Should yachting take you out of your comfort zone?

[johnalison]

It's not only wives but children who may have a tolerance limit. We sailed with several families where the children lost heart as teenagers and never sailed again. One of the few things I am proud of is that although our children were unable to make sailing their sport after marriage, they always loved it and have taken every chance they could to sail with us.

One late sailing club-mate and his lady moved up from a small wooden boat to a Neptunian m/sailor that should have been reassuring enough. We met them in Ramsgate as they returned from Dunkirk in the fog in a state of some stress, even though the boat had radar and a primitive plotter. They sold the boat almost immediately and he took up motor hill-climbing and flying.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

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[Fr J Hackett]

It's not only wives but children who may have a tolerance limit. We sailed with several families where the children lost heart as teenagers and never sailed again. One of the few things I am proud of is that although our children were unable to make sailing their sport after marriage, they always loved it and have taken every chance they could to sail with us.

One late sailing club-mate and his lady moved up from a small wooden boat to a Neptunian m/sailor that should have been reassuring enough. We met them in Ramsgate as they returned from Dunkirk in the fog in a state of some stress, even though the boat had radar and a primitive plotter. They sold the boat almost immediately and he took up motor hill-climbing and flying.

Entering Ramsgit is enough to make anyone give up sailing. To enter once may be regarded as a misfortune but twice sheer carelessness.

 

[Daydream believer]

That works until your nearest and dearest take the next plane home from the Caribbean and refuse to set foot on the boat again.

It was not the caribbean but when she finally jumped on a plane & went home it marked a milestone in my sailing whereby I started to sail single handed nearly all the time.. That year we ended up meeting up again & sailing to Ostend & up the Dutch canals together, which she actually loved. But after that it was golf for her & SH sailing for me
Shear bliss as I could sail for me & not for someone else. At last I could decide when was the right time to sail. Not to be influenced by a whingeing crew & often end up making a bad decision, thus making things worse.

 

[Daydream believer]

Entering Ramsgit is enough to make anyone give up sailing. To enter once may be regarded as a misfortune but twice sheer carelessness.

If one cannot enter Ramsgate with ease in any condition & enjoy the delights of the Royal Temple YC then one really does need to give up sailing.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

If one cannot enter Ramsgate with ease in any condition & enjoy the delights of the Royal Temple YC then one really does need to give up sailing.

After sitting in the mud between pontoons despite giving full details of length and draught then wading across birdshit covered pontoons into a ghost town to find somewhere decent to eat I am inclined to agree at least as far as Ramsgit is/ was concerned

 

[westhinder]

It's not only wives but children who may have a tolerance limit. We sailed with several families where the children lost heart as teenagers and never sailed again. One of the few things I am proud of is that although our children were unable to make sailing their sport after marriage, they always loved it and have taken every chance they could to sail with us.

Absolutely.
This doesn’t mean however that children restrict you to short daysails from your homeport, as long as you involve them in the voyage and the running of the boat, and give them the opportunity to enjoy their own play and fantasy world.
We somehow succeeded in making several longer cruises with the kids when they were very young and even teenagers, which strengthened the bonds and created cherished memories, and both of them have continued sailing on their own. It seems our comfort zones got stretched simultaneously.

 

[johnalison]

Absolutely.
This doesn’t mean however that children restrict you to short daysails from your homeport, as long as you involve them in the voyage and the running of the boat, and give them the opportunity to enjoy their own play and fantasy world.
We somehow succeeded in making several longer cruises with the kids when they were very young and even teenagers, which strengthened the bonds and created cherished memories, and both of them have continued sailing on their own. It seems our comfort zones got stretched simultaneously.

Our children like to reminisce between themselves about what we let them get up to when sailing, whether messing about in the Avon or exploring the local town abroad. This latter only once caused them trouble when they were turned out of a bookshop for spending too long ‘browsing’ the French version of Asterix, or maybe Tintin. Very young children need to be treated with care and short passages, but later on my policy was to give them the very worst and messiest jobs on the boat, which involved anything from grease and glass fibre mat to antifouling and mud, and generally with a lot of squeezing into awkward places. It gets them involved, I told myself.

 

[Daydream believer]

After sitting in the mud between pontoons despite giving full details of length and draught then wading across birdshit covered pontoons into a ghost town to find somewhere decent to eat I am inclined to agree at least as far as Ramsgit is/ was concerned

Quite a few good places to eat actually. We used to run club cruises south & it was always considered a good stepping off point for return from Boulogne (or Dieppe) pre Brexit. During the covid period the club went out of its way to accomodate us in safe conditions.
But if you turn up in the middle of winter then the situation may be different. As it would in most east coast resorts.

 

[Tamar]

When a gale starts building on passage it can get scary, but after a few hours it becomes normal and not scary. The scary thing for me used to be a flat calm sea and no wind, I used to get very jittery. Now I have a power boat I love calm seas

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Quite a few good places to eat actually. We used to run club cruises south & it was always considered a good stepping off point for return from Boulogne (or Dieppe) pre Brexit. During the covid period the club went out of its way to accomodate us in safe conditions.
But if you turn up in the middle of winter then the situation may be different. As it would in most east coast resorts.

Late March

 

[ProDave]

When a gale starts building on passage it can get scary, but after a few hours it becomes normal and not scary

For me, the scary thing is how much it is going to build before it stops getting stronger, especially if not forecast.

 

[Daydream believer]

What is a typical passage duration for these people that are at a level where "comfort zones" are a problem?
Then one might ask if they are day or night passages?

 

[Daydream believer]

Late March

Who goes sailing in March?
I have been to foreign ports on the Channel coast in early May & they are still recovering from the winter.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Who goes sailing in March?
I have been to foreign ports on the Channel coast in early May & they are still recovering from the winter.

Me obviously, delivering the boat from Plymouth to her new home in Shotley. In retrospect a mistake.

 

[Daydream believer]

Me obviously, delivering the boat from Plymouth to her new home in Shotley. In retrospect a mistake.

Where else did you stop on the way?

 

[capnsensible]

Who goes sailing in March?
I have been to foreign ports on the Channel coast in early May & they are still recovering from the winter.

It can rain a bit in Antigua in March.

 

[johnalison]

What is a typical passage duration for these people that are at a level where "comfort zones" are a problem?
Then one might ask if they are day or night passages?

I think you may be in danger of patronising those less intrepid than yourself. I have known and sailed with people who varied from sailing oceans to those who would not go out of sight of land. Although not exclusive to women, the latter group mainly consisted of 'ferry wives', one of whom had had a near drowning experience as a teenager. The fact that she went to sea at all was sufficient challenge for her and we all respected her for it. For myself, I am an outright coward on land but whatever the conditions entirely happy once out at sea, and never happier than when staring a train of waves in the face, though preferably without actual wetness.

 

[Daydream believer]

I think you may be in danger of patronising those less intrepid than yourself. I have known and sailed with people who varied from sailing oceans to those who would not go out of sight of land. Although not exclusive to women, the latter group mainly consisted of 'ferry wives', one of whom had had a near drowning experience as a teenager. The fact that she went to sea at all was sufficient challenge for her and we all respected her for it. For myself, I am an outright coward on land but whatever the conditions entirely happy once out at sea, and never happier than when staring a train of waves in the face, though preferably without actual wetness.

Just answer the question will you.

 

[LittleSister]

One way of getting pushed out of your comfort zone is to buy a bigger boat.

Of course the other way to get pushed out of your comfort zone is to get a smaller boat!

Much more affected by wind, waves and tide; much more difficult to move around on and in; much more tiring; much less able to cope with severe weather; much less able to make progress to windward or even just hold a course in rough conditions; far fewer creature comforts; much less capacity to take spares/tools/safety equipment, etc; significantly slower to reach safety if required.

(None of the above applies to the Anderson 22, of course! )

Still are more fun per £, though.