Sailing for Inner Peace: Find Relaxation and Excitement

[infinitebubble]

Who here goes sailing into the night? Anyone here sailors or owners of a sailboat/catamaran? I sail often and find it calms the exhaustion of the week. Though relaxing and transcendence to a time far away only when I'm fishing and pulling in a large fish does it really get exciting! Anyone relate?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

For years a goal has been to learn to sail. One of these days! I've been a hard full of times and it's a great feeling cruising on open water with the wind!

 

[gleem]

sail often and find it calms the exhaustion of the week.

And it did for me too. From the moment I step aboard my mind enters different realm completely dissociated the workaday world. Start out sailing on other peoples boat which is very cost effective but not as satisfying as sailing your own. I have owned a sailboat for 40 years getting a late start in the sport although I am currently without one.

 

[Dr.D]

When I was in graduate school (long, long ago!), my advisor told me at one point that he was adding as a degree requirement that I must learn to sail. This was not unreasonable since my research was on sail boat hull design, but I simply groaned; another burden! What I did not realize was that my advisor saw that I was horribly stress, almost to the breaking point. He offered me the use of his small board-type boat any time I wanted it. I could simply go to his house, hook up the trailer, and go out to the lake.

After days and days of blackboard discussion about the theory of sailing, he and my office mate and I headed out to the lake on a cold day in February. We launched the little board boat, and he told me to step aboard. I did, and suddenly, he gave me a great shove. I was underway! An hour or so later, my advisor and my office mate appeared on his large sail boat (33' length) out of the fog. The sailed on past and waved, while I was floating with the board boat inverted in the water. But, in about 4 hours, I learned to sail!

Thereafter, for my last year, I sailed Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, almost every week. I would go out on the lake, alone, and just sail furiously, pushing the boat as hard as I could for about 3 hours each time. I would come home totally wrung out, but wonderfully relaxed. It was probably the thing that saved me and enabled me to finish my degree .

 

[Evo]

I don't know how to sail, but my first husband did and we belonged to a sailing club years ago. We used to go night sailing on Chesapeake Bay on a friend's 42 footer. I crewed. If you call occasionally pulling on a rope crewing. My ex (first) also raced and did lightning class and spinnaker and made the cover of a sailing magazine.

Night sailing was ANYTHING but relaxing, with the tides, we were outrunning stinkpots (motorboats). We were so far heeled over that it was all I could do to keep my arms wrapped around the railing so that I did not slide off of the boat into the water and die. It was EXHILARATING.

 

[infinitebubble]

Excellent stories and past sailing endeavors... I learned on my parents sailboat in the NE waters off Long Island. I started sailing on my own boat a 19 ft open with centerboard... quickly got a 25 footer and now own a Hunter 28 and just love sailing and being anchored miles from civilization. Although we've had this same boat since the early 2000's it's time to move onto a bigger boat so we're looking. One thing is the foot-i-tish and getting something bigger but we'd like to moved onto the boat full time and let go of land possessions (homes, cars, etc.). A catamaran would be a perfect vehicle to achieve those goals so we're looking.

I't great to have a spouse that loves the water more than I do so this helps, we fish, dive, cook, and all the other things one does when away from home.

Dr. D... That was awesome advise and requirement from your advisor at the time... The Sea Scouts is another great program for kids and gets them started into this sport/hobby.

Greg B. if you're ever in the Savannah, GA area look me up with a PM and you're welcomed on our little sailboat... BYB...

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Greg B. if you're ever in the Savannah, GA area look me up with a PM and you're welcomed on our little sailboat... BYB...

My wife and I were there touring the town in 2014. Great town!

 

[gleem]

One thing is the foot-i-tish and getting something bigger but we'd like to moved onto the boat full time and let go of land possessions (homes, cars, etc.). A catamaran would be a perfect vehicle to achieve those goals so we're looking.

We moved aboard in 2006. We had been sailing 25 and 30 footers on Long Island Sound and vicinity and the Chesapeake Bay. I and later we had dreams of seeing what cruising was all about.. We purchased our final boat in 2001 to give us some time to get use to it and prepare it for off shore sailing. In Dec. 2006 five month before I retired we took the boat to Charleston for the winter and there I left my wife to get use to living on the boat and spiffing it up until my last work day April 30. May 1 we were in Charleston soon setting off for New England for the summer. Since that time we visited the Caribbean and the Bahamas five times for the winter months and New England seven times for the summer stopping in the Chesapeake to visit family for a few weeks coming and going.

We were not interested in selling the house etc but rented or let one of our sons use it. We had plans to sail to England where our daughter had been living but significant boat problem surfaces just before our setting off. She returned to the US soon after that so those plans were put on hold and eventually decided not to go. We decided that we had other thing to do so we returned home in the spring of 2014. The boat expenses where getting a bit too much so we sold it in 2016.

We will always cherish the memories of those seven years. Met some great people and saw things that not many have seen. While much of our experiences are fondly remembered there were those events that pushed the level of concern from exhilaration to apprehension, to some serious distress. Yes there were some close calls and luck was involved with avoiding some serious consequences.

Although we decided on a traditional semi heavy displacement monohull of modern design although we did consider a catamaran for, speed, flat sailing , large open salon and large cockpit. I had this fetish for needing know I could to sail to windward and crawl off a lee shore if my engine failed. Cats are not known for windward ability. Also for cruising when you get all that you will need or think you will need aboard the boat sits much lower in the water significantly decreasing the speed. Therefore to minimize this one should get the biggest cat you can afford. But out there you will be surprised to see who is sailing what from a wayfaring artist sailing a 30 year old 20 ft light constructed sloop with no cooking facility accept the sun and no cooler to a family of five with two dogs on a not too spacious 35 footer to million dollar racing sleds.

I't great to have a spouse that loves the water more than I do so this helps, we fish, dive, cook, and all the other things one does when away from home.

And that my friend is the greatest gift to any sailor. "Your a lucky man" as my wife keeps reminding me. How many times have we met couples in which the wife commented " It's his dream". You hear, My wife doesn't like to sail at night or doesn't like long passages so she flies in when he arrives. The value of having someone on board who you have the greatest confidence in managing the boat if you are hurt or sick cannot be over stated. I know, a great number of men and women have sailed singlehandedly around the world but it takes a certain mind set to be alone for weeks at a time.

If you have any questions about the cruising lifestyle I would be happy to try and answer them.

So good luck to you and your wife, and enjoy the experience 24/7.

 

[infinitebubble]

We will always cherish the memories of those seven years. Met some great people and saw things that not many have seen. While much of our experiences are fondly remembered there were those events that pushed the level of concern from exhilaration to apprehension, to some serious distress. Yes there were some close calls and luck was involved with avoiding some serious consequences.

Yes this is the best explanation anyone can attest to after being out in the open waters be it the Atlantic/Pacific or Caribbean waters... there is just so much one finds interesting that words can not match. I am lucky to have a spouse who does love being on the boat and like you mentioned many spouses do not like the sailing or the boating lifestyle. Yes we have seen some strange vessels, phenomena in the water and skies we could not comprehend or explain to this date.

Lots to learn when we go out always and never a dull moment.

Cheers,

Nick

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Who here goes sailing into the night? Anyone here sailors or owners of a sailboat/catamaran? I sail often and find it calms the exhaustion of the week. Though relaxing and transcendence to a time far away only when I'm fishing and pulling in a large fish does it really get exciting! Anyone relate?

I spent 20 years in the USN. Small boats, aircraft carriers, I just liked being at sea. Smaller bodies of water, not so much. Especially if we were in range of the banks.