef in the main, and still I was having to luff into the puffs like a madman. But jeez it felt great when we made it to the dock. Strange as it may seem, we never struck anything so bad ever again in the next 40 odd years of sailing/boating. Probably because I also learnt damn quick to look up the weather forecast - and believe it..!

 

[backinblue]

I always look at the weather, but have come not to trust it. More often than not conditions are worse than predicted. You would think it should be the other way.

 

[ronobrien]

Welcome aboard. I was a life long sailor as well and bought a Grand Banks 36 in Nov 2021. The people on this site have been helpful, generous, kind, funny, informative and friendly. I am sure you will find this to be true. Good luck on the boat search.

 

[Pieyed47]

As the guy who started this thread, the trend has moved a tad to a sort of debate over which is better or more enjoyable, power boating or sailing. Like many on the thread, done a bit of both and each one fits at a certain time for certain reasons. But the larger part of the equation lies with the sheer enjoyment of being out on the water and making a landfall (where you aimed) after a journey. And part of it is the people one meets on the water and in marinas. Reminds me of the famous line in Halbertstram's book The Best and the Brightest about the Viet Nam war. General Westmoreland is inspecting troops and asks this young paratrooper if he enjoys jumping out of airplanes. The kid says no, but he said he did enjoy hanging around with people who do jump out of planes. I like sailing; I like motoring, and I prefer being around people who like those activities and enjoy being on the water.

Cap. you sound like a fellow who would blossom with a trailerable trawler. It becomes very easy to change your attitude and your latitude
if you get my drift. HTH

 

[Drummer79]

For me it is more about being in control of the forces of mother nature while sailing. Motoring is dependent on a complex mechanical device. Sailing is harnessing the forces of wind and sea.

It can be exhilarating, and it can be scary, but hopefully scary in a nice way.

David

I agree with both of these previous posts and concur that the connection to the water is a big thing I miss about sailing. I hope to find the right time and place to at least enjoy day sailing again. It's more than just being close to the water. It's hard to describe the feeling when there is no motor running and you are keenly aware of the forces of wind and water moving your boat and how you react to them.

I've done a ton of question asking and trawler shopping in the past several months. I too came from the sailing world, even though my boat was a pile basically..2800 bucks, she' hadn't seen water in 5 years, but worked on it for 2 years on weekends and took her home almost 200 miles down the ICW. Adventure of a lifetime.

I've yet to actually set foot on a trawler, the ones I've found that seemed like maybe "the one" slipped away before the house closing date, etc..and I just wrote it off to "if it's the one, it'll work out" but this nagging thing in the back of my head all along that "but what about sailing?" I agree with the above quoted comments, I've played drums in bands and to me, there's nothing on earth like the feeling of playing live music in front of a crowd and they're feeling that music too..it's an indescribable high. Sailing is right up there with it. Riding my motorcycle is a distant third. To use your will, skill, and wind and sea, to make a ship move through the water the way you want it to, standing on the cockpit bench sideways, tiller against hip and heeled over 45 degrees, hauling ass..nothing like it. I've appreciated all the advice and a couple offers on boats that either didn't work out, or were basically more than I'm comfy spending, but I think I'm gonna have to buy another sailboat.

 

[mvweebles]

I've yet to actually set foot on a trawler.... but this nagging thing in the back of my head all along that "but what about sailing?".... To use your will, skill, and wind and sea, to make a ship move through the water the way you want it to, standing on the cockpit bench sideways, tiller against hip and heeled over 45 degrees, hauling ass..nothing like it. I've appreciated all the advice and a couple offers on boats that either didn't work out, or were basically more than I'm comfy spending, but I think I'm gonna have to buy another sailboat.

You're not alone in your lust for sailing. Just depends on what your goal is. For me, my best and most memorable days on the water have been sailing. Unfortunately, my worst days on the water have also been on a sailboat. Change the unit of measure from 'day' to 'week' or 'month,' answer for me becomes a trawler style boat. Especially if there is any distance involved. There are practical limits to a powerboat - not many trawlers can cross an ocean if that's your fancy.

In 2006, we did the Baja Ha Ha from San Diego to Cabo - 800 nms with two stops so a few overnight runs, though we started in Long Beach and continued to La Paz so over 1000 nms. The Willard 40 we were aboard was one of only four powerboats in a fleet of 160. I would not have traded places with any of the sailboats. Despite going south - the favorable direction, the sailors mostly showed up looking exhausted and beat up.

Drummer - you waxed poetically about a 200 nm ICW run in a sailboat. Outside of the Huck Finn romance of a sailboat, it's hard to imagine a poorer choice for the ICW than a sailboat. Skinny water means narrow sailing opportunities. Tall mast means all sorts of bridge delays. Open cockpit means exposed to weather and bugs. Lousy engine install means long hours of noise and vibration. If romance of sailing trumps all that, no doubt, a sailboat is the right choice for you. If I made those compromises, I'd have to go it alone as my partner would mutiny.

I'll say it again. The hot setup would be a trawler large enough to carry a pair of Lasers for sailing in anchorages. Besides, nothing beats dinghy sailing.

Peter

 

[cardude01]

Maybe you could find a motorsailer to satisfy your urge to sail?

I have a motorsailer type boat, but realistically it’s more motor than sailer due to the small sail area. However, it does give me the opportunity to fiddle with sails on longer passages which occupies my mind and brings me some joy, along with some added stability for the boat.



Yes, the mast is a PITA when cruising the ICW where there are lots of low bridges. But that just makes me want to go out in open water more, which I find much more relaxing anyway.

 

[Drummer79]

Drummer - you waxed poetically about a 200 nm ICW run in a sailboat. Outside of the Huck Finn romance of a sailboat, it's hard to imagine a poorer choice for the ICW than a sailboat. Skinny water means narrow sailing opportunities. Tall mast means all sorts of bridge delays. Open cockpit means exposed to weather and bugs. Lousy engine install means long hours of noise and vibration. If romance of sailing trumps all that, no doubt, a sailboat is the right choice for you. If I made those compromises, I'd have to go it alone as my partner would mutiny.

Peter

Yeah, that trip was awesome, but it's not the goal to do it again. I'll confess, downtown Washington, NC, where I was anchored before, you'd have to motor a decent way to get out of skinny water, unless weather is just right, and yeah that sucked. Where I'd be anchored this time, it's basically motor out of dock area, and in big enough water to sail bigger water, all out into the Pamlico sound, then maybe motor the ICW far enough to skip over towards New Bern, then in big water again, etc. I had to make that trip to get the boat home, and glad i did it, I learned a lot, loved every minute, but not the intent to go up and down the ICW.. I want to be able to go sailing as often a possible, short cruises, and then like in the summer, motor/sail to Morehead city and dock there as like a weekend liveaboard/ sail offshore some, etc.

 

[ronobrien]

I've done a ton of question asking and trawler shopping in the past several months. I too came from the sailing world, even though my boat was a pile basically..2800 bucks, she' hadn't seen water in 5 years, but worked on it for 2 years on weekends and took her home almost 200 miles down the ICW. Adventure of a lifetime.

I've yet to actually set foot on a trawler, the ones I've found that seemed like maybe "the one" slipped away before the house closing date, etc..and I just wrote it off to "if it's the one, it'll work out" but this nagging thing in the back of my head all along that "but what about sailing?" I agree with the above quoted comments, I've played drums in bands and to me, there's nothing on earth like the feeling of playing live music in front of a crowd and they're feeling that music too..it's an indescribable high. Sailing is right up there with it. Riding my motorcycle is a distant third. To use your will, skill, and wind and sea, to make a ship move through the water the way you want it to, standing on the cockpit bench sideways, tiller against hip and heeled over 45 degrees, hauling ass..nothing like it. I've appreciated all the advice and a couple offers on boats that either didn't work out, or were basically more than I'm comfy spending, but I think I'm gonna have to buy another sailboat.

I sailed for about 35 years. A lot of it on deliveries up and down the east coast US. When the opportunity to sail presented itself there is little else like it. My decision to move to trawler last year was based on the fact that the majority of time getting somewhere was under power as the conditions for sailing in the desired direction just weren't there. Sailing is also more physically demanding and given my advancing years I just didn't want to deal with it. I think the creature comforts available in a trawler foot for foot of boat size, are better. My impending retirement will, hopefully, be spent chasing the sun from New England to wherever it is warm, and the ICW will be a big part of it, and not having a mast was attractive to me. As far as finding the right boat, I believe it will happen. I looked for 2 years without getting that "right" feeling before I suspended my search. One night I decided to just look online to kill some time and found the perfect (for me) boat 1 hour from my home. All that said I may not like the trawler life after all, but all will regret the things we didn't try more than the things we did. Good luck, best wishes and fair winds.