View Single Post
Old 04-20-2014, 03:38 PM   #5
BandB
Guru
 
BandB's Avatar
 
City: Fort Lauderdale. Florida, USA
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 21,449
Quote:
Originally Posted by ksanders View Post
My wife of 20+ years is not passionate about boating at all.

She is a creature of habit, and as such does not look upon new adventures like I do.

That said, there is a side of her that longs for the adventure, thats why she choose to marry a guy like me, as opposed to someone less adventurous.

She participates in boating, in helping to choose the boat, and to go with me. While onboard she drives the boat frequently, and takes part in all of the aspects that boating entails except maintenance. Thats my job. I keep the boat in tip top shape, and she wants no part in that. Its the same way around the house. She does not use tools regularly and has expressed no desire to learn. When I have asked about that in the past she says thats why she has a man around.

My wife loves to fish. Thats her favorite part of boating. She does not like big waves.

I've had several major hobbies in my adult life. I'm for example a Float rated pilot, and kept my plane at our home for years, exploring Alaskas back country. Boating is the hobby that seems to have stuck with me.

It has caused more than a little trouble for us over the years. Boats take not only money, they take time. The money part has caused her some heartache over the years, but not that much. Her problem is time. Time spent maintaining, or even on the boat is time not spent doing things around the house, or even just being at the house. We have a lakefront home with a dock in our yard and all the lake stuff, boats, jet skis, etc... and Alaska summers are preciously short so she wants to enjoy our home. Ocean boating takes away from that.

Our typical trip is 3-4 days away from the harbor. We boat with our four dogs so we haven't taken any extended trips longer than that together. Boating in our part of the world is wilderness boating. We don't go see towns because there are only a couple of them, we go anchor off and enjoy the wilderness.

I will say that my wife is starting to see extended cruising in her future. She mentioned this last week how we need to take the boat south either this fall or next fall and use it as a base to play in warmer latitudes. She has finally figured out that we have a second home that we can position anywhere we want to along a coast, and move it at will. She isn't ready to lock up the house an for the winter yet but she is wanting to try a month or so onboard and see how it works out. Being basically stuck inside for 5 months of the year is wearing on both of us, especially when she reads articles in Passagemaker like the one she read about the California Delta.
Great post. A couple of things hit me. In both talking and reading, I'm struck by how many women really love fishing.

Also, the thought of it as a second home that can be relocated. I think many find keeping their boat in warmer climates but still spending some time at home works for them. And also the length of time away that is right varies by individual. Better to break with trips home if that keeps it enjoyable. We've found 6 weeks is normally our comfort time, although for Alaska we will be gone two months at one time. We miss our friends and "adopted family". We love being on the water but we also love being home and time with them. Typically we might cruise 6 weeks, home 3, cruise a month, home 2 weeks, cruise 6 weeks, home 3, cruise 8 weeks, home 4, cruise a month, home a month. Our pattern fits somewhat like that. Also, while Christmas in an exotic warm location sounds great, we make sure we're home for the holidays. We just have to share them with those special to us.
BandB is offline   Reply With Quote