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Losing Sailing Enthusiasm?

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mhartong
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Response Posted - 06/25/2008 : 22:51:31

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by SEAN
 thats funny I got my boat to get away from everybody

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Same here!

If I have company that is great, if I don't, no problem. Its just great to get away from work and the daily rat race. Even if I don't do anything but take a good book and hang (i.e. the weather is bad, or i just don't feel like going out) its still time well spent.

I understand the distance thing. Its about three hours from home to Deltaville where Persephone is berthed. That makes my sailing trips multi-day events, and since I'm usually on the road during the week it means sailing on the weekends. But even when I had a Flying Scot that I kept at the Washington Sailing Marina on the Potomac I rally only got to sail on the weekends. On REALLY bad traffic days (and there are a lot of those in this part of the country

) it would take so long to get to the boat after work that by the time I got there, and got her launched (I dry sailed) it was time to put her away to get home in time to get some sleep and ready for the next day

I'll second Randy's comment about NEVER doing the math. Sailing make me and happy and you really can't put a price on that. BUT IF you DID do the math, I think you would be pleasantly surprised at how relatively low the per day cost actually is. That is the nice thing about our boats, they are not SO expensive that we need to feel REALLY bad if we don't use them every weekend, and that are not so large we have to have a crew to safely sail...

Remember that relationship with your boat will be like any other relationship with a "significant" other where the passion ebbs and flows.(One of the reasons why boats are "she"

) Relax, and don't worry.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 05:35:25

Justin,

When I lived on Long Island and was sailing during my working years, my boat and the marina was relatively close to my house but not work. I worked in Manhattan in 1 Penn Plaza, right above Penn Station and across the street from Madison Sq Garden. I would catch a LIRR express home and that would take about 50 minutes or so and then from the train station, take the car down to the marina which was about a 20 minute drive. getting home from there was perhaps 25 minutes or so. While my work place was not all that close, at least my house was not that far away.

Now I have the opposite situation. My boat is about 10 minutes from where I work. if I travel to the boat from home, well depending on traffic, the time can vary between 35 minutes to perhaps 45 minutes or so.

Losing interest can occur from a number of factors: Travel distance can play a big role in this equation. But other factors such as a recent move away from friends and relatives and possibly in combination with babies on the way can also effect the time that can be allotted to maintenance and sailing and with dwindling time for that....one's interest may wane for a bit......in my case....that turned out to be about 21 years. But then other interests take it's place - Camping, biking, hiking, tennis, home ownership, woodworking, little league, assisting in soccer practice, active in boy scouts. Then some of these things diminish, friends and relatives move elsewhere...sometimes closer, kids are out of the house, wife plays in women's tennis and takes Yoga classes....and boating is back !

We all have different stories. maybe there are other things pulling at your time and that all tips the scale and weigh into the interest/time devoted to your sailboat.

When we moved to Virginia back in 1985, I told my wife i would not let sailing dictate where we would live (otherwise we would have looked for a house in the Annapolis area). So...that's how we wound up in Oakton, VA (just outside the Washington DC Beltway on the west side). Then one day ...over 2 years ago...while watching tv on one of the nights my wife had women's tennis (and kids out of the house - one in college and the other working)....it dawns on me that....I am not all that far from the Potomac River. In fact, my office is on the water (Anacostia River just before it joins w/Potomac).....and...there are sailboats in the Potomac !! Enthusiasm for sailing has made a rebound !

Edited by - OLarryR on 06/26/2008 05:38:14

britinusa
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 05:46:08

Nicely put Sten.

Paul

Edited by - on

Justin
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 07:36:35

Thanks for all the input everyone.

Sean,
Yeah, I’m guessing maybe different living circumstances. I live by myself, so I have plenty of time to myself. I wanted sailing to be something I could bring friends out to do rather than our regular thing of heading out to bars.

Sten,
1-2 years ago I was dead set on doing the cruising life, buying a larger boat and cruising the world, and most likely single handed. I was reading different stories and blogs from people that had done what you are doing. After going on the delivery last year, I realized it is different than I envisioned, especially the open ocean. Not only that, but going solo would not be that fun being out at sea for weeks at a time. Reality set in and I wasn’t going anywhere with today’s real estate market. I do still hope to do some extended cruising someday. When I bought my C-25, I was really looking forward to going on overnight cruises to different destinations of the Chesapeake. Last year I made a lot of repairs and upgrades to allow overnight trips. I have some good memories and stories from last year’s trips. My friends and I are planning on some trips this season, including maybe a 5+ day cruise sometime. I do agree, sailing to new destinations is a lot more interesting than doing circles on the bay.

Mark,
Your experience with the Flying Scot is what I was thinking I would probably have. That’s similar to what it was like when I went to the Sailing Club of Washington (SCOW) at the marina for their Thursday night socials. We would go for a 15-30 minute sail and that’s it. I sat in over two hours of traffic opposite direction of home for this? Wasn’t worth it. You know what we need? Teleporting machines!

I have a feeling I probably won’t sell. Thinking of all the great times I’ve had out there the past 2-3 years, it would be hard to give it up. I have a four day weekend coming up July 3-6, so I hope to do some overnighting out on the bay.

Edited by - on

redviking
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 08:33:26

Quote: "After going on the delivery last year, I realized it is different than I envisioned, especially the open ocean. "

I read that and have thought about your reflections about that delivery when I am having fun with Mother Earth and Neptune MANY a time. The one thing I learned from your post - and I had done extended deliveries before - was that I needed to do baby steps with my wife. One big delivery trip can ruin a sailors whole perspective, and some I have heard never go again. I personally don't mind 72 hours or more on a run. My wife NOW prefers the 48 hour run or more. But when we started it was 36 tops!!!

I also seem to remember your delivery was on one of those big white things sans chain that I know to be particularly a bad ride when life gets tough. There are folks who did buy the bendy toy and are in fact coming to that realization. Here is my friend www.skippermarc.com telling the tale of his travels and his most recent post is that his Benny 35 is for sale. NICE boat! One of you guys should buy it. Just as nice as a Catalina 34 if not nicer. not offshore boat for a solo sailor - and my friend Marc figured it out and is happier about his prospects for sailing.

Not to play Dr. Phil here, but when your end dream of cruising died, did a part of the adventure and lust for sailing die too?

sten

Edited by - on

DaveR
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 08:48:42

A lot of good points here, a lot to contemplate Justin. I think Jim may have hit it early on, maybe a "general mild bout of depression". I've felt the same thing and my boat's 5 minutes away. What made it better for me is 1) a little time off. It's a busy life and other things get put off when you're sailing all the time. If that's the case get some stuff done, then go back sailing. 2) Sugar (my dog) is great company but it's just not the same as human companionship. I met a girl to share sailing with and that's been big for me.
Good luck with your battle, try to remember what a beautiful boat you've got and the feeling you get as you're nicely making way with that picture perfect horizon in the distance

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 11:37:28

I lost my enthusiasm when I lost my wife 4-1/2 years ago. Sailing for us was a social thing, even just for the two of us (but often with others). I got little pleasure sailing the 25-footer by and for myself. A Sunfish is another thing altogether, but basically I'm just not much of a loner... My new "very good friend" could rarely make it to my new place in Mystic with enough time go anywhere on Passage, and the weather was frequently an issue. So the plan changed from "on a sailboat, you're already there," to "you can get there faster on a powerboat"... and it also helped that I could keep the powerboat by my condo, but not the sailboat.

Who knows--when I'm done going places, I might go back to sails... Life's a journey.

Edited by - on

JohnP
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 12:54:24

Well, if you're not selling, and you want to take some time off from the boat, you still could use a friend with a barn or an airplane hangar! (...from the Swap Meet post)

Maybe try Craigslist DC?. There'd be advantages and disadvantages of storing the boat away from your condo.

By the way, this Forum is awesome, IMHO, and has added considerably to my enjoyment of owning a simple little sailboat.

Edited by - on

DaveR
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 15:20:58

I'VE GOT IT!! I have the answer!! Justin, all you need to do (and anyone else with the sailing bloz) is [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqfz1l9s6k0"]go here[/url]. It might be overplayed in our venue but to me there's something magical about it, it sends chills, makes me smile and dream ................ and want to go sailing.

Edited by - DaveR on 06/26/2008 15:23:34

piseas
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Response Posted - 06/26/2008 : 15:33:14

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sean, Thats one of the reasons I got my boat too. And when out in the ocean, nobody(other boats) around, except for friends on my boat!

I dont count them, do you?
Steve A

Edited by - on

Justin
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Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 09:05:15

Sten, no my dream of cruising and lust of sailing didn’t die after that trip. During my bad sea sickness the first two days, it did cross my mind though. Then once back to my own boat, I was crazy about sailing last year. A part of my not so positive reflection from the trip was due to being stuck with a wacko captain off shore on that boat. I don’t need to go into details and always left it out in the past, but me and the other crew member were always looking forward to our next landfall and getting a good beer. I’m sure the trip would have been more enjoyable with friends/family.

My other crew member from that trip did contact me last month recruiting me for an awesome opportunity. He needed to find one more crew member for an 80’ luxury sailing yacht owned by the director of marketing at Heineken. All expense paid and compensation provided. They would have flown me to St. Maarten, then sailed to Bermuda with a couple day stop over, then sail to Newport, RI. I talked to him in the evening about details and said I had to talk to my manager at work to see if I could get time off. The next morning my manager was very supportive and said I should definitely take the opportunity. I sent my crew member an email and was so excited! Well, I got a response shortly after with bad news saying that just minutes prior to receiving my email, he got a response from another friend and the spot was filled. I was bummed, but maybe another day. That probably would have been a much better experience!!

Dave, yeah finding a girl to share sailing with would probably really help spur my enthusiasm, but still sure would be nice to be closer. Oh yeah, that song! My brother just recently found it on youtube and sent it to me a couple weeks ago. I totally forgot about it.

Well, another weekend of no sailing just passed. They forecasted chance of storms all weekend, but we only had a quick shower come through each afternoon, barely anything. Part of my recent lack of sailing enthusiasm is due to the excitement of my new roadster. I’m just having too much fun with it. I went to a car show/meet Friday night with a couple friends and met some cool new people. I met an organizer of a local car club and am invited to their future autocross races. I’m planning to organize some fun group drives on local country roads and out in the mountains. I then went on some fun drives with my brothers this weekend. My brother Andy had to work at noon, so we spent a couple hours in the morning going on an fun drive. No problem getting back in time, unlike sailing that requires leaving in the morning and coming back in the evening. If only sailing was this convenient!

I have time to decide on my boat. Maybe after my initial excitement with my new toy subsides I’ll have a clearer mind about sailing. I am thinking though, unless I found someone with an empty barn (extremely unlikely, plus I'd have to buy a trailer) I’ll either just keep my slip with limited sailing use or just sell rather than even think of paying for any dry storage. The idea of dry storage was that since I already have such a nice boat, I wouldn’t have to buy one when I eventually move closer. My other thinking is I could take the cash from a sale, invest and not pay for probably thousands in storage over a couple/few years. Another thing is if I did move closer, then I might get 2-5 footitess and want a C-27/30 or some other upgrade over my C-25, so I’d be better off selling now. There is a lot for me to consider in the next few months.

Edited by - on

Stardog
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Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 09:15:00

I was rereading this thread, as I've been through dry spells too. I've been sailing since I was a kid and there have been times when I didn't have the heart to sail or was too busy, etc. The thing that seems hard to overcome is proximity to water and it struck me that you don't have to sail in the water. A friend of mine has a landsailer that we used to take out when the wind was blowing really hard. The aren't that expensive and you can be on it and down the street in literally minutes. You might consider getting one. Be aware they move much faster than boats in the water and that takes getting used to. If you get one, take it to a big, empty parking lot to learn how to sail it.

Edited by - on

Justin
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Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 09:31:01

Stardog,

Yeah those landyachts look like a ton of fun! They aren't that expensive either. I can't think of any real good flat open area for that near where I live. I came across this site, check out their video: http://www.windpowersports.com/landsailers/

Edited by - on

Stardog
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Response Posted - 06/30/2008 : 11:51:51

Justin, those are some nice land yachts! The only place I've sailed these things is parking lots and neighborhood streets. It's great fun; exciting, exhilarating. The ones I sailed were the smaller types, like the one at the top of this page
http://lets-go-sailing.net/land_sailer.htm It's easy to do 30 mph with one of these and it's small enough to tip the mast back and roll it into the garage. If I lived in the desert I would probably be frequenting large sandy valleys with one of these.

Edited by - on

Justin
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Response Posted - 03/16/2009 : 09:21:34

Larry asked if I rekindled my spirit for sailing this year in my Cetol thread. So, I figured I’d locate and update this thread. I went through that phase late last spring/early summer where I was losing interest in sailing, not really knowing why. One overnight raft-up cruise got me hooked again and made me realize I really do not want to give up sailing, that it really is my passion. I do still wish I lived closer and got to sail more often, but I still look at it as though the drive is worth it. It is also nice that gas prices are about half what they were last summer. I had a lot of great times last season, single handling, taking friends out (some of which had never sailed before), and going on several overnight raft-up trips including returning to St. Michaels where I bought my boat over three years ago. I am really looking forward to this season and can’t wait to start sailing again. My friends and I are discussing a circumnavigation of the Delmarva Peninsula, although I won’t be using my C-25. We are also discussing a week long cruise heading south in the Chesapeake stopping at several destinations including Tangier Island and Smith Island. Some of my friends just got back from chartering in the BVI last weekend and we’ve been discussing plans to do that next year. So, last year my interest dwindled and I was excited about starting a new hobby in auto-crossing, but then decided sailing really was my passion. I have yet to try auto-crossing, still do want to sometime, but I don’t plan to get that into it. I’m really psyched about this coming sailing season.

Edited by - on

piseas
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Response Posted - 03/16/2009 : 10:05:13

Justin, that is great you got the itch back. I lost interest as well but have been back for over 2 years now. Luckily I am less than 10 minutes from Piseas II. Distance would make a difference for me.
Good luck on your plans and welcome back!

Steve A

Edited by - piseas on 03/16/2009 10:05:56

Stu Jackson C34
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Response Posted - 03/16/2009 : 10:26:42

I just stumbled onto this interesting thread. I broke my leg skiing in January and haven't seen the boat since (although Cory did go down to check her out, all is fine). We live 15 minutes away and sail all year. We are the folks who are disproving the theory that the larger a boat is the less it gets used, because we sail every week, if not twice maybe two days out at least. Big dent in that theory this year! I still have my model trains and wish I was in condition to set them up again: all in the basement since the kid took over the train room!

Glad to hear you're back, Justin, but you cannot believe how much I miss sailing.

It sounds like the key is you need people. We, too, bought the boat to "get away" but raftups, our local C34 Fleet, and some good friends have contributed over the years for that. In fact, first time out (other than doctor appointments) was to our yearly C34 Fleet 1 Dinner. Using "the boat" as a people magnet just doesn't work, as you've found out. You learned that it's sailing people you need to find, and not spend time trying to convert the non-sailors to your own personal passion.

It's a boat, it's yours, use it, and it sure sounds like you found the magnet for your people requirements.

Edited by - on

Deltarat
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Response Posted - 03/16/2009 : 10:32:32

Ok, I guess my lesson is not to read the blog's before I have my first cup of coffee. I'm sitting here reading your thread Justin thinking "No he can't be selling Saphire Breeze, he doesn't know what he's doing!" LOL. Then I got to your latest post, looked at the posting dates and felt like an idiot. Your doing what I was going to recommend, Pegirae and I have only had our C-25 since November and it's a 45-50 minute drive to the marina we've actually spent 3-4 weekends on the boat through the winter. Even though it is not the most comfortable place to stay and the marina is a little run down it is a great de-stressing tool, and when I do get it on the water a lot of fun. I hope I feel the same way in 4 years What I'm learning right now is to temper my want list with my need to fix list for this season which is fast approaching.

Good luck this year, looking forward to reading your blog posts.

Edited by - on

JohnP
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Response Posted - 03/16/2009 : 14:28:48

Hi Justin,

So you ARE connected to this thread! It's nice to hear that you are still enthusiastic, like you mentioned at the end of last year.

And I happened to see your boat on TV.

Your plans sound pretty wild for this summer. See you out there sometime in the Bay!

Edited by - on

OLarryR
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Response Posted - 03/18/2009 : 19:39:18

Justin,

I remembered your below thread. Probably because we are sort of neighbors...you being in my neck of the woods (Northern VA) but you sailing in the Chesapeake (as does John P) and I sailing in the upper Potomac.

I would have responded earlier but I was on a business trip in Norfolk...close to some really big boats.

Anyway, glad to hear you rekindled that sailing spirit. Sounds great if you can pull off that week long sail. John P reported last Fall on a great weekend trip from the west to east coast side of the Chesapeake. He had the details including the chart(s) etc. Just thinking of this get me excited !!!

Edited by - OLarryR on 03/18/2009 19:40:06

lcharlot
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Response Posted - 03/18/2009 : 23:55:28

I too have experienced ups and downs with sailing, and as I get older it's getting harder and harder to cope with the physical aspects of sailboat handling. Especially difficult is the mast raising: down/up/down/up that has to be done every time I trailer the boat somewhere. Quiet Time is a C-25 Tall Rig (meaning the mast is almost as long and heavy as a C-27 mast), and the last time I did the San Juans cruise with my sailing club, it took me 7 hours to get everything rigged up and the boat launched after I arrived at Bellingham (this time included assembling and inflating my 10' hypalon dinghy). And I was so exhausted by the time the boat was in her slip, and the truck locked up and parked, that I collapsed into bed without eating dinner.
I think this getting-older thing could result in the demise of our sailing club in the next couple of years, too. Back when I joined this club (Catalina 22 Fleet 4) in 1991, there were 150 boats enrolled, mostly Catalina 22's with a sprinkling of C-25's and Chrysler 26's, and from 1991 to 1995 we had many cruises that saw participation of up to 25 boats! Today, we have no more than 21 boats in the club, and the average cruise attendance last year was three boats. Only one cruise attracted more than three boats, and actually, that was only a day sail for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters (a "cuise" implies an overnight stay on the boats). At some point, if our membership and participation keep shrinking like this, there won't be any volunteers to be on the Board, put out the newsletter, make the arrangements for the annual Awards banquet, etc., and the club will just disappear I guess. If and when that happens, I will probably give up Quiet Time, especially if the current drought conditions persist for a few more years, forcing premature mid-summer closures of Folsom Lake Marina as happened in 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, and probably this year too.
My wife hasn't been up to sailing for many years due to physical disabilities, so if my sailing club goes belly up, I won't have much incentive to keep sailing - I just don't enjoy it much when I'm alome anymore, especially at Folsom Lake, which was never a really exciting sailing venue in the first place.

Edited by - on

Deltarat
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Response Posted - 03/19/2009 : 00:10:39

"I just don't enjoy it much when I'm alome anymore, especially at Folsom Lake, which was never a really exciting sailing venue in the first place."

Larry,
I just live in downtown Sacramento and keep my boat in the delta, if you ever need crew or would like to crew my my c-25 or just wanna talk boat, give me a call. I'm just getting hooked on this and looking for fellow cat owners in my area.

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
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Response Posted - 03/19/2009 : 14:50:39

Larry, have you considered going to a smaller boat? Every now and then I think that a boat like a 15' daysailer would be nice. Everything is smaller and lighter and just plain easier to deal with. I have a co-worker who went this route and he tows his small sailboat all over the place and has great fun on it. Setup takes just minutes and you can raise the mast with one hand.

Edited by - on

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