Wot's it like returning from a long cruise?

iangrant

iangrant

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Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

All of the distinguished posters that have done at least the Atlantic circuit, Med, Portugal, anywhere for a longish period away - is it possible to adjust to "normal" life again?


Ian
 
Getting Back In The Cage

The difficulty is getting back into the cage after being let out of it for so long.

One has ones priorities changed, less materialistic.
I also found that I chucked out loads of junk, the bits that followed me from house to house.

I suppose there is more but I can´t think of it at the moment - someone else´s reply will trigger another thought.
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

I've just never been able or found a reason to go back, so just stay living aboard. What is there to go back for? Please tell me.
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

Kids at school age 10 and 12 - I know the argument that they will be OK etc... add to that family ties the whole usual stuff.

Ian
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

I have to say (quietly) that after three weeks away
the behaviour of Dearheart was most endearing
for several weeks.
One has to be very subtle, however, if tempted to
resurrect this behaviour by suggesting another trip shortly!

Regards Briani
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

It takes a little while! The first few weeks were a round of reunions with friends & kids, sorting out administrative things and collecting cars and animals from the people who had looked after them. We also had difficulty finding the house as the tenants hadn't trimmed hedges or creepers.

Without a job to go back to we spent a lot of time getting the house ready to sell which was a separate nightmare (one sale & 2 purchases fell through, the last after we had signed contracts on the 2nd sale).

Our return crossing wasn't a lot of fun so we came ashore with some relief. Since then swmbo remembers the scary bits while I remember the trade wind passage and palm-fringed anchorages. Plans for the 'big one' are still a dangerous topic and offers of flights for the ocean legs are under discussion.

One thing I can say for sure - a trip like that doesn't 'get it out of your system'.
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

Well, our experiences were a mixture of the above. We took a year out with the intention of going back to work so more like a sabbatical than a life change. However....

....I came back with a less materialistic, more focussed view on the world, causing me to ramp up me career after it had been on cruise control for too many years. Liz gave up work soon after to concentrate on the family. What it made us realise, given that we had only started sailing 2 years before we left, was that with a bit determination it is amazing what you can achieve in a relatively short time.

Regarding the 'next one and getting it out of your system', Liz would certainly chime with snowleopard's better half, me a bit more with him. Any future plans will be tempered with trips home every 3/6 months as we both realise that as much as we (well, largely me) enjoy exploring that is a lot of things back home that we miss too much to abandon and, dare I say it, we find prolonged living on a boat not that interesting.
 
Next question...What did we miss?

I know you didn't ask but I'll tell you anyway.

We stopped off in St Mary's on the leg back from the Azores. The priorities were-

A pub meal with real beer and british sausages for breakfast. Tea wasn't a problem - every visitor had to bring a few packs out but fresh milk was a treat.
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

I don't think it is possible to adjust. Those of us who went (me for 6 months) were obviously looking for something, or escaping from something or maybe a bit of both.

It's taken me a long time to re-adjust (but many say I was maladjusted anyway), and difficult to get back to work - my attitude had changed and it showed through in the interviews to my detriment.

Work to me is just a means of financing my cruising, and I'm working towards being able to run a modest business remotely, to fund my lifestyle. I find the whole cars houses status scene quite ridiculous now, but was a keen participant only a couple of years ago.

I'm on my way again now, got to Spain a couple of weeks ago, flew back to do some more work then off again, sailing for 8-10 days a month and working the others. I'm just waiting now for Ryanair to start flying to South America...
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise/trip

no its not possible to adjust.........well almost not.

after 24 yrs out & about on various craft & countries, back in UK now for...blimy its nearly 7 years, gulp!!! getting dosh, bank & others organised, plus a dose of reality, but now getting very itchy. I don't know if its in the genes but there is a big world out there & my experiences of other cultures etc. makes it very difficult to comunicate with land based folk here (not trying to be superior or anyfing, just different life experiences, other ex-pats understand I'm sure) There are even guys who have not been outside the village...wow!

Ok back to reality, Shady Too is going to be a short term (1 to 2 years I hope) project & then????????

poter.
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

Interesting question. Was having dinner with a kiwi-just-returned-from-20 years-liveaboard on Friday and he said the same i.e. selling up and sailing away is the easy bit. It's the coming back that's hard! All the books focus on the former whereas there is a dearth of advice on the latter. Spose they don't make such exciting titles do they, like: "Sell your dreamboat and return to the Rat Race"!
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

The longest I ever spent on a boat was 6 weeks, and I found it hard to return to reality after that!

However, I have spent many years abroad and I once tried to explain on this forum about the experience and priority gulf that I felt when I returned to UK. I was accused of being abusive and gave up! But everyone I know with similar experiences finds the return difficult and is never able to discuss their other life with people who have no common experience.

Not that you shouldn't do it - quite the opposite - but be prepared to never quite feel the same about anything.

Also, adults seem to usually be able to readjust, with difficulty. Kids who have spent much of lives in a radically broader environment than conventional British life, never seem to settle. Some would say they are seriously messed-up, others would say they know what they want from life and its not the same as most kids.
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

[ QUOTE ]
... never able to discuss their other life with people who have no common experience...

[/ QUOTE ]

A common experience. The memories and experiences are your main preoccupation but when you get home you find that others have little interest. 'Been away then?' just about sums it up. Perhaps they are as wrapped up in their own lives as you are in yours or maybe they just fear the mother of all holiday slide shows /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

My advice is don't push it and prune your slides to the bone!
 
Re: Wot\'s it like returning from a long cruise?

[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps they are as wrapped up in their own lives as you are in yours!

[/ QUOTE ]

That may be part of it. But you get people saying things like 'ooooh you are brave, I would have been terrified'. We gave up entirely on responding to such comments and came to the conclusion that people do not like having their preconceptions challenged. and it is far easier to let them keep their idea of what your life was like.
 
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