Ideal Cruising

P

Pat Anderson

New member
Ideal cruising = unconstrained by reality of course.

It has really hit me, we are too constrained by time to try to do some of the things we have done...had we hit bad weather on the Alaska cruise last year, it would have completely disrupted the two week plan. And in retrospect, that was probably as likely as not, we just skated on it. The Princess Louisa cruise was great but had too much just plain old travel, covering the water to get somewhere (basically Blaine to the Sechelt Peninsula, the traveling from there to PL was scenic and interesting). And had the Strait of Georgia been really gnarly, the four day plan could have been toast too.

Ideal cruising would start for me with unlimited time. A month, three, six - hard dates where we "have" to be somewhere are just not ideal.

Ideal cruising would have zero or very few miles of running just to get from somewhere to where the good cruising "starts."

Ideal cruising would be about exploration not covering miles. Set the RPMs at 2800 on the BF150, and let the speed float with the current and wind - 5 - 7 knots. It is good to know that we CAN boost it up if need be, but most of the time, what is the need?

Ideal cruising would let us cover maybe 30 NM per day, arrive in time to enjoy the anchorage and explore the shore in many varied places.

Ideal cruising would let us stay anywhere we really liked as long as we felt like it.

Time is not unlimited, so we will have to compromise. A week, two weeks, four days, a weekend - I think we are going to slow down and scale back our ambitions a bit.
 
Pat and Patty --

You are spot on with your ideas of ideal cruising!! Excellent observations, conclusions, and post. We often hear, "Oh, you can do that cruising stuff -- you're retired." Yep, no question, if you're thinking in terms of many days or months. But as you said, Pat & Patty, an ideal cruise can be a weekend or a day -- chug a couple miles into a pretty little cove, drop the hook, and kick back. Our culture kinda pushes us to do much, too fast -- to paraphrase the Chinese expression, even the longest cruise is made up of individual, marvelous days -- and those days are the same length whether they come in dozens or singles -- in your cove, a short distance from your launch, kicked back (if you can switch your mind out of hypergear), its the same whether it's the weekend -- or middle of a six month cruise.
 
Howdy Pat,

First year retired, we are zigging and zagging... there have been some family situations that have intervened, and "the call" to be in a certain place at a specific time. This is not unusual with newly-retireds. We've seen many of our RVing friends travel thousands of miles the first year or two and then settle into a more relaxing pace. With sailing friends, we've seen more of them not go than go. Each couple has to find what works for them.

It's hard to put a thumb on what has been the best... we love leisurely exploring on our own. This past year has been a treat for us to meet some of the great people we've only known on-line. Traveling with Brent and Dixie has given us a friendship that will last our lifetimes. The group cruises have given us a taste of places we know we will go back to on our own. Even traveling through areas we know well has been different by boat. There are certainly days where 30 miles is enough; we had days in the San Juans where 8 miles was a pleasant day's journey. Or no miles while you enjoy a particular anchorage. Or a short dinghy ride and a nice hike.

It's the collection of experiences we enjoy. Fuel prices will undoubtedly slow some folks' cruising... and that may not be a bad situation. Take time to stop and smell the sea breeze. Right now, our joy comes from no schedules. We all get those 1440 minutes each day... it's up to each of us to decide how to "spend" them, 'cause there are no "rollovers" in that account.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Pat,

I do believe you are talking about 'trawlering'. Seven knot speed and 35 mile days, and staying an extra day when you find a nice place.

We find that when we are making a 'transit' we travel every day. Cruising starts when we stay two nights in the same place.

The 'transit' phase is necessary when trying to get somewhere, but the 'cruising' phase allows us to experience and enjoy the 'paradises' we find along the way.
 
Pat,
Our Lopez trip showed me how the ability to trailer our boats can make a big difference in having a great trip in a short time. We could only have three days for the Lopez opener and for us coming from Vancouver the Georgia strait needs to be crossed both ways. Thats not a problem most of the time but... We decided to trailer to Bellingham. 2hrs down including the border crossing, relaxing breakfast at the Bay Cafe at Squalicum Harbor, launched by noon and a mostly trawler speed cruise to Lopez. Meet up with new and old C-Brat friends and enjoy! Cost us less to trailer, launch and park than the boat fuel would have. Great way to enjoy a short time to a great location.
Ron
 
Great post Pat !! In my typical life long fashion I got in my boat and thought it was to travel with. I looked at Lake Martin ( which is bigger than the King Ranch in Texas) after driving down the center of it thinking this is boring. I got to go somewhere. What do people see in a big mud puddle. Thank goodness Rick and Donna on Foggy Dew invited us to spend the weekend in one of their favorite coves with them.
I see the light :idea It's not about get up and hit the floor running. We enjoyed eagles flying over head, geese coming by to mooch a free lunch, wild life all around us. At the same time at the end of this quiet secluded cove were thousands of boaters on the lake for Memorial day weekend waking the crap out of each other. :amgry It was like a Wal-Mart parking lot with no direction lines painted on it during a payday Friday.
:hug Thank you Rick and Donna.
I need to smell the :rose and drink a :beer and just chill :tux
Maybe thats why I'm missing a few body parts :embarrased
 
As I read these posts I remembered being in an art museum years ago, looking at a Matisse painting. Next to me was a guy taking a picture of it with a video camera. My daughter whispered to me , "It's not moving, why is he doing that?" For me, sometimes, instead of doing something, it's better to just stand there. Maybe that's why I love my 16 footer.
 
Similar story from Readers' Digest "Life in These United States" many years ago.

A couple had stopped at a scenic overlook in Glacier National Park. They were enjoying the solitude, and the view, when another car whipped in and screeched on the brakes. The father jumped out with his camera and began snapping pictures left and right. "Dad, I want to get out and see, too," says Johnny. "Shut up -- we're late!! You can see the pictures when we get home!" Dad jumps in the car, throws it in reverse; Vroooom! They're gone!

Solitude once again.

Reminds me of an El/Bill anecdote, paraphrased here. Quiet morning in a nice cove on the river, just getting ready for the morning cuppa. VROOOOM! Vroom-vroom-vroom! VROOOM! Vroom-vroom . . . .

"What the hell was that?"

"Oh, that's the bass fishermen heading out. They're having a big tournament this weekend.

"I though fishing was supposed to be relaxing?!"

Me too . . .

iggy
 
I think that Pat and Ron have hit the nail on the head. There is no doubt that a C-Dory CAN take you most places in most weather but that is not the point.

We are Newbies to the C-Dory style of boating but already we have found that the ability to be able to decide if you will go by land or by sea is an immense plus to us. The costs are very comparable but the advantage of the land portion is that you can virtually eliminate the weather factor which can be hard when you have limited time. That can be the difference to making a great 4 day weekend like Pat or doing nothing. In this case Pat was very lucky with the weather window. For us, given the weather forecast we would have had to trailer to Nanaimo to be sure of getting back on time.

We would all prefer a sea trip to fighting traffic on a freeway but there are times when it is the better option. You can always pull over for a break with a truck but if you have 30 miles to go against wind and tide you are stuck with it.

It's supposed to be fun, right ?

Merv & Kathy
 
When we investigated (I say we, because I already knew I wanted to do an extended cruise) we took 5 months off in a 38 foot sailboat we had built. It took several months to unwind from the pace of professional lives. When we took 4 years off, we realized that it took a number of months to reach that bliss, lets say the summer after graduation from high shcool...After cruising for 4 years or other peroids of time--we really hated to put our shoes back on--and assume "work a day" lives.

It takes a long time, with miminal obligations to really relax. We found that even "Vacations" didn't do it......But the less of a schedule the more pleasant the trip..
 
Precisely why I canceled our 3-week, whirlwind 'cruise' to SE AK, impossible to relax and have fun on such a tight schedule. Good points all.
 
Time of day, Sunday - Saturday, Jan - Feb., We are always locked into schedules, or at least I currently am. Work starts at 8 - ends at 5, etc.

Someday I hope to achieve the same concept of time that I saw in the movie "Jerimah Johnson". The main charactor is sitting by a fire and his old friend comes riding up. They chat a bit. Then Jerimah asks him, what month ya think it is... March, April maybe. Don't think its May ...

To achieve that level of freedom, to not know what month it is ... now that would be ideal to me.

Cheers,
Tom
 
Pat – you make a great point about ideal crusing.

I am ready for a new chapter in my life and ideal crusing will be a part of it. Now I just have to figure out how to accomplish it and cut back on my 80+ hour work week.
________
Dave dlt.gif
 
tom&shan":3ufw2njv said:
Time of day, Sunday - Saturday, Jan - Feb., We are always locked into schedules, or at least I currently am. Work starts at 8 - ends at 5, etc.

Someday I hope to achieve the same concept of time that I saw in the movie "Jerimah Johnson". The main charactor is sitting by a fire and his old friend comes riding up. They chat a bit. Then Jerimah asks him, what month ya think it is... March, April maybe. Don't think its May ...

To achieve that level of freedom, to not know what month it is ... now that would be ideal to me.

Cheers,
Tom
Click to expand...

We came back into Bellingham after some time in the San Juans. After putting the boat into a slip, I walked up to the self-registration at the top of the dock. I was feeling pretty good about myself because I remembered a pen and the exact change for the envelope. You can stay there three days as a transcient, and you have to mark the dates on the envelope... I couldn't remember the date or the day of the week. I asked a woman standing nearby what day and date this was... her reply: "Take me with you. Please! I've always wanted to be able to ask someone that question and mean it." We both chuckled and visited for a moment while I finished the envelope. The Blonde and I had retired 6 weeks earlier and this was the first time I could recall not having a clue what day it was; after living our lives directed by an appointment book.

There was a saying from my early flying days: "Time to spare? Go by air." It meant: for the VFR pilot, Mother Nature trumps schedules. She does much the same with boats, especially those our size.

Sailors often say, "It's about the journey, not the destination." Well, sure, especially when you're going 6 knots or less. :wink: I really enjoy the cruising possibilities with our boats and their flexibility. Not being constrained by a tight schedule allows you to cruise without pressure. You can buy the boat, but you have to TAKE the time.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Listening to the full timers, I get excited to think about possibly losing track of the months etc. But until then, I actually have a pretty good situation.
Like Old Growth, I work a lot of hours, 168 to be exact but I do it all in 14- 12 hour days. Then I have the other 2 weeks off EVERY MONTH!
Then I factor in vacation during the summer and have 2 hitches where I'm off for 3 weeks at a time.
Should I be embarrassed about this? :embarrased
Looking foward to a great summer, Mike
 
Steve, realizing that a couple of months are needed to cruise the inside passage, was the one of the smartest things you've done (and please sort out the mixed metaphors.) We took a couple of months and didn't see enough.

the C-Dory allows you to get from A to B quickly, and that can be good, but cruising is to smell the roses whilst one goes from A to B. That's why Journey On is usually at 7 knts.

Boris
 
Boris evidently plotted some data on speeds at various RPMs and economy for Daydream and Anna Leigh (see the Journey On album). These are a bit out of date now, we have gotten "heavy" since then and I would be remiss if I did not report that at 4600 RPM, cruise speeds 12 - 14 knots, based on recent experience we now are right around 2 NMPG...another very good argument for trawler speeds! I said 2800 RPM was 5 - 7 knots, reflecting it really is closer to 6 - 8 knots. It only dropped to 5+ knots in some really gnarly conditions. Not that it matters all that much of course. But ecomony at trawler speed at least doubles and probably triples (we shall have to gain some experience to confirm this more precisely).
 
Peace and Serenity come at such a small cost if you want them to.
Your Welcome Jeff and Cathy
We had a wonderful time as always.
We have one thing to say (thanks to Patrick).....
"It's all in how you use your noodle"
:lol: :beer :cocktail 8)
 
Boris, yep, I'm liking my decision more and more on doing a professional cruise with such limited time. It would be mixed emotions at the end of the 3 weeks while driving home (4-5 days) on how fast can I come back to see more of the beautiful SE AND get into cruising mode. In the Bahamas it took a solid 3-4 weeks on the water to truly just begin to get in that mode, it was fantastic. Like others, when you have to recount which day it is by counting up from a known event (like church on a recent Sunday), then you know you're beginning to leave the bonds of daily city-life.

I've also slowed down even further recently to below planing speeds, 6-7 kts, when it gets too rough to do at least 14 kmph. Too much work jockying the throttle and unhealthy gas mileage between 8-12 kts. Not worth it, what's the hurry anyway?
 
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