Why Dont Most Boats Go Anywhere.

  • Thread starter Thread starter hlb
  • Start date Start date
yes onto back to my point
I still use the boat gone out nearly every weekend from May till September Friday to Monday
this year instead of the usuall 1 week to 2 weeks around Italy in beginning August I stayed running around the Maltese Archipelago, mostly Gozo and Comino for nine days and that was fun too
surely much less an expensive and less a thrilling one too, but none the less relaxing, was spoiled a bit by a small problem in the anchor winch in the middle of it
hopefully next year will be Eolian Islands, or inside the Italian shoe in the Ionian Sea we will see when it comes the time....
 
[*]Lack of Time for more than day hops = buy a smaller boat less to ten metres

[*]Cycle of life - Active boats can become less active as family and life circumstances evolve or change (ie kids grown up, new babies, etc) = go to an old people house

[*]Lack of confidence and fear after an impulse purchase = idiot

[*]Lack of experience = you will get it

[*]Lack sense of adventure = every day is an adverture actually

[*]Lack of funds = yes those come scarse even to me

[*]Spouse wants to stay in or near homeport due to past scare in a bit of swell = divorce or tie her to the bow in some real
conditions

[*]Blinkers (ie boats can only be parked on serviced jetties with 240v) = soloar panels, portable gennies etc

[*]Limited ability due to lack of training or experience = if you want u learn

[*]Some thought a boat was just a floating caravan = in US they do something similar to this but not our EU boat, but a boat is a totally different experience actually I hate the comparison dont know why


hope this helps those who have such problems
 
People are all different and that determines how they use the boat. We moved up to a 30 foot plus size but still basically go to the same places we did in our 21 ft. Most times we only travel 4 to 5 miles from our home berth and then return in the evening. We have travelled further but mostly stay local. We enjoy the local beaches (Poole) with 2 young Kids, then back to the berth and enjoy the evening with good friends on the pontoon.
Also as previously said people use boats as floating holiday homes, spend time aboard but dont move, again we do this, just the change from home is good. Cant see the problem.
We dont have a problem (Now !!) berthing the boat or with navigation on longer trips, we just enjoy what we do.
Boats are just toys, so long as it puts a smile on the owners face, job done.
 
In my case I tend to be solo with limited time & usually have bits to fix on board, which means I need to be close to shops for tools/ parts etc & limits my time for sailing for fun. Alternatively I have inexperienced family members (including grandchildren) so I tend to anchor off beaches where I can dry out & they can play on the beach.

Long passages with kids are a constant stream of "are we thare yet?"s. It isn't easy to get a pair of 6 year old boy-girl twins to show much interest in a chart & passage planning. It works for about 25 seconds at a time on average. I managed to get my kids counting jellyfish for a 12 hour Irish Sea passage once. Fishing will keep 'em busy for about 10 minutes but requires 30 mins to set up & 2 hours to untangle after.

On the other hand, digging sandcastles & catching shrimps on a beach entertains them for hours, - as does crab fishing off the slate quay in Caernarfon while I examine the merits of various fine malts. Which explains why I don't go far these days.
 
Searush said:
In my case I tend to be solo with limited time & usually have bits to fix on board, which means I need to be close to shops for tools/ parts etc & limits my time for sailing for fun. Alternatively I have inexperienced family members (including grandchildren) so I tend to anchor off beaches where I can dry out & they can play on the beach.

Long passages with kids are a constant stream of "are we thare yet?"s. It isn't easy to get a pair of 6 year old boy-girl twins to show much interest in a chart & passage planning. It works for about 25 seconds at a time on average. I managed to get my kids counting jellyfish for a 12 hour Irish Sea passage once. Fishing will keep 'em busy for about 10 minutes but requires 30 mins to set up & 2 hours to untangle after.

On the other hand, digging sandcastles & catching shrimps on a beach entertains them for hours, - as does crab fishing off the slate quay in Caernarfon while I examine the merits of various fine malts. Which explains why I don't go far these days.
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Yep, but I count that as doing something, going some where. I can understand folk doing things different with kids or when I had to be back at work by Monday. I'm not getting at folk or blaming them for something, I'm not telling them what to do. You have nothing to feel guilty about.
 
I consider myself a pretty dedicated boater, but often don't feel that I have "been anywhere" by which I mean that I am generally forced by circumstances to visit the same old haunts season after season.

I work an 80-hour week at work most weeks Mon - Friday. Saturday is spent generally doing stuff with the kids and chores and maintenance that needs doing at home. Sunday is "my" day.

The boat is 130 miles from home - about 2.5 hours down the M25/M3 if I put my foot down. Sunday I'm up and out of the house by 6:30 to be at the marina by about 9 - stopping en route to pick up essential supplies like beer and the Sunday paper. I get an hour or so to prep the boat, do essential maintenance, etc and then its engines on and queue for the 10:30 bridge to get out.

Options out of Poole Harbour entrance are turn right for Studland, Swanage, Chapman's Pool or Worbarrow Bay - or turn left for B'm'th or further afield to the Solent, Yarmouth, Beaulieu etc - all within a couple of hours at cruising speed. The further you go the earlier you have to up anchor in order to get back again at a reasonable time, so the less time you have to relax and enjoy it when you get there. If we aim to get back in on the 6:30 bridge, by the time I've refueled, berthed and tied up, given her a wash down, and made all ready to leave for another week, its 9pm. We then have a 2.5 hr+ drive back home to get in for midnight and start the cycle all over again. The time I get to just "sit and relax" on the boat is my own "down time" that I get in the whole week.

Last year I did this 22 weekends, and went down another 4 times just to run the engines up when it was too cold and poor weather-wise to go out. Additionally we did take our 2 week summer holiday aboard, and did our only long trip - down to Falmouth for the regatta, only to be rewarded with the two worst weeks weather in August during living memory. The family were all of the "never again" opinion when asked if they wanted to holiday aboard this year.

This year I have done only 20 trips down to the boat since she went back in late in March. We've also had 5 long weekends aboard - inc 3 great ones in August this year, allowing longer stays in Mercury, Island Harbour, and Weymouth, but all our longer distance trips we had trips planned - Cherbourg and the CI - had to be cancelled due to bad weather or mechanical problems.

I would love to cruise further afield, and the costs of fuel etc don't faze me at all - its just the time factor involved for both me and SWMBO. If we were to try to do the CI for a weekend and the weather turned nasty, meaning a delay for the journey back, I would be "up the creek" at work Monday morning. That's the only thing that's stopping me, including the necessity to boat solo a lot of the time out of the main season due to lack of willing crew.
 
PowerYachtBlog said:
[*]Lack of Time for more than day hops = buy a smaller boat less to ten metres

[*]Cycle of life - Active boats can become less active as family and life circumstances evolve or change (ie kids grown up, new babies, etc) = go to an old people house

[*]Lack of confidence and fear after an impulse purchase = idiot

[*]Lack of experience = you will get it

[*]Lack sense of adventure = every day is an adverture actually

[*]Lack of funds = yes those come scarse even to me

[*]Spouse wants to stay in or near homeport due to past scare in a bit of swell = divorce or tie her to the bow in some real
conditions

[*]Blinkers (ie boats can only be parked on serviced jetties with 240v) = soloar panels, portable gennies etc

[*]Limited ability due to lack of training or experience = if you want u learn

[*]Some thought a boat was just a floating caravan = in US they do something similar to this but not our EU boat, but a boat is a totally different experience actually I hate the comparison dont know why


hope this helps those who have such problems
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strakeryrius said:
I work an 80-hour week at work most weeks Mon - Friday.... Saturday is spent generally doing stuff with the kids and chores and maintenance ... Sunday I'm up and out of the house by 6:30 .... to get in for midnight and start the cycle all over again....
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Blimey, I feel knackered just reading that!
 
I had forgotten about the journey to the boat. Mine is only 2-2.5 hrs (110-120mls), but long enough to make a day trip damned hard work & probably pointless given the need to coincide with tides. I only work part-time these days, but I am effectively running a charity workshop where customers & volunteers alike depend on me being available. We have just taken on a full-time supervisor, so that may help as he gets up to speed. But family commitments with young grandchildren plus health & relationship dificulties for a close family member AND home maintenance requirements have prevented much time away from home this year. last year it was other shit.

My point is that most people's lives are more complicated than they plan for. The boat & "sailing off into a rosy sunset" is a dream that is seldom achieved. Few are the people like Haydn who are able to manage family & income commitments in order to spend long periods away from home. But good luckto them, especially when they entertain me with their stories of Derring-do & mishaps (hope your leg is better now Debs)

I don't want sympathy, I am not looking to absolve myself from blame. I choose my life & how I live it. I could choose to walk away from the kids & my problems, but I won't & I probably wouldn't be happy if I did - I would feel I had let everybody down if I did that.

I expect that every unused boat in a marina has a sad story to tell of broken dreams if you were to pursue it.
 
strakeryrius said:
I consider myself a pretty dedicated boater, but often don't feel that I have "been anywhere" by which I mean that I am generally forced by circumstances to visit the same old haunts season after season.

I work an 80-hour week at work most weeks Mon - Friday. Saturday is spent generally doing stuff with the kids and chores and maintenance that needs doing at home. Sunday is "my" day.

The boat is 130 miles from home - about 2.5 hours down the M25/M3 if I put my foot down. Sunday I'm up and out of the house by 6:30 to be at the marina by about 9 - stopping en route to pick up essential supplies like beer and the Sunday paper. I get an hour or so to prep the boat, do essential maintenance, etc and then its engines on and queue for the 10:30 bridge to get out.

Options out of Poole Harbour entrance are turn right for Studland, Swanage, Chapman's Pool or Worbarrow Bay - or turn left for B'm'th or further afield to the Solent, Yarmouth, Beaulieu etc - all within a couple of hours at cruising speed. The further you go the earlier you have to up anchor in order to get back again at a reasonable time, so the less time you have to relax and enjoy it when you get there. If we aim to get back in on the 6:30 bridge, by the time I've refueled, berthed and tied up, given her a wash down, and made all ready to leave for another week, its 9pm. We then have a 2.5 hr+ drive back home to get in for midnight and start the cycle all over again. The time I get to just "sit and relax" on the boat is my own "down time" that I get in the whole week.

Last year I did this 22 weekends, and went down another 4 times just to run the engines up when it was too cold and poor weather-wise to go out. Additionally we did take our 2 week summer holiday aboard, and did our only long trip - down to Falmouth for the regatta, only to be rewarded with the two worst weeks weather in August during living memory. The family were all of the "never again" opinion when asked if they wanted to holiday aboard this year.

This year I have done only 20 trips down to the boat since she went back in late in March. We've also had 5 long weekends aboard - inc 3 great ones in August this year, allowing longer stays in Mercury, Island Harbour, and Weymouth, but all our longer distance trips we had trips planned - Cherbourg and the CI - had to be cancelled due to bad weather or mechanical problems.

I would love to cruise further afield, and the costs of fuel etc don't faze me at all - its just the time factor involved for both me and SWMBO. If we were to try to do the CI for a weekend and the weather turned nasty, meaning a delay for the journey back, I would be "up the creek" at work Monday morning. That's the only thing that's stopping me, including the necessity to boat solo a lot of the time out of the main season due to lack of willing crew.
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To be honest, I have nothing but praise for you, I hate driving and for that reason alone I wouldn't do what you do.

I live 5 mins from my boat, work 40hrs a week,(well that's a bit of a fib) attend 40hrs a week is closer to the truth, visit the boat most weekends,and grab the extended weekends when possible, you know, the ones where the weather is looking good from thursday thro' tuesday, but unfortunately arn't designated bank hoildays,

Haydn, I'm one of your folly fans, been there five weekends this year, and you're right about boat size, I don't want to go any distance in mine unless the water's like witch's tits, I don't get pleasure from being bounced around and getting soaked through anymore, it was ok in 1975, but not now, in any case the bus driver don't like it when I show him me bus pass sopping wet.:D
 
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We used to go on long cruises from the Medway we cruised, France, Belgium, Holland, most of the south coast and the C.I. I worked out that a trip to the C.I. these days is going to cost me 2.5.k in fuel alone! As we get older SWMBO wants more comfort! like a holiday in the sun! and with the cost of fuel these days you can buy two weeks in the sun. To cut a long story short I transported my boat to Spain and we now fly out cheaply and use the boat as a floating holiday home! we can potter down the coast and enjoy lovely warm weather mostly calm seas and sunshine! England as far as I am concerned is finished for boating, I have had 25 years of rough seas, huge tides, cold wx, fog, rain and a little sun! No contest!

Barry
 
Don't get me wrong - I'm not looking for sympathy - I love the boat and its worth it to me to drive 5 hours there and back during the day to get 8 hours out on the boat - roughly.

I look forward to being able to retire - or maybe take a less active role in my company - so that I can move the boat out to the med and cruise in better weather than we get over here. If I had it in the med now I would probably only get there a handful of weekends a year, so what I do now will have to suffice and will keep me happy for a few more years yet.
 
Even though I spend nearly every weekend on my boat, I don;t take it out as much as I would like, as I am distracted by the incredible social life I enjoy in that part of the world.

So good that I am currently moving to be closer to my boat and in a couple of weeks I will be able to park my boat fifteen feet from my front door.

I am so looking forward to next summer. I can finish work at 5.30 and be out on the boat by six.
 
hlb said:
I can understand the diesel costs now. But they mostly never went any where before. Though in the early days of the forum, loads of us went places and a few still do. Now I can understand little boats cant go far, but passed 33ft they can mostly go anywhere with in a bit of reason. Boats in the various marinas we've been in, seem to troupe out, then back again on the next tide. Where as we go out and may be away for a few weeks. Yep it has things to do with work. But I could still talk to customers, even if it ment climbing a hill in Ireland. In those days it did not stop us, but now there are marinas most every where. I hate the things. But anyway. I have had many cruises of 600 miles or more. None of them with much difficulty. Whats the point in having a boat and not going any where, except the folly inn. Yep been there a few times to. But why do most boats never leave the marina and if they do, it's a mile out then back again.

Why is Solent to the West Country thought of as a big deal. Get to Dartmouth then go back. Like it's the end of the earth or something. How come we fit that in with a cruise to the CI's, France and then Solent, before back to Plymouth. How come were now back in North Wales. Now doing Ireland IOM and other places again with the old P 35. Is it that other boats arnt up to it and not built like they were, or is it the folk. The navigation is mostly point and go. There are few excusess.

So why dont most boats go any where, is it fear or something else.
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Live and let live, I say. If peeps want to use their boat as a floating cottage then why not? If every boat went out every weekend, places like the Solent would be unbearably overcrowded. You can get a perfectly serviceable boat for £100k suitable for spending extended periods on. Can you get a weekend cottage on shore for the same money with an unimpeded view of the sea? I think not in most areas so a boat makes an excellent floating seaside cottage compared to a shoreside property and I'm sure thats part of the reason many peeps buy boats
The other issue is fuel. The average 40 footer now costs more than £1000 to fill up and you can blow that in less than 10 hours running. Many owners can just about afford to buy their boat and park it in an overpriced marina but sticking their hands in their pockets for £1k every other weekend in order to do extended cruises all the time is beyond what most peeps want to or can afford
 
Really interesting thread Haydn has started, on a subject that has long intrigued me. As he does indicate; expensive possession, plus very costly to keep lying around.

Others have said, they do not consider a lack of confidence is a main reason, I actually think in many cases it is. But the main reason obviously is that so many owners are still working, and in addition as has been remarked many have considerable distances to travel.

In our own case we are what I prefer to term as 'leisured', so we can use the boat at any time - and we do a lot, at this time of year as a 'week-end cottage', being that it is sixty five miles away, its a pleasant change of scene. However out of around 150 boats on our pontoon, only one other owner uses likewise. The smallest on the pontoon has not been used or visited by the looks of it for at least the past two years - I do wonder if he does not pay MDL by direct debit! Actually in this case, as I suspect in some others, the reason they go on paying for, and keeping their possession is for sentimental reasons. A pity, and sad at the same time.

Philip
 
Talking to the harbour master at my marina the other weekend, he told me that he has been there for eleven years and the are some owners he has never met or seen them on their boats. They pay their fees, but never visit.
 
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