Sailboats are evil...

Im curious ... how many of blow boaters have engines in your "sail" boats? I spoke to a guy down the dock who told me the blow boat needs to run the engine for an hour and a half (at least) every time he goes out. He has to fire it up, let it warm, take out of the slip, power out the marina, power out the channel, blah blah blah. I laugh when I hear this, as for some foolish reason sailboater seems to think their diesel dont stink...

Now and again you get the friendly blow boat shout to you "I have right of way Im a sailboat." This being screamed as the diesel belches out exhaust.

My favorite blowboat story though by far happened one beautiful day.. No wind and of course all sailboats out were running their engines.. Ive gone by this channel marker hundreds of times and this one day I hear WHUPPPP .... SCREECCHHHHHHHH. I turn around and sure enough, some blow boater must have set his AP and rammed into the channel marker , bounced off the side and scraped the hell out of his hull.

If blow boats are the way of the future, Oh lord help us...

Power boater and proud of it.

[MikeJohns]

Yes of course the auxiliary is used. I think you miss the mark. Can you even imagine moving your boat 600 NM ...let alone on 1 or 2 gallons of diesel for the whole trip.

Your power boat is tied securely to that fuel pump. The length of that line is your range. See you in alaska...........I doubt it.

There may be hope for you yet... meditate, ruminate sell up and sail...you'll never look back.

[Not A Guest]

Thunderhead ---

I expect you are correct. Most sail boat people are a bit laid back. Many are inconsiderate to the extent you say.

I am working on building a sail boat for my grandkids. I hope they are more considerate than most.

[SeaDrive]

Originally Posted by Thunderhead19

I have held a long standing grudge because of this, and I grumble under my breath every time someone wants me to do sailboat design work.

Please, if have any self-respect, when someone asks you to do sailboat design work, refuse. You don't want a sailor's money, and we don't want to give it to you. We really don't want anyone with your biases designing our boat because you probably won't give your best effort.

[gonzo]

I propose a marine demolition derby.

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by SeaDrive

Please, if have any self-respect, when someone asks you to do sailboat design work, refuse.

No, send it to one of us. We could use the work.

Steve

Originally Posted by gonzo

I propose a marine demolition derby.

No need to propose it, they are already a standard part of most yacht club calendar's. Also known as "start line's"...


Rob

[Thunderhead19]

Boy, I really pushed some buttons! Sailboaters are more skilled sailors than the put-put crowd, definitely. I also find sailboaters, those who like to run under sail (as opposed to just dieseling along with wine glass in hand) know their boats and how a boat should be. Around 50% "stinkpotters" I deal with tend to ask unrealistic things as far as weights and available spaces go. I'm trying to come around to the "Blowboater's" way of thinking. Sailboats are beautiful. Convince me that sailing can be appreciated by rich and poor alike. Convince me that sail can appeal to people with lots of time on their hands, as well as those to whom every second of their time matters. In the days of working sail, it was a hands-on job for a poor man. Now what? What is left of "meaningfull" sail?

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by Thunderhead19

Convince me

Do you really need convincing? Take my word for it, most of Europe is already convinced

Originally Posted by Thunderhead19

Convince me that sailing can be appreciated by rich and poor alike. Convince me that sail can appeal to people with lots of time on their hands, as well as those to whom every second of their time matters.

In a former life I was involved with large yachts. One in particular was a new "high-tech" cruising maxi owned by a young man who had never Really sailed before he bought it. His first few months of ownership were spent learning the basics of performance sailing, and maneuvering in anchorages. (and there's a few alarming stories in that...)
Anyway, his reasons for buying the boat became clear once the summer started.
Mr Moneybags goes into work of a morning and has a particulary tense meeting. After which he feels "out of sorts", so, 10 am he goes up to the roof of his building to get into his helicopter (painted the same colour as the boat of course) and phones us to tell us that he will be there in 30 minutes for some sailing.
So, leaving the tender and driver behind, we go out and get the yacht sailing somewhere nice with a good breeze and a nice view.
He arrives at the marina, gets ferried out to us, steps aboard and takes the wheel without us slowing down or missing a beat, all the while talking hammer-and-tongs into his cell phone.
Then, he lets it go and puts his attention into getting every last bit of performance out of the boat. Very soon he is a different man- relaxed, refocused, and ready to carry on with his day.
So, back in the tender, back to the marina, back to the helicopter, and back to work.
He said he had tried power boats, but there was no skill or satisfaction in making then go fast, and they performed their primary function while they were stopped thus he might as well have a waterfront house.
The other extreme is a friend of mine who lived aboard a rotten $2000 24' "day sailing" yacht, he travelled all over the place doing odd jobs and eating fish. He gave up his successful but unfulfilling 9 to 5 life and has never been happier.

Whether you spend millions or nothing the feeling of personal achievement through sailing from A to B is the same. How fast you get there is closely related to your skills.

Sailboats go to go, Powerboats go to get there.

Mmm, its written out a bit longer than I thought..

Rob

Great story Rob-very well done and well put!

Thanks Doug

Rob

[Thunderhead19]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

Do you really need convincing? Take my word for it, most of Europe is already convinced

My understanding was that every engine-powered transport in europe is taxed heavily based on it's engine displacement. This would imply that many europeans are not convinced as much as they are coerced.

[ErikG]

Well "Europ"e are quite a number of countries as ar as I know...
There is no tax other than luxury tax (if the total value of your assets is over a certain limit) on any boats in Seden at least.
They are discussing a tax like that on cars though...

[Thunderhead19]

Is Scandinavia not distinct from Europe?

Anyway, forget I mentioned the tax thing, it was ignorant.

I got soured on sailboats because of the habits of a few people.
I'm going to go learn how to sail now.