The subtleties of yachting, cruising and voyaging
No matter what the activity, there are always different subsets of people who prefer one aspect of it over another. Take something close to your everyday life like driving, for example. You have the simple commuter who uses a car to get from point A to point B in the most cost-effective manner. A different person on the same commute may view his car as more of a status symbol and will drive some sort of ridiculously expensive piece of machinery to be stuck in the same traffic. Still others prefer to race their cars, some for fun and some professionally. Others like to "motor", and for this class of driver I like to view a late 1950s Jaguar humming along the windy roads of Vermont on a crisp fall day through the foliage. Then there is the entire group of commercial drivers who see the highways in terms of dollars earned per mile.
Sailing is no different. Most traditionally, and probably the longest running form of recreational sailing, would be yachting. It began in the Netherlands in the early 1600s among wealthy merchant men. Charles II of England popularized the sport and as it spread through Europe, races became popular. This was the first time sailing vessels had a strictly recreational purpose. And, as such today, yachting is associated with expensive vessels, often with paid full-time crew that spends more time sanding and polishing than actually sailing. Yachting and most forms of racing share a common thread of requiring vast amounts of cash to keep them maintained and quicker than the yacht of the other guy on the trading floor.
Cruising, and it's cousin voyaging, were not popularized until Joshua Slocum made his solo circumnavigation on Spray in the final years of the 19th century. This opened people eyes to the possibility that they too could make such a journey on a properly outfitted, small sailing boat. The difference between voyaging and cruising is dependent on the amount of money required (and amount of risk involved) to get the journey started, and keep it going indefinitely. Sterling Hayden sums it up best:
"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with the boats in the sea - "cruising" it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about."
If something breaks on the boat of a cruiser, a quick call to the bank and the part shipped to a remote corner of the world is all it takes. On the other hand if a voyager runs into trouble, he must be able to repair, using local means (i.e. stuff you can probably find in a hardware store) or by spare parts brought with him, anything on his boat. If that isn't possible, inventive solutions will have to be worked out that may include working for a time (and actually getting to know a place and its people, which is really half the fun) before enough funds are available to continue.
I'm not saying any one form of sailing is better than another, there is a lot of fun to be had in racing and yachting, it's just not for me. When I was on Winchelsea I was cruising. We stayed at docks, ate out frequently and when her engine crapped the bed I called it quits. Granted, she wasn't my ideal boat and I knew I'd learned just about all I could from her. Next time, which is coming sooner than later, will be different. I will be voyaging, with no set destination, no women or deadlines pushing me to get to Florida and with the knowledge and ability to continue indefinitely. When I choose to end my voyage will be on my terms, and not on those of my bank account's.
Sailing is no different. Most traditionally, and probably the longest running form of recreational sailing, would be yachting. It began in the Netherlands in the early 1600s among wealthy merchant men. Charles II of England popularized the sport and as it spread through Europe, races became popular. This was the first time sailing vessels had a strictly recreational purpose. And, as such today, yachting is associated with expensive vessels, often with paid full-time crew that spends more time sanding and polishing than actually sailing. Yachting and most forms of racing share a common thread of requiring vast amounts of cash to keep them maintained and quicker than the yacht of the other guy on the trading floor.
Cruising, and it's cousin voyaging, were not popularized until Joshua Slocum made his solo circumnavigation on Spray in the final years of the 19th century. This opened people eyes to the possibility that they too could make such a journey on a properly outfitted, small sailing boat. The difference between voyaging and cruising is dependent on the amount of money required (and amount of risk involved) to get the journey started, and keep it going indefinitely. Sterling Hayden sums it up best:
"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with the boats in the sea - "cruising" it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about."
If something breaks on the boat of a cruiser, a quick call to the bank and the part shipped to a remote corner of the world is all it takes. On the other hand if a voyager runs into trouble, he must be able to repair, using local means (i.e. stuff you can probably find in a hardware store) or by spare parts brought with him, anything on his boat. If that isn't possible, inventive solutions will have to be worked out that may include working for a time (and actually getting to know a place and its people, which is really half the fun) before enough funds are available to continue.
I'm not saying any one form of sailing is better than another, there is a lot of fun to be had in racing and yachting, it's just not for me. When I was on Winchelsea I was cruising. We stayed at docks, ate out frequently and when her engine crapped the bed I called it quits. Granted, she wasn't my ideal boat and I knew I'd learned just about all I could from her. Next time, which is coming sooner than later, will be different. I will be voyaging, with no set destination, no women or deadlines pushing me to get to Florida and with the knowledge and ability to continue indefinitely. When I choose to end my voyage will be on my terms, and not on those of my bank account's.
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