Why do many Med sailors motor instead of sailing?

[skodster]

I'm on holiday on Majorca at the moment. From the moment I saw sailing boats, I noticed that around seventy percent of them motored around despite ideal sailing conditions.

Is there a reason for this? Many of the motoring yachts were the larger ones. Could it be possible that these guys are short handed?

 

[Nico]

I'm on holiday on Majorca at the moment. From the moment I saw sailing boats, I noticed that around seventy percent of them motored around despite ideal sailing conditions.

Is there a reason for this? Many of the motoring yachts were the larger ones. Could it be possible that these guys are short handed?

I noticed the same thing in France in September a couple of years ago. I think a lot of them were short-handed, as you say, but that they were crew moving the boat around for the owner or charters and were just getting a job done quickly.

 

[basic]

I'm on holiday on Majorca at the moment. From the moment I saw sailing boats, I noticed that around seventy percent of them motored around despite ideal sailing conditions.

Is there a reason for this? Many of the motoring yachts were the larger ones. Could it be possible that these guys are short handed?

I made a similar comment on this site yesterday. I have reached the conclusion that for many people owning a boat is a status symbol and therefore the larger the boat the better. If one talks to many of these folk it is soon apparent that many of them have little experience and that their boat is far too big for them although they do not realize or will not admit to the fact. Often they feel safer in a larger boat but this is not necessarily the case.
I conclude that the size of the boat and the lack of experience is the reason they prefer to motor. In a word they are over-boated. It's a great pity.

 

[catalac08]

I have no insight into med motoring of sailing boats but as an observation when I tend to motor or motorsail rather than just sail is when I am committed to go bigger distances and therefore need to maintain higher speeds than I can comfortably sail at. Perhaps the nature of med sailing is that the distances between anchorages etc is enough to require good speeds to be maintained to avoid overnight sails which many avoid?

 

[RupertW]

For us the reason is pretty simple - there often isn't enough wind. A lot of the Med is known for "too much wind or too little" so we are set up for the former with heavyish high cut genoa, and for a bit of fun a great big asymmetric.

However on a normal day in the bits of the Eastern Med we've sailed in there is little wind overnight or in the morning so we time sails from one anchorage to the next in the afternoon - especially as many anchorages are full of lunch and swim boats, so clear out before dark. But if we are going to a marina or town quay then we know we have to be there soon after lunch at the latest, so if we have guests on board we often have to motor in the morning so they get a chance to step ashore. And as we have an engine driven fridge I do tend to motor for an hour or so a day regardless to avoid annoying people in the anchorage or quay.

Short-handed or not, most Med boats seem to have easy rigs so when there is wind you see a lot of people turning from sticks to rags and back as needed. I think it's much more wind based rather than laziness or being short handed, but it is true that deliverers on shortish trips (<24 hours?) will bung the motor on hard and leave the sails altogether.

 

[colingr]

Not just the med. I would estimate that, apart from those obviously racing, 75% of yachts in the solent were motoring on Sunday afternoon,

Not lack of wind as others were happily sailing along. Maybe the wind was the wrong sort.

 

[Cardo]

We have a relatively small, but heavy boat. She requires a good 10 knots of wind before she'll start doing 4 to 5 knots through the water. We also can't point any closer than around 47 degrees off the wind.
What does all this mean? In the Med, with the usual light winds, and the fact we're often hugging a coast line, so the wind is dead on the nose, we simply can't sail, unless we're prepared to travel at 2 to 3 knots perpendicular to the direction we wish to travel in.

Every now and then we get a decent sail, but we probably motor 90% of the time. Also, when you're only going 10 miles, running the engine for a couple of hours is a good way of charging up the batteries.

 

[JimC]

Personally I'll use whichever of my boat's two alternative power sources best suits my needs and inclination, and if I prefer to motor in conditions that would allow me to sail I'll do so with a clear conscience.

 

[Norman_E]

I have commented on this before. I have a sailing yacht because I want to sail, so if there is enough wind I do so. Many times I have had very nice conditions and overtaken yachts that are being motored. I recognise that some charterers rent a yacht and have little interest in actually sailing it, but the number that I see motoring when they could be sailing is beyond all reason.

 

[JimC]

... but the number that I see motoring when they could be sailing is beyond all reason.

To you may be but each to his own - live and let live.

 

[basic]

I have commented on this before. I have a sailing yacht because I want to sail, so if there is enough wind I do so. Many times I have had very nice conditions and overtaken yachts that are being motored. I recognise that some charterers rent a yacht and have little interest in actually sailing it, but the number that I see motoring when they could be sailing is beyond all reason.

Agreed.

 

[colingr]

To you may be but each to his own - live and let live.

Much sense you make :encouragement:

 

[Pinnacle]

Many of the motoring yachts were the larger ones.

On a bigger yacht, a new suit of sails will cost far more than a new engine!

Have a look here ( be sure you are seated first!

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?401961-It-s-getting-to-be-a-different-kind-of-war-Number-One&p=4834931&highlight=#post4834931

 

[Steve C Cronin]

A few reasons:-

1. The need to get to the best places and get a good berth or one at all.

2. Overnight power consumption for the fridge, Aircon, light, ice maker etc.

3. some member of the ship's company doesn't like heeling and beating to windward in short, sharp seas.

4. Application of the adage "A Gentleman NEVER sails to windward"

 

[Poignard]

I motored most of the way across the Channel a few weeks ago. There was a flat calm and it seemed preferable to me to get to Cherbourg in time for dinner rather than drift up and down the Channel with the tide all night.

Sorry if this confession of weakness upsets anybody.

 

[TimH]

I was one of those inadequate sailors motoring in the Solent. In the Western Solent very few people motoring on Sunday afternoon, they were all going in the other direction and seemed to be having a great time sailing. However I was against the tide, downwind and needed to be back in Cowes. As others have said there can be all sorts of reasons why someone is motoring...which can range from experience of crew, not scaring someone, time constraints leaving/arriving etc, etc. Sail in the moment, and leave the judging to X factor

 

[colingr]

I was one of those inadequate sailors motoring in the Solent. In the Western Solent very few people motoring on Sunday afternoon, they were all going in the other direction and seemed to be having a great time sailing. However I was against the tide, downwind and needed to be back in Cowes. As others have said there can be all sorts of reasons why someone is motoring...which can range from experience of crew, not scaring someone, time constraints leaving/arriving etc, etc. Sail in the moment, and leave the judging to X factor

Just reread my post, I wasn't trying to be judgemental, after all I have a small mobo! I'm in the do whatever you want camp as long as you are enjoying being out on the water. I'm just interested. I can see why you would want to motor in your circumstances, I can see no pleasure in drifting backwards against the tide

Had a cracking day out there although, for us, it was surprisingly choppy heading west with the early ebb into the wind and surprisingly smooth coming back.

 

[mjcoon]

...
2. Overnight power consumption for the fridge, Aircon, light, ice maker etc.

That was certainly a contributory reason for some of our motoring over the last couple of weeks (no aircon, though!). Even when we had shore power connected, we were in Greece, so it gets switched off at random and we woke up to the low-voltage alarm going off...

Mike.

 

[TonyMS]

We have a light cat, and usually sail everywhere. But there are issues:

*We sometimes only manage 15 or 20 miles in a day, and have to anchor wherever we are when the wind dies completely
*We sometimes have to tack!
*We typically reach our destination late in the day, and then anchor off, entering the port next morning when the yachts on a schedule have left
*We have a genneker, and use it most days - it transforms light wind sailing
*If the wind is forecast over F4 upwind, or F5 downwind, we stay put!
*We need and have big solar panels which meet all our electricity needs

So, it works fine for a retired couple like us with no deadlines, but maybe not for others.

Tony

 

[Sybarite]

We have a light cat, and usually sail everywhere. But there are issues:

*We sometimes only manage 15 or 20 miles in a day, and have to anchor wherever we are when the wind dies completely
*We sometimes have to tack!
*We typically reach our destination late in the day, and then anchor off, entering the port next morning when the yachts on a schedule have left
*We have a genneker, and use it most days - it transforms light wind sailing
*If the wind is forecast over F4 upwind, or F5 downwind, we stay put!
*We need and have big solar panels which meet all our electricity needs

So, it works fine for a retired couple like us with no deadlines, but maybe not for others.

Tony

When I leave Lorient harbour the prevailing winds are often on the nose. It therefore depends on whether I am just out for a sail or if I am going somewhere. In the latter case I will often motor out to save time until I am in a position to bear off and raise the sails.

Similarly if the wind is too light to make my destination in a reasonable time I have no scruples about using the engine.