Do boats have feelings...

Boathook said:
+1
I do what I can to look after her and she seems to return it by looking after those on board.
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Totally agree.

When solo sailing I have noted that when ashore the safety of the ship is in your mind all the time, untill you can see her on the quay, or at anchor in the distance.

When at sea, she returns the favour by worrying about me!
 
Agree 100% !

If I ever leave the boat at anchor - increasingly unlikely as age and experience set in - I'd never stop fidgetting in my seat ( even in the unlikely event of having someone like Elle McPherson sitting opposite, she could get stuffed if my rubbing strake might get nadgered ! ) if I didn't have a clear view of my boat, the garden at the Bankes Arms at Studland Bay - with a clear view of one's pride & joy - is a good example...
 
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My boat has carried me safely through Force 12's and enjoyed many a sunrise with me, she has also carried good friends safely and I think they enjoyed it; some are in a different world now.

You get back what you put in, and I'm quite certain that my love in terms of work, kit and antifouling etc is repaid handsomely by her 'talking to me', via the tiller, whenever I step aboard or in my dreams !

There is the old story of a sailor taking an accountant chum for a sail;

The accountant says " why do you spend all this money on a boat you can only use at best 2 days a week ?

The sailor replies " No, I use her 7 days a week ".

"How So ? "

" 2 days a week I sail her, the rest of the week I dream about her "
 
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NealB said:
"Do boats have feelings... "


No, they're inaminate objects, totally lacking any ability for conscious thought
or emotion.
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+1
Boats are tools. Just like cars, hammers or electric drills.
I'm even thinking of calling my next boat "The Hammer" just to make the point.
 
bbg,

I feel sorry for you; even if it's just a notion, one will always get more out of a boat ( or anything else like an aeroplane, car or bike ! ) if one imbues it with a character and personality of some kind, even if only to swear at like my 1965 Mini !

Thinking boats are soul-less machines is missing the point, and steering straight past a major source of enjoying & getting the most out of sailing; I kiss my boat every time I leave her, and I remember seeing the painting of 'Laurerelei' at Redcliffe YC, with the inscription on the lines of " She'll never let me down" after saving quite a few lives in the 1979 Fastnet; I'd bet her owner thinks she has a character and soul, as do countless others, how about 'My Lively Lady' for a title ? Sir Alec was the only person I ever asked for an autograph, when I was a boy.

If you can't understand the essence of a boat's personality, you should maybe take up being an accountant full time - why bother with a sailing boat, as a mobo seems more efficient for your purposes - and leave sailing to people with a bit of touchy - feely understanding ! :)
 
Thanks for your pity, Seajet, but I don't need it. I get a great deal of pleasure out of sailing, without having an imaginary friend.
 
NealB said:
"Do boats have feelings... "


No, they're inaminate objects, totally lacking any ability for conscious thought
or emotion.

Nice pic though!
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bbg said:
+1
Boats are tools. Just like cars, hammers or electric drills.
I'm even thinking of calling my next boat "The Hammer" just to make the point.
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Keel haul them :p, hang them :o, Keel haul them and hang them :p no Keel haul them, hang them then take them to a boat yard and have them shot :eek:


bbg said:
Thanks for your pity, Seajet, but I don't need it. I get a great deal of pleasure out of sailing, without having an imaginary friend.
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Just think of how much more pleasure you have with an imaginary friend :D
 
After reading some of the replies I think the question could be rephrased to....

Do you have feelings for your boat?
 
Nostrodamus said:
My boat and a couple of her mates are coming round for a chat with a hammer. :D:D:D
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Nostradamus,

I suspect bbg would be better off with large decal saying 'The Spanner', either way let me and my boat know when to come along...

This was ( hopefully ) never a tremendously serious thread, but I do honestly feel one has to love, cherish and think of a boat as a sensitive being - even a lover - to ever get the best out of her.

Call me mad as a box of frogs if you like bbg, but we've had a spiffing relationship and I rather hope it lasts a while yet.

Andy
 
Where my boat goes so do I. We are pretty attached really but she does not need shoes or her hair done. Having said that I have had to take the credit card back from her because of overspending.
 
bbg said:
+1
Boats are tools. Just like cars, hammers or electric drills.
I'm even thinking of calling my next boat "The Hammer" just to make the point.
Click to expand...

So you've gonna have a small toffee boat, a medium-sized ball-pein boat, a large claw boat, a dead-blow boat, a soft-faced hide boat, a lump boat and a BFO sledge boat?

Even with hammer, one can still be subtle, in choice ;-)
 
Seajet said:
Nostradamus,

I suspect bbg would be better off with large decal saying 'The Spanner', either way let me and my boat know when to come along...
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<sigh>

I bet that's an adjustable, rather than a perfectly-weighted King Dick ring (sic) or a Snap-On flank-drice combi box-end, or even a Halfords Pro ratchet....

Tools have feelings - the more you've got to choose from, the more the appropriate one is likely to jump out of the box shouting "choose me!" when a tricky job arises.
 
tonybannister said:
"French" mustard of course
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Only if it's the 'Ancient' grainy speckly type stuff; otherwise old fashioned English pleb Colmans for me please.:)

As for Snap-On tools, they used to send a van round our airfield selling their stuff, funnily enough right after pay-day ! I was always amazed by their selling anything at those prices; I've always been happy with Draper.
 
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