# Advice needed....or are these excuses??



## wylieblue (Mar 23, 2006)

I have always been interested in sailing and up to, 2005 was gung ho to sail off into the Sunset!
Had the opportunity to sail for 6 weeks on friends yacht, from Trinidad to St Lucia. This was my way of deciding if the lifestyle was for me. Most of the time it was all excellent and the skipper was a friend, so no problems etc.

When I left after 6 weeks I had mixed feelings, one of the issues that plagued me was the social (drinking) life. I felt over time if one was not careful, the chances of over depending on booze would tend to out-way other forms of enjoyment!!
Now don't tell me drinking is not a problem as I seen it myself.

The other pointer was the way you were treated by customs officials when clearing in and out. Most times I would accompany my friend to customs whether required or not and was struck by how yachties were disrespected by Government official's. I had to bite my lip on a few occasions.

Now or lately I am finding that the old itch is returning and the possibility of cruising is filling my noggin once again.

Just trying to rationalise the situation. Maybe that's the problem... don't rationalise, just cast off.

PS: Don't have a boat, but seen one lately I really like........

Regards


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## Gladrags1 (Apr 9, 2003)

Regarding the drinking aspect of boating life, I think that that issue will settle itself out when you get into a routine. I think there is more drinking when you first start out sort of like I'm on vacation mode. Then when you settle into a routine it becomes more like your usual pattern of drinking. 

I can't really address the issue about clearing customs as I have not done it but I really would not let that stop me from pursuing what I really wanted to do.

That's just my two cents worth for what it's worth. 

Tod



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

excuses, if you want to sail you will. Drinking is not everyone.. only the ones that you focus on. Many people don't drink at all. Suggestion; forget sailing off over the horizon and try day sailing. small or large solo or with others.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I think that your observations have validity but like most things in life you need to allow your own belief system to govern your actions, and in doing so avoid consequences that are uncomfortable to you. 

For example, I agree with you that drinking can appear to be a major part of "the Cruising Life", and for some it gets to be a dangerous extreme. But in my opinion what others chose to do should not prevent you from living your life. I have been a life long sailor, but for most of my adult life I have not been able to drink alcohol for medical reasons. I have not seen that as an obvious hinderence in social settings as long as I remain non-judgmental in my behavior. 

Similarly, customs officials vary widely from the matter of fact, to the corrupt, to the welcoming, to the bad attitude towards yachting types that you observed. This last group have had their attitudes often shaped by those who came before you. If you are able to remain polite, cooperative, deferential, and try to see this as a guest for whom the customs person is the representative of your host, interpreting rules you may not understand, but which are the rules just the same, it is bound to go more smoothly, which is not to say that there won't be times when the official seems abusive, obstructionist and downright insulting in their actions and demeanor. 

But not going simply because of these perceived slights is depriving yourself of the life you wish to lead. 

Or so it seems to me.
Respectfully 
Jeff


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Dude... just get your own boat.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Gotta agree with Jeff (I know this is rare, Jeff.). If you don't enjoy drinking booze - don't drink booze - it's that simple.

All the best,

Gary


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## DCSailor1 (May 17, 2015)

Drinking and customs? Those are your reservations? Come on, unless your prone toward alcoholism, which would be a problem anywhere, or are entirely unable to comprehend a level of envy/disdain for the rich (by comparison) yachties by the natives, there must be something else going on here.


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

Its an excuse plain and simple I happily enjoy cruising and haven't had a drop in over 20 years and as far as customs you get what you give and just remember they have a lot to say about whether you get to enter their country or not. Also you only have to deal with them for a short period of time. After that you can move forward with your stay and life.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

I think one must be very careful about drinking. It can be worse than home because there is a Happy Hour every night and one can fill a week with nightly booze.

I am lucky I dont have any social addictions, either to drink, gambling or drugs. But there are plenty who do, especially the bottle.

I drink only on Wednesday nights and Friday nights or at prearranged parties. Of course this rule can be difficult to maintain but the point is one must be quite cogniscent of the Sundowners when they are every single day. Further, the price of alcohol can be much cheaper at home. A bottle of rum thats $50 is Australia is $10 in the Caribbean. Thats the price of 2 beers at home! Its easy to over do it.

On the point of Customs and Immigration officials... Yes it does get to be a pain in the neck at times, and they can all be a pain in the neck after actively cruising for years in areas of multiple countries (again like the Caribbean).
Each Customs and Immigration interview is somewhat akin to being grilled by the Police, its not something that good honest people at home have happen to them except for a speeding ticket maybe. But when cruising we are suddenly suspected of being criminals in many ports we enter... Or the corrupt bastards want a bribe (Asia and the Middle East).
The best Officers can only be called "professional" or "courteous"... Their ain't many who are truly happy for you to lob into their country... And theres a few absolutely rampant power crazed assholes out there wielding a rubber stamp.

But neither booze or Antigua, or BVIs C&I should put you off cruising.


Mark


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## Markwesti (Jan 1, 2013)

I only drink on days/nights that end with y.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

They are excuses.

BTW the trip from Trini up to St Lucia is often tough going. Esp. St Vincent to St Lucia.

Try it the other way!

Rum can be even even cheaper if you visit a rum factory on an 'open' day. Take your own 5 gallon container. 

Sure I have met the odd difficult customs and immigration officer in my 13 years of cruising but the vast majority are friendly and helpful and the offices are on the docks.


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## aloof (Dec 21, 2014)

Those are excuses. Not very good ones. Probably less drinking among active cruisers than the landlubber population. Government officials are not a problem. A big bothersome run around sometimes, sometimes expensive, but not a problem.

Boat maintenances and the money it takes is the problem.


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

I'm not sure those are excuses....more of an observance. Drink if you like. Hang out with others that drink if you like. Or....don't. It's your choice, and no one is going to force you.

Customs and Immigration is not something you deal with on a daily basis. It is serious business though, and part of cruising if you check into other countries. 

What other concerns do you have, regarding the cruising life? These are pretty petty, and I hope you wouldn't disregard giving it a try yourself, based on these minor impressions. We all live differently, have different destinations, and expect different experiences when we leave the dock.

Ralph


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## RainDog (Jun 9, 2009)

I think it is harder to avoid drinking when you are hanging out in a port or a place lots of cruisers congregate and sundowners are the norm. But really, was hanging out with a bunch of people in a foreign port why you went cruising? Just make sure you spend lots of time alone in a secluded anchorage. Spend your time hiking, snorkeling, reading, playing guitar, etc. 

If you are somewhere and find yourself drinking too much, that is good sign you should take off and have an adventure by yourself. A week or two alone in a beautiful spot is just what the doctor ordered.

Custom officials, like many things when you are travelling, is all a matter of attitude. You need to be able to take a lot in stride, or travel is probably not for you. Again, after a few days alone in a beautiful anchorage, it will seem like no big deal.


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

Drinking too much can be a problem for many retired/semi retired people. Expats under many situations tend to gravitate towards other expats. The drinking is social, but when all your socializing is at the corner bar or your neighbors cockpit over a beer...

I often break up the winter with a few weeks holiday in Asia and I tend to drink too much. I don't think I'd be good at full time retirement.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

Some really small excuses, if those are the reasons holding you back then you are going to find many other far more difficult issues to deal with out here.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

IMHO long term cruising is not for everyone who loves to sail. There are many other forms of enjoyment including day sailing, weekends, 2 week vacations, or even summer sabbaticals on the water. Also, there are many forms of long term cruising, some people silt in, others cruise the world.

For us, after a few weeks, we are ready to get on land. Then after a few weeks, we are ready to go sailing again. It's good you did an experiment to try and figure out what kind of sailor you are before you dove in with both feet.

I have seen expat filled bars in Caribbean with all the bar stools occupied at 2PM and the sat TV tuned to soap operas. I've also know cruisers who sailed the world, they were not silted in with a bar stool where everyone knew their name. I've played harbor politics with small time local officials to clear in. Mostly, if you treat them they way you'd like to be treated, it goes pretty well.

There is no wrong answer to this question, but finding out what your personal cruising style is before you buy a boat, sell the farm, and sail into the sunset or not is pretty darn smart in our opinion. Lots of broken dreams out there, some are in that expat bar full of mid day drunks watching the soaps. Others have found their own paradise. 

Find yours, that fits you. Life is short.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

Buy an RV and take up golf.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I don't really understand this "drinking too much" problem.


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## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

If you have a compulsion to drink and can't regulate your intake, Drink water or juice. The wife and I enjoy a tipple when the time is right. We don't drink on passage unless the weather is right and never more than a wine or a g&t at sundown or a shot crossing the line. If we go to dinner with friends we take no more than two bottles of wine. If its a pot luck on the beach, same two bottles of wine with a third in the dinghy in case. Most cruisers are up at dawn or just before, so normal lights out can be 10pm. Its houses for courses.
Edit: sometimes these plans turn to s#@t and we watch the sun come up.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

Many other interesting activities out here in the evening. I was invited to a four year old's birthday party tonight. Chocolate cake and cool aid were grand. The young man was a great host, he cut the cake, served me first and then the rest of his mates before he tucked in. Great time relighting his birthday candle ten times to shrieks of laughter and joy....


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

If this is for real, and you're not just having us on, then I'd say you're simply manufacturing silly excuses to avoid doing something that you really don't want to do ... and that's OK. Cruising is not for everyone. Don't feel you need to create poor excuses; just don't go.

Drinking ... Don't want to drink? Then don't. More for me .

Seriously, if you are prone to alcoholism then cruising in typical areas, and cruising with others, will lead to temptation. But so will most other forms of living in North America. Alcohol is the most pervasive drug around, so a recovering alcoholic must learn effective strategies anywhere you go. I've cruised with drinkers, and with abstainers. I enjoy a beer or two (or three ) in the evening. Some friends don't. It's no problem.

Dealing with officialdom is just part of the joys of travel. I find that if you treat others respectfully and professionally, then you usually get the same reflected back at you. No foreigner has a right to enter another country. It is a privilege. If you go in with attitude, and a sense of "this is my right," or worse, that these people are mere servants here to cater to you, then you're going to have a hard time.


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## captain jack (May 5, 2013)

DCSailor1 said:


> Drinking and customs? Those are your reservations? Come on, unless your prone toward alcoholism, which would be a problem anywhere, or are entirely unable to comprehend a level of envy/disdain for the rich (by comparison) yachties by the natives, there must be something else going on here.


i have to say that i agree with the thought behind this post. out of all the issues and considerations that might go into deciding to 'sail off into the sunset', i should think there would be quite a few much bigger ones that would pop into a person's mind:

what boat?
financing it?
what type of head is best?
what technology to take with you?
what supplies to take?
a water maker or no?
what to do wit all your land based property?
even what kind of anchor to have might be a bit higher on the list.

can't say as i'm crazy about the new format. maybe after i get used to it...you know how it is with us old coots: we like things as we are used to it being.:grin


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## captain jack (May 5, 2013)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> I think one must be very careful about drinking. It can be worse than home because there is a Happy Hour every night and one can fill a week with nightly booze.
> 
> I am lucky I dont have any social addictions, either to drink, gambling or drugs. But there are plenty who do, especially the bottle.
> 
> ...


holy crap! that's the cost of alcohol in australia? it's a lot cheaper, here. $20 will get you a bottle of really good rum. for 10 bucks you can get a huge bottle of calico jack rum.


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## ImASonOfaSailor (Jun 26, 2007)

I say drinking is for hiding who you really are! This is my opinion, but when someone thinks drinking is important it reminds me of my 19 year old son. If you have a heart for sailing, you go get a boat and sail it in a your area before you go cruising. test everything out first spend nights on it , days weeks see if its your thing. Maybe even go to work from it if you work or not! I am in a small lake and alot of times i wish i had a bigger body of water to hide in. Next you have to figure out what type of boat you need! Me i looked at Speed , beaching, how many times am i gonna use it so i got a catamaran for cheap! I dont care to get in the water so i dont have to worry about the Keel or water depth, i have daggers and Kickup rudders. I can point just as high as a mono, just get aboat..


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

If it is YOUR boat and you are sailing responsibly, you'll know that anyone on watch shouldn't be drinking, period. And, like airline pilots, shouldn't be drinking for the 24 hours beforehand if you really want to be sharp. 

So you don't stock any booze on board, and since there are no deliveries at sea, you have no drinking problem. Unless you are in port, in which case the boat isn't relevant, is it?

Similarly with customs and other bureaucrats, some are great folks and some are jackasses, even at your local US state DMV. If you dress in funky moccasins, a plastic watch (or none), have a three day beard and cut-offs that look like they could stand on their own...you may have more problems than the sailor who takes the time to clean and change into yes, ironed clothes before going ashore.

If you just want someplace quite and reclusive to hide out, then no, a boat crossing borders and throwing parties just isn't going to make it. But again, the boat is really not relevant to that.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

wylieblue _"I have always been interested in sailing .Now or lately I am finding that the old itch is returning and the possibility of cruising is filling my noggin once again.Just trying to rationalise the situation. PS: Don't have a boat, but seen one lately I really like........"
_

You are screwed, you have a much worse addiction than alcoholism; Messing with boats. If you find a cure please post it here.


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

I don't drink at all while in command or under way. Rarely in a marina situation but theres a case for reaching for a sociable libation as it tends to make others more interesting . If this happens around you a lot , well??


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