# The great things about owning a sailboat that no one tells you about



## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

When I was considering my sailboat purchase, so many people warned me away from getting a boat. "Boats eat money", "You won't use it as much as you think you will", and "The two best days are when you buy the boat and when you sell the boat". So I worried I might be making an irrational decision, but decided if I was going to have mid-life crisis a sailboat was far better than a BMW, a house, a baby, or a start-up (which seemed to be how most late 30-something crises were manifesting themselves around me).

Instead, I find that I highly underestimated the benefits of owning a sailboat. Here are the things that really surprised me:

1. A sailboat makes an excellent weekend vacation cottage, even if you don't leave the slip. 
2. Other people find sailing and sailboats interesting and are always asking about your sailboat. If you are bad at small talk, a sailboat offers an endless source of conversational material.
3. Everything on a sailboat is more fun. Even cleaning a sailboat is way more fun than cleaning your house.
4. New car smell has nothing on sailboat teak smell.
5. Watching birds catching fish and other people docking their boats is better than 99% of television.

What pleasant upsides have you found about having your sailboat?

E.


----------



## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

I'm hoping to get past the "boats eat money" stage this season, then I should be able to answer your question.


----------



## aelkin (Feb 3, 2013)

There is an endless list of things to do!
I love the Marina atmosphere - so any excuse to hang out at the boat - painting, bedding hardware, sanding, varnishing, maintenance, canvas projects.

All of these things are infinitely better than mowing the lawn or folding laundry!

PLUS, when you actually go sailing, the boat feels better for your efforts!

I'm pretty sure after I replace the joker valve on my head last year, the boat sailed 1/10th of a knot faster. True story.

Andy


----------



## tempest (Feb 12, 2007)

All great points..and true

I live in an extremely densely populated part of the country. ( working on changing that) Sitting in traffic is almost a part-time job. Yet there are times, (especially on a weekday) when I can be the only boat out on the water. There are few places here where one can be alone anymore. It's what restores me.


----------



## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Privacy.

Even in a crowded anchorage a boat is quite private.


----------



## rockDAWG (Sep 6, 2006)

6. You can name your boat
7. You are the king or queen, your make the rules, you can change the rules anytime you like.


----------



## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

All of the above, plus 1. 

The rent living on my bouy is 1/10 th cost of my old apartment, plus I can sail or row my dingy to work and laugh at the traffic.


----------



## SVTatia (May 7, 2007)

Want to be happy for day? Get drunk
Want to be happy for a week? Get a vacation
Want to be happy for a month? Get married
Want to be happy for ever? Get a sailboat


----------



## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

- family bonding & making for childhood memories
- time to reflect on other things
- multiple teaching moments

and why is cleaning the boat more fun than the house?


----------



## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

You can marry people because you are a captain.


----------



## SailingJackson (Jan 1, 2011)

*Sail to work*

For years I lived on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin and kept my boat at a mooring field on the western short of Lake Mendota. I worked downtown Madison, just 3 blocks from the pier and breakwater at Tenney Park in Madison. During the summer I would sail to work in the morning and sail home in the evening. Sweet.


----------



## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Madison has the best farmers Market!


----------



## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

There is such a deep satisfaction when I'm sailing (especially when I'm alone and my senses are super heightened), and I have everything dialed in, can even take my hands off the wheel and she steers herself, and I'm just filled with this feeling that I can't describe -- supreme happiness? bliss? Maybe if I were religious, I could describe it in rapturous terms, but it never fails to overwhelm me in the moment, and I just grin and go with it. Many questioned my sanity about buying a boat and there were moments of doubt myself. I've been lucky to have done many things right in my life, but nothing was more righteous than my own boat.


----------



## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

emcentar said:


> ...
> 
> What pleasant upsides have you found about having your sailboat?
> 
> E.


Wait until you discover how to do the Naked Lightning dance. Pure joy.


----------



## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

1. The boat and learning to sail it has been a great, rewarding challenge. 
2. Sailing on my own boat has been much more fun than on others. In fact, it is so much fun that I am finding that I lack the discipline to work on it, I just want to sail it every time I go down to the marina.
3. The boat provokes thought- from learning how to fix things, to planning trips and long-term upgrades, wondering about its history, and dreaming of how far it will someday take me from this hectic, chaotic land life.


----------



## mrvideo (May 7, 2014)

Its much quieter than a Motor boat !


----------



## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

I find that I really like planning new projects for the boat. Actually getting them done is icing on the cake (sometimes I am forced to eat my cake without icing).

SailingJackson - I miss having my boat at Marshall park. Was 5 min drive to the boat. Now it is in Milwaukee. We would get food at Imperial Garden and take it out to the boat to eat.


----------



## jhgreen (May 4, 2012)

The Silence of moving with out the humm of an engine 
the ability to be truly unreachable for extended periods of time.

Jeremy G
Pearson 10m


----------



## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

* The remarkable sound the hull makes through the water at 6 knots, has an almost therapeutic effect.
* The unmistakeable feel of the boat when your just perfectly set trim, and the boat "clicks" into a groove, its a satisfaction you cannot get easily from other hobbies.
* People are no longer questioning your sanity, they are now sure you have none.
* The response of "I'm busy sailing" for some reason seems like a perfectly acceptable response for some people. And "I'm sorry I have a race, I can't let my crew down."
* The required attention to detail in both sailing, and repairing the boat, somehow in a very welcomed fashion, pulls away all focus from other stresses/worries in life.

Best quote ever. "...sailing isn't a sport. Sport should be so lucky."


----------



## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

23. Getting to take apart the head when it gets plugged - but I digress.


----------



## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

FirstCnC, I think that's one of the "advantages" of having to haul out in the winter - you are forced to NOT sail for a while, and that allows you to get work done.


----------



## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

For those of us who live board;
A house is just a poorly built boat that won't go anywhere.
If you don't like your new neighbors, you can move without selling the house.
When you do move, you don't have to pack and label one single cardboard box.
When it floods and the water rises in your front yard, you don't have to sand bag the doors.
It's so nice living in a home and not sharing it with bugs.
Rarely do folks stop by saying they were just taking a walk and found themselves outside your door.
Uninvited house guests are few and far between.
When the weather stinks, it's a good excuse to stay home.


----------



## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

Everybody thinks your rich.


----------



## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

aeventyr60 said:


> Everybody thinks your rich.


Yeah, I'm not so sure that's a plus when you are cruising.


----------



## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

capta said:


> Yeah, I'm not so sure that's a plus when you are cruising.


You must get that a lot on that nice HR.

My friends on a Swan always say it's a bene when booking into a yard.,..


----------



## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

A sailboat is a constant project for those of us who like projects.

It is a place to get a complete change of scene.

The planning of cruises is fun and challenging.

There is never a day sailing when you don't learn something new.

A sailboat sits upon a free medium connected to the rest of the world.

For those of us who are retired, sailing provides the satisfaction that comes with doing something challenging. It also convinces many friends that we are stark raving mad


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

DRFerron said:


> Wait until you discover how to do the Naked Lightning dance. Pure joy.


and does the wee green critter dance the dance ?


----------



## Seaduction (Oct 24, 2011)

Don't have to mow the lawn.
Don't have to rake the leaves.
Don't have to pay the property taxes.
Don't have the neighbor's dogs pooping on the lawn.
Don't have to ride behind slowpoke drivers in the passing lane.
I'm sure there's more.


----------



## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

When I bought my first boat to live aboard, I enjoyed telling everyone that I had just bought a boat with the intention to live on it. 

I still remember when one guy replied, "C'mon admit it! You just bought the boat for the girls."

"Girls?!?!" I thought as my 22 year old brain struggled to comprehend that I may have just struck pay-dirt. "Boats attract Girls?? Sweeet!" 

It was true. 

MedSailor


----------



## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

An extended cruise, or even a single vigorous day, makes you focus on where you are. You forget about what ever is wrong with the office, the home, and life in general, because you can't do anything about it now. You simply live, focusing on what is immediate, both good and bad.

I like the same thing about climbing. While in the midst of it you can't worry about some other thing. All of the petty problems are put in place, you sweat out the BS, and what remains is a good clean human. That's how it feels. 

It isn't as simple as relaxing. That's a child's view of vacation. It is a separate world you go to. The mountains can be like that too.


----------



## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

aeventyr60 said:


> You must get that a lot on that nice HR.
> 
> My friends on a Swan always say it's a bene when booking into a yard.,..


OK, then. I guess if having a big blue stripe makes our Pearson an HR, then we are indeed rich.


----------



## flyingwelshman (Aug 5, 2007)

That feeling of having a link to history and/or tradition.

Also: you always have a big effing swimming pool.

Oh, and some of the funny words you get to use - like a secret code with your sailing friends.


----------



## Uricanejack (Nov 17, 2012)

Simple
I sail if and when I want.
Where I want.
With who I want.


----------



## scratchee (Mar 2, 2012)

I agree with all these points, but #3 reaches out to me especially. Last year when my boat was on the hard, I made 6 or 8 complete passes over the hull with various grades of sandpaper, compounds, and polish. And not once did I even think, "Man, this sucks." No way would I ever have anything close to that sort of motivation for a car in my driveway.

Here's one thing I would add to the list: In my area, the Chesapeake and its tributaries are like a neighboring state that I had never visited before having a sailboat. Seeing an area from the water is every bit as eye opening as seeing it from the air.


----------



## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

My boat is my home.

My home takes me to interesting places.

With sails and solar for energy I get to feel I am stepping lightly on the face of the earth.


----------



## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

I agree with what everyone is saying.

To me, doing anything on the boat is therapeutic. It doesn't matter if working on a project or just sitting around doing nothing. It's still relaxing. It's a way to get away from work (as I live close to it) and to clear my mind.

It's never boring. there's always something to do. Or not do.


----------



## socal c25 (Nov 1, 2013)

Therapy for the soul and a tax write off...LOL


----------



## ravinracin (Apr 21, 2010)

I look at my boat and I see she and I are in a small way a part of people like Cook and Slocum, a sailor! It feels really good!


----------



## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

tdw said:


> and does the wee green critter dance the dance ?


No. He slips his head under his wing and waits for the nonsense to end.


----------



## Fau (May 13, 2012)

A couple hours of sailing lifts your spirit for days. I know that it does for mine anyway.


----------



## Seaduction (Oct 24, 2011)

socal c25 said:


> Therapy for the soul and a tax write off...LOL


What tax write-off?


----------



## ronspiker (Jun 27, 2001)

When the zombie apocalypse comes you have a way off the island...


----------



## Delta-T (Oct 8, 2013)

On a perfect sailing day I had yesterday, being the only boat on the bay, having many on shore watching me, hundreds of people...It really make me feel how privileged I really am, and allows me savor the moment and reality. 45 year old boat, worth next to nothing to anyone but me, but I am the riches man on earth! I was hording all the wealth. When someone says you must be rich to own a boat, I say they are right, I am rich.


----------



## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Seaduction said:


> What tax write-off?


The interest on the purchase, and certain closing costs, are deductible, the same as with a second home, subject to the same restrictions as the second home (for example, you have to spend a certain number of days aboard, facilities for living must be present).

Congress has tried to end it several times, but every time, the real estate brokers' lobbyists start greasing everyone in sight because of their fear that any change would exempt vacation homes as well (in fact, I suspect some Congressmen only introduce the bills to get the graft that comes in immediately afterwards).

Mixed blessing for me finally being able to write a check for a boat. No payments, but no interest deduction, either.


----------



## Pegu club (Jun 10, 2012)

We also think of our boat as the "beach cottage", "boat TV" (watching whats going on around us) is far better than cable. Everything you stated is true, oh and food tastes better on board. Stonington CT bombster scallops on the grill yum yum  followed by an after dinner martini, what more could one ask for??


----------



## flyingwelshman (Aug 5, 2007)

ronspiker said:


> When the zombie apocalypse comes you have a way off the island...


Not necessarily!

Check this out: Would a sailboat be a good place to be in case of a zombie attack?


----------



## LouAnn34 (Jul 12, 2010)

Greetings all. 

I enjoy sharing the sailing experience with people that have never sailed before ... what a wonderful "thing" to share.


----------



## Boasun (Feb 10, 2007)

krisscross said:


> You can marry people because you are a captain.


Yes you can.... But those marriages are only good for the duration of the voyage.

In reality; Captains today can no longer marry people, unless you are a licensed minister or reverend or priest. The change was back in the latter part of the last century.


----------



## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Boasun said:


> Yes you can.... But those marriages are only good for the duration of the voyage.
> 
> In reality; Captains today can no longer marry people, unless you are a licensed minister or reverend or priest. The change was back in the latter part of the last century.


I certainly hope you are incorrect about this, or there are a whole lot of couples who think they are married, but are not. I performed quite a few marriages aboard a schooner I operated in SC, as a notary. A civil ceremony does not require a religious person to perform it; a justice of the peace, court officer and a notary are all acceptable in some (many, all?) states of the Union.


----------



## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Personally I like the idea of a marriage that lasts until we come home.
Sounds like fun. :-0


----------



## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Seaduction said:


> What tax write-off?


well if you have a loan at least the interest is deductible. Perhaps if you could get a doctor to prescribe it for stress relief?


----------



## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Working on my boat always feels like a prisoner digging a tunnel to freedom. Yes, sometimes it does take that long.


----------



## socal c25 (Nov 1, 2013)

socal c25 said:


> Therapy for the soul and a tax write off...LOL


I write off the costs of repairs and upgrades to keep it livable, cooking fuel etc... I bought it with a credit card so the card interest on the purchase price is deducted, how about % of slip rent.


----------



## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

socal c25 said:


> I write off the costs of repairs and upgrades to keep it livable, cooking fuel etc...


I hope you don't get audited. Deducting repairs and upgrades is not allowable for a recreational boat under IRS code. I doubt interest is deductible either unless you have full galley and real marine toilet (Porta-potties don't count).


----------



## Clarks Hill Windbag (Mar 27, 2014)

Lounging in the cockpit on the hook, listening to the wind howl in the rigging, while the lake stinkpots flee for cover.


----------



## blutoyz (Oct 28, 2012)

I can't believe that nobody listed one of the most satisfying things...

The look on your powerboat friends faces when you tell them how much you spent on diesel last season ($32.80 for me):laugher


----------



## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

blutoyz said:


> I can't believe that nobody listed one of the most satisfying things...
> 
> The look on your powerboat friends faces when you tell them how much you spent on diesel last season ($32.80 for me):laugher


I'm afraid that one won't work for us. Our annual fuel expenditure is about us$1800.00, mostly for the generator, which works out to about us$150.00 a month for utilities, which really isn't that bad.


----------



## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

blutoyz said:


> I can't believe that nobody listed one of the most satisfying things...
> 
> The look on your powerboat friends faces when you tell them how much you spent on diesel last season ($32.80 for me):laugher


Just spent $22 for the season (5 gal). 

Then I'll get to see how long it will last.


----------



## Gregrosine (Feb 10, 2013)

emcentar said:


> When I was considering my sailboat purchase, so many people warned me away from getting a boat. "Boats eat money", "You won't use it as much as you think you will", and "The two best days are when you buy the boat and when you sell the boat". So I worried I might be making an irrational decision, but decided if I was going to have mid-life crisis a sailboat was far better than a BMW, a house, a baby, or a start-up (which seemed to be how most late 30-something crises were manifesting themselves around me).
> 
> Instead, I find that I highly underestimated the benefits of owning a sailboat. Here are the things that really surprised me:
> 
> ...


You've got it exactly right. I too was worried that I was making a totally irrational decision. But you have hit it right. One thing I would add is that I am still awed by the fact that the wind alone can move this large vessel and put her on a heel. Something about seeing a wake behind the boat under sail.


----------



## abrahamx (Apr 3, 2006)

*Re: Sail to work*



SailingJackson said:


> For years I lived on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin and kept my boat at a mooring field on the western short of Lake Mendota. I worked downtown Madison, just 3 blocks from the pier and breakwater at Tenney Park in Madison. During the summer I would sail to work in the morning and sail home in the evening. Sweet.


I love biking to the boat, then sailing to the golf course, golfing and then the reverse.


----------



## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

Of course I should have mentioned that sailing was a big perk too! But I already knew I loved to sail and had been renting small keelboats for a few years before deciding to get my own boat. What really surprised me where all the benefits of having a boat even on days when I couldn't leave the slip. 

Sometimes when I can't go out because I don't have anyone to sail with or the forecast isn't promising, I'll just overnight on the boat and have a beer watching the sunset and coffee watching the sunrise. In between I'll grab crab cakes at the local diner and go for a walk with my dog on the docks. It's such a welcome break from the city. I bought the boat to become a better sailor and go exploring on the Bay, but it never occurred to me how much fun I would have even in the slip.

Thanks for sharing all your other favorite aspects of boat ownership. I'm still happy I pulled the trigger and bought the boat, instead of listening to all the people advising me not to!


----------



## tightgroup (Oct 20, 2013)

The inlaws are petrified of water ... I keep inviting "her" for a spell on the boat, never showed up..


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Drinks in the cockpit with friends. Then in their cockpit. And so on, and so on...

Regards,
Brad


----------



## SailRedemption (Jun 29, 2013)

For me it's always been taking people out who have never sailed and their faces of joy and how much they are truly enjoying it. That is one of the many things I like about it at the moment while I'm stuck inland. Can't beat that, and especially when they bug you to go again! 

Little things... 

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk


----------



## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

We're planning on buying retirement real estate way up the coast from family and the biggest problem that my wife concealed from me until recently was how the distance would make it difficult to see the kids and grand-kids.

Until I said "We can just sail down to Auckland and live there for as long as we want then sail back home".

And that removed the last obstacle.


----------



## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

That moment when you cut the engine and everything is..... silent, but for the wind and water.


----------



## Morild (Mar 31, 2013)

This thread is a gold mine!
I might print out many of the brilliant quotes and put it up in my boat.
(If i get one soon, just sold my beloved Polaris Drabant, and can't seem to get a hold of the next Nordship 808)


----------



## drsutton (Aug 6, 2013)

aeventyr60 said:


> Everybody thinks your rich.


Your comment begs for a conjunction to replace the pocessive. Grammer 101.


----------



## scratchee (Mar 2, 2012)

drsutton said:


> Your comment begs for a conjunction to replace the pocessive. Grammer 101.


The words you're looking for are _possessive_ and _grammar._


----------



## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

drsutton said:


> Your comment begs for a conjunction to replace the pocessive. Grammer 101.


That is a work of magnificent glory. Even auto-correct couldn't have done that.


----------



## Stella's crew (Sep 3, 2012)

FWIW I have a warm, calm feeling inside whenever I think of her.


----------



## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Just how it changes you.


----------



## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

It keeps you from ever needing the services of a financial adviser.

MedSailor


----------



## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

I find that society is ever more restrictive, ever more intrusive into our daily lives. There are more laws and regulations than ever, and they are enforced more rigidly than ever. We are constantly bombarded by media and advertising. We are expected to be in full and constant contact.

The water is still a vast wasteland that is still less frequently patrolled, and the areas of highest enforcement are usually where powerboats congregate, and are easy to avoid.

For me, my sailboat is a place to disconnect from society. There are no billboards, no ads. The stereo is off. There are no ads or commercials on VHF. The phone is off, or at least set to "silent" operation. There is often no sound of traffic, no wailing of sirens. Law enforcement are few and far between. They are less inclined to board or inspect you just for the hell of it, compared to dirt-based LEO's.

There is no TV or internet. I'm far removed from whatever the mainstream media and our politicians are defining as the "problem of the day". I'm far removed from hearing about the banal, trivial concerns of Western civilization. I don't care that Justin Beiber has been arrested for the Nth time, or that Kim Kardashian's husband punched her in the face.

Our culture has become trite, selfish, ignorant and shallow and I can barely stand to be around my fellow citizen any longer. My vessel gives me a break from all of that. It allows me to mentally regroup so that I can function in society and earn a living.

For sure, you are all correct that the absence of the engine, and the sound of wind and waves are soothing. You are correct that a boat is a wonderful summer cottage that moves from place to place. I really enjoy traveling by boat vs. land, and arriving in new places. But for me, I enjoy my boat for the things it takes me away FROM, not away TO.


----------



## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

You never wake up on a weekend and wonder "what am I going to do today?"


----------



## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Go sailing enough, and you may be able to throw that high blood pressure medicine away. 

I had high blood pressure for years, despite being a runner. Two months after I started my cruise, it got so low I had to stop taking my medicine. It stayed like that, until a couple of months after we got back to the real world. Then it started going back up.

Sailing is a good way to undo all of the programing that has been fed into us since birth, that we should be concentrating on doing what we really want to do. And, once you've gone to a few third world countries, and figured out that their life expectancy may be lower than ours, but they are still able to do a whole lot more living than we do, because they aren't as developed in the stupidity department as we are.

When's the last time the Bahamas declared war on somebody? They couldn't win a war with the Miami Beach Police Department, and they couldn't care less. 

Get a calculator out one day, take the budget of the military, figure out what percentage of your taxes go to that, and figure how many days a year we work, just so we can go to war whenever we feel like it.


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

I just bought a boat and when I was picking it up I mentioned that saying about the 'best day' and how both of us were in our best day.

The week before I had sold my (smaller) previous boat... So, in theory, in the span of 10 days I had two best days...

Fact is, that saying only is pertinent if you don't find a way to enjoy the days in between buying and selling. 

I would also add that the assumption of 'eating money' is something people dislike. I would say that people pick up a hobby so they can make good use of their money. 

I am always amazed at the ways people will spend their money, in a way that others will think is crazy. In reality my recreational pursuit is no more wasteful or crazy than your sword collection.

Some people's best days are when they are when they are born and the day they die...... a lot of us try to make all the days in between the best


----------



## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

emcentar said:


> so many people warned me away from getting a boat. "Boats eat money", "You won't use it as much as you think you will", and "The two best days are when you buy the boat and when you sell the boat".
> 
> What pleasant upsides have you found about having your sailboat?
> 
> E.


I now drink with a better class of people. I have also discovered, after one buys a boat, one finds that those who warned you away from buying a boat seem less interesting, less intelligent, and one questions their advice in the future.


----------



## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

bljones said:


> I have also discovered, after one buys a boat, one finds that those who warned you away from buying a boat seem less interesting, less intelligent, and one questions their advice in the future.


That's not necessarily true, I still love my wife plenty


----------



## Reef33 (Jul 21, 2011)

~~~~~~~
8. Booty!
~~~~~~~


----------



## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

titustiger27 said:


> I am always amazed at the ways people will spend their money, in a way that others will think is crazy. In reality my recreational pursuit is no more wasteful or crazy than your sword collection.
> 
> Some people's best days are when they are when they are born and the day they die...... a lot of us try to make all the days in between the best


In a conversation with the previous owner of my boat during the purchase I mentioned that "I don't own a house, or a car, but now I have a sailboat. I suppose some people would call that crazy."

He responded, "some people would say you've got your priorities straight".


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Group9 said:


> Get a calculator out one day, take the budget of the military, figure out what percentage of your taxes go to that, and figure how many days a year we work, just so we can go to war whenever we feel like it.


(Not being political...)

Or calculate how many freeloaders you are feeding, clothing, raising thier kids, and buying big screen TVs for. The dollars are much higher there than for defense spending. It's a bit irksome, isn't it? Makes you want to set out cruising...

Regards,
Brad


----------



## fodao (Jul 27, 2000)

998) Being able to sail wherever and whenever I want with no restrictions unlike in a rental or a club boat.
999) Chicks dig boats!


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

bljones said:


> I now drink with a better class of people. I have also discovered, after one buys a boat, one finds that those *who warned you away from buying a boat seem less interesting, less intelligent,* and one questions their advice in the future.


and they don't get to go out with you on a sunset cruise


----------



## MikeGuyver (Dec 13, 2008)

We have lived aboard nearly two years and the relatives still think we've lost our minds. They might be right, maybe we have, but if so, they weren't our most valuable possessions , we still have our sanity, our sense of humor and our sense of freedom is growing all the time. There has only been one of them that even begins to understand why we chose this life style. 
We were sailing slowly up the river on a sunny afternoon with just enough wind abaft to counter the current and move us a few knots ahead. The sister-in-law was sitting out back in the "catbird" seat with a glass of wine when she turned to the wife and said " now I get it ". 
You can talk till your face turns blue or read every sailing story ever written and still not understand what she felt in that one moment. So maybe we are off our friggin rockers to most people but it's their loss not having known what drives us in this world that is so foreign to them.


----------



## Rastababy (May 17, 2014)

All great comments, folks !

I would just add that on the sailboat I ( we ) enjoy the music even more...

Be it reggae, jazz, opera, rock, celtic music, movies soundtracks, Cuban, African, Brasilian bossa nova ... or whatever fits best the movement of the waves, the landscape, the intensity of the wind, the light of the moon...

we enjoy the music more with the sailboat... and we enjoy the sailboat more with the music... ;-)


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

That moment, when the sails fill and the boat is in motion, driven by a power that is nature and you are controlling it.


Speaking of music... regardless if you are tone-deaf or not, when the boat arches and the stays start to hum... there is no better music


----------



## Fairladyaffair (Nov 19, 2012)

Agree! and love what has been posted so far!

I grew up sailing with my dad till I was about 12 years old. I tried to continue but it was a painful spot for my mom after his passing and our boats were quickly sold. 

Years later I still have an itch for sailing and have continued when the opportunity presented itself, there is still nothing like it in all I have experienced in my mere 30 years of life. 

I'd like to say I have seen my share of experiences. Two tours to Iraq that I still live with every day. I have been a "dirt LEO" here in Atlanta Georgia for the past 2 years since I have been out, trying several different careers trying to make it work but finding that something that uses my "experiences" was the best fit for me and for some reason I just like to be there to help people.

Still with all I have seen and cannot un see I am constantly working on projects as "therapy." I have been looking for a sailboat for the last year or so. In the mean time I have been working on my little AMF puffer dingy when I can. 

I find myself, like many people here, disgusted with what has become acceptable in society and would rather spend my time isolated on a sailboat with nothing but the moving water and the wind as company or possibly a weekend at the slip with only the company of the few peaceful, yet jubilant souls that occupy the docks throwing back a few or (depending on the work week)...a lot


----------



## SeaChanger (Apr 20, 2014)

It's referred to as "she" but it never speaks and doesn't mind when I try to change her.


----------



## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

Someone said to me tonight, "you're living the truth." It's my new go-to saying for why I sail.


----------



## trantor12020 (Mar 11, 2006)

T37Chef said:


> - family bonding & making for childhood memories
> - time to reflect on other things
> - multiple teaching moments
> 
> and why is cleaning the boat more fun than the house?


Obviously you haven't seen those bikinis cleaning the boat in next berth!! 
Those are the reason why cleaning boat is better than house


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

Those that see you working on your boat or working your boat are jealous... (this one embarrasses me because I am there for me, not to make others jealous)

and when you see someone on their boat, you are no longer jealous


----------



## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

When you're out sailing, no matter how hard you try, you cannot cut the lawn, paint the fence, clean up the garage, or do other household chores. 

If you're really smart, you also cannot hear your smart phone ringing because you accidentally left it on vibrate and buried it someplace below.


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

On a really bad day, when you think you don't like sailing... the boom will swing around and clock you ---- and you will have forgotten all about your dislike


----------



## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Look, we're sailors- most of us do just enough home maintenance to keep bylaw enforcement off our ass and the ceiling from falling on our heads, landscaping consists of mowing only when you hear rustling and notice a cadre of VC skulking along the fenceline, so your dirt-loving houseproud neighbours hate you.
Now where would you rather spend your time- on your boat in like company surrounded by others whose neighburs hate them, or at home being actively hated over the fence?
The boat always wins...

Which is why the grass doesn't get mowed and the paint peels and your neighbours' hate grows like the pulsing throbbing vein on their foreheads when they see you leaving for the boat again....

It's their own fault, really.


----------



## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

bljones said:


> Look, we're sailors- most of us *do just enough home maintenance to keep bylaw enforcement off our ass* and the ceiling from falling on our heads, * landscaping consists of mowing only *when you hear rustling and notice a cadre of VC skulking along the fenceline, so your dirt-loving houseproud neighbours hate you.


LOL.

I actually had my yard so bad that I received a letter from city ordinance to mow it down or get a hefty fine. Now, do just enough to get by.


----------



## Pegu club (Jun 10, 2012)

gamayun said:


> Someone said to me tonight, "you're living the truth." It's my new go-to saying for why I sail.


It is like a room without a roof, because I'm happy... Because happiness is the truth...


----------



## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

the song of my people.


----------



## ScottUK (Aug 16, 2009)

> Not being political...)
> 
> Or calculate how many freeloaders you are feeding, clothing, raising thier kids, and buying big screen TVs for. The dollars are much higher there than for defense spending. It's a bit irksome, isn't it? Makes you want to set out cruising...


Escaping people who use factually incorrect statements to justify hate inspired rhetoric is one of the many reasons I want to set out cruising.


----------



## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

It's one of the only hobbies that I can think of where you're glad and relieved if something "only costs $100."


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

capecodda said:


> When you're out sailing, *no matter how hard you try, you cannot cut the lawn, paint the fence, clean up the garage*, or do other household chores.
> 
> If you're really smart, you also cannot hear your smart phone ringing because you accidentally left it on vibrate and buried it someplace below.


I guess that is the difference between you and I --- I don't try


----------



## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Bene505 said:


> (Not being political...)
> 
> Or calculate how many freeloaders you are feeding, clothing, raising thier kids, and buying big screen TVs for. The dollars are much higher there than for defense spending. It's a bit irksome, isn't it? Makes you want to set out cruising...
> 
> ...


Yeah, but I knew to mention that would make somebody mad.


----------



## flyingwelshman (Aug 5, 2007)

BubbleheadMd said:


> There is no TV or internet. I'm far removed from whatever the mainstream media and our politicians are defining as the "problem of the day". I'm far removed from hearing about the banal, trivial concerns of Western civilization. I don't care that Justin Beiber has been arrested for the Nth time, or that Kim Kardashian's husband punched her in the face.


Back in the summer of '09 we went on our first 'extended' (3-week) cruise. We were pretty much disconnected the whole time.

When we got back to 'civilization' we stopped in at a little greasy spoon to restore our bad cholesterol levels. There was a TV playing up in the corner and I read the scrolling news report as it mentioned something about the 'Michael Jackson Tragedy'.

When the waitress came by to take away our dishes I asked her if she knew what tragedy had befallen MJ.

She looked at me like I had three heads. I guess Jackson had (allegedly) 'died' the day after we set off. We had missed the entire media circus and the weeks of commentary that followed. I think I'm not sorry I missed it.


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

flyingwelshman said:


> Back in the summer of '09 we went on our first 'extended' (3-week) cruise. We were pretty much disconnected the whole time.
> 
> When we got back to 'civilization' we stopped in at a little greasy spoon to restore our bad cholesterol levels. There was a TV playing up in the corner and I read the scrolling news report as it mentioned something about the 'Michael Jackson Tragedy'.
> 
> ...


too bad the list has been started.. Media Circus... as in not seeing it ... could be in the top five


----------



## socal c25 (Nov 1, 2013)

You can go out sailing anyti......

I'll tell ya later I am going sailing NOW!!!


----------



## jsaronson (Dec 13, 2011)

Owning a boat means never having to worry about what to do with spare time or extra cash!
Joel


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

jsaronson said:


> Owning a boat means never having to worry about what to do with spare time or extra cash!
> Joel


Me worry? ha, that is what credit cards are for... ;-)


----------



## Ulladh (Jul 12, 2007)

Sunrise.

At a marina, at anchor or in transit, all sunrises on a boat make it all worth it.


----------



## asdf38 (Jul 7, 2010)

The best part of owning a sailboat: shutting the engine off, and continuing to move in silence.


----------



## LilBabyPenguin (Sep 16, 2013)

*Re: Sail to work*



SailingJackson said:


> For years I lived on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin and kept my boat at a mooring field on the western short of Lake Mendota. I worked downtown Madison, just 3 blocks from the pier and breakwater at Tenney Park in Madison. During the summer I would sail to work in the morning and sail home in the evening. Sweet.


That is so cool!


----------



## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

The taste of beer, with your crew (even if you are solo) after a sunny and consistent breeze of a day


----------



## jmallett (Jul 3, 2013)

Racing one of the slowest forms of transportation invented and winning by 5 seconds after a 3 hour race


----------



## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

asdf38 said:


> The best part of owning a sailboat: shutting the engine off, and continuing to move in silence.


Right? The first time I was on a real sailboat was 2009. I remember being baffled by "head to wind" and such. But then we cut the diesel and the boat kept moving? Perfect. Just perfect.


----------



## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

Family interaction.

Bonding time between a father and daughter. 

When my 13 yr. old daughter forgot her math books to our weekend together for a helpful math party (because her school work is suffering), she learned more about motivation to study than she thought she would when I made her drag out 75m of 5/16 inch shortlink chain to count how many links there are in it so I could put depth markers on it. She had the task of using the kind of mathematics she was using in school, grams and fractions, tell me the count and weight of it, 1/2 of it, 1/4 of it if one link weighted 200grams. She did it grudgingly while other kids played in the hot sun by the water. I then told her that a sailboat is nothing but mathematics and there is a whole lot more of work to be done if she forgets her books or she doesn`t pick up her grades. She is now motivated.


----------



## CarbonSink62 (Sep 29, 2011)

Minnesail said:


> Right? The first time I was on a real sailboat was 2009. I remember being baffled by "head to wind" and such. But then we cut the diesel and the boat kept moving? Perfect. Just perfect.


This. 

And, as many others have mentioned, the social aspects that weren't there when I was sailing my 18' day-boat off a mooring on a very small lake. I _could_ get people to sail with me...

Now that I'm moving up to a 30' cruising boat on a mooring with access to the Atlantic, they _want_ to sail with me. 

I also love the mix of skills it takes to be an owner/skipper. I've always considered myself a 'jack of all trades' and this activity really showcases that.

Ken


----------

