Whatever Happened to sailboat Cruisers no Longer Sailing....

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

There are so many people that spend years cruising around the world and they have produced some wonderful and exotic videos. This video link is "Whatever happened to sailboat cruisers no longer Sailing"

 

[Sea Devil]

There are so many people that spend years cruising around the world and they have produced some wonderful and exotic videos. This video link is "Whatever happened to sailboat cruisers no longer Sailing"

Thank you for posting that - really lovely - shots and a load of very nice sailing people -

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

I find it interesting and I admire those who made the brave decision to sell up, give up job and go to explore our planet by sea and to meet people of different cultures.

 

[robmcg]

I'd like to know what happened to Wandering Steve ??

 

[Sea Devil]

I find it interesting and I admire those who made the brave decision to sell up, give up job and go to explore our planet by sea and to meet people of different cultures.

When I was doing that only the minority were young people or people with kids - mainly retired couples and fairly wealthy in as much as they had a pension or other income - The relatively few young ones were on a fixed duration of 3 or 4 years and had businesses or homes to go back to -- Lots of young people crewing - back packers and university gap years -

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

When I was doing that only the minority were young people or people with kids - mainly retired couples and fairly wealthy in as much as they had a pension or other income - The relatively few young ones were on a fixed duration of 3 or 4 years and had businesses or homes to go back to -- Lots of young people crewing - back packers and university gap years -

I presume that nowadays technology allows people to work remotely from the boat, using them as mobile offices; very nice if one can do this and sail around world at the same time. I suppose, all good things come to an end eventually.

 

[Sea Devil]

I presume that nowadays technology allows people to work remotely from the boat, using them as mobile offices; very nice if one can do this and sail around world at the same time. I suppose, all good things come to an end eventually.

I think we probably have to wait for satellite technology to get a bit better before it will work economically in the south pacific for people to be able to work but it's true things have moved on from my time - a lot of the Glam Couples making money from their YouTube channel are frequently cruising in a certain area - albeit a big area - and are not actually circumnavigating -

- I think folks mainly want to circumnavigate once, then move onto other things although I knew a retired couple who were on their 4 trip round... It is a pretty special experience - certainly I had a camera in one hand and my hand on the wheel with the other but it was more 'recording the event[' than making a business out of it - I note with interest that on my channel the South Pacific - Australasia, Asia videos get hardly any views - compared to English channel and the Med -

A friend of mine worked out that there are approximately 200 to 250 boats at the big staging places on their circumnavigation - Canary Islands, Panama, Society Islands, Australasia, Asia and then on to the Red Sea into the Med - Each season - which is actually not very many out of a world population of sailing folks

 

[BurnitBlue]

There are a few reasons why circumnavigations are getting rare. When I was cruising, the Panams Canal was run by USA with very few restrictions. Today it is almost impossible to satisfy the rules in a modest cruising yacht. On first glance they look the same as before but it is not so easy to satisfy the measurers. Speed, accomodation, full meals for every one, seperate wc, shade, and very expensive. Webb Chill had to use overland transport at high expense. Of course it still can be done. But I know of some yachts that had to go via Housten on a truck, some via the great lakes and a truck, or via Magellen Strait. After that obstacle there is now advance permission required via SSB in some countries. Then there is Piracy and the Hassle of Suez or going round South Africa to end up on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

Times are a changing. For many the hassle and expence far outweigh the rewards. There will always be some who will bite the bullet because a circumnavigation defines a person with a bucket list.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

... There will always be some who will bite the bullet because a circumnavigation defines a person with a bucket list.

Really, just a tick box exercise? I imagine most do it for the adventure as opposed to an item on a checklist of things to do.

 

[Sea Devil]

Really, just a tick box exercise? I imagine most do it for the adventure as opposed to an item on a checklist of things to do.

I confess I never really planned anything long term - got bored after 4 years in the Med and went to the Caribbean - got bored there and headed for Panama - But I was more of less retired and despite being in an older boat I had the financial resources to survive work free for a few years - retired... and the majority are retired I think

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

BurnitBlue said:
... There will always be some who will bite the bullet because a circumnavigation defines a person with a bucket list.

Really, just a tick box exercise? I imagine most do it for the adventure as opposed to an item on a checklist of things to do.

I suppose it includes both the "bucket list" and the "adventure". I have not done a circumnavigation, but if I was to do a circumnavigation I would have liked to have all bells and whistles such as watermaker, diesel generator/solar/wind, sat phone, multi nav equipment, wind vane, etc and a comfortable yacht to fully enjoy my adventure.

 

[Sea Devil]

BurnitBlue said:
... There will always be some who will bite the bullet because a circumnavigation defines a person with a bucket list.
I suppose it includes both the "bucket list" and the "adventure". I have not done a circumnavigation, but if I was to do a circumnavigation I would have liked to have all bells and whistles such as watermaker, diesel generator/solar/wind, sat phone, multi nav equipment, wind vane, etc and a comfortable yacht to fully enjoy my adventure.

I think most long distance boats have much of the above - Crossing the Pacific from Galapagos to the Marquesas islands is the longest passage you can make without the option of touching land on the way - minimum of 3 weeks so your boat needs to be pretty self sufficient and properly equipped -

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

I wonder how Covid19 has affected the "long term sailing cruisers". As covid19 had an impact (both negative and positive) on sectors such as financial, medical, entertainment, hospitality, food, educational, environmental, transportation, technology etc, surely it must have caused a few problems to the people cruising around the world.
Perhaps, many long term cruisers have suffered financially to the extent that they were forced to give up their lifestyle and dream. Although, cruising around the world while covid19 was causing chaos, it has its advantages too.

 

[BurnitBlue]

Yes, these days it is a tick on a bucket list. It is not a big deal anymore with chart plotters, satelite weather forcasts, immigration restrictions, grp boats, epirb, SSB etc etc . etc. They are even organised rallies round the world to remove the bureaucratic hassle. TCM of this forum did a circumnavigation a few years ago with a bunch of girls for company. He described it somewhere as joining other poeples cruising grounds in a big loop. Everywhere are Charter companies that kind of remove the explorer aspect of a circumnavigation. It is now the field of record breakers. The oldest, the youngest, the smallest boat, man, woman, child. Clockwise, anti-clockwise. The list is endless.

The days when a skipper stepped ashore in Plymouth to be Knighted are long gone. He is more likely to be handed a bill for VAT. Today it is a family excersize and a box to be ticked from a bucket list.

I don't write the above as a troll but with sadness. Modern boats and equipment have totally reduced this everest of the sea to a common place event. Nobody would even consider going round in a leaky wooden boat, navigating by sextent, greasing the eggs and all that.

 

[BurnitBlue]

Sailing Florence probably the best round the world vlog have been stranded in indonesia for over a year. This simply because the countries they have to sail to next are under lockdown. The indonesian authorities have herded them and other yachts in transit to an island anchorage to be looked after by local fishermen. They are treated well but are naturally worried about when or even if they will be able to leave.

Actually I hear they may be back on the move as we speak.