Take Your Passion Cruising
March 10th, 2010 - by Gwen Hamlin
 Actually, it was the other way around: It was my passion that took me cruising.
I became an avid scuba diver while living in New York City.
I know it sounds odd, but not only is there some excellent (and very historical) diving in the New York metro area, but the city probably has the world’s best access OUT by air to great diving destinations.
I learned to dive in the first place because my sister and brother-in-law had invited me to join them and my nephew on a bareboat charter to the Virgin Islands. Since they were all divers, I assumed that meant they would be diving, and I didn’t want to be left out.
Ironically, although we did fit in a rendezvous dive on that trip, the main message I got was that many people think diving and sailing don’t mix. Something about scuba tanks and fiberglass decks, the awkwardness of getting into and out of the water, the lack of storage space, maybe even the amount of time scuba takes out of a vacation day, etc. …Read more
Q&A: The Big Decision
March 6th, 2010 - by Kathy Parsons
Judy emailed Women and Cruising with the following question as she and her husband contemplated going cruising. We forwarded her email to several women who might have thoughts to share with Judy. Beth Leonard, Sherry McCampbell, and Kathleen Watt responded to Judy and we printed their responses here in our blog. We have since received three more responses to Judy’s question from readers of Women and Cruising. Read on …..
Question:
My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.
I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.
I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.
– Judy and John
 Harriett writes in:
Hi Judy and John,
It’s probably too early to decide – 5 years is a long time and you may feel differently by then. Or your daughter may get a scholarship or change her path.
If you can fit sailing into your current life, that would be a good start to finding out whether you want to even try it.
Also, there’s nothing wrong with a “try it and we’ll see how it goes” attitude.
All these thoughts come from my own experience, since my husband and I left to go cruising at 45 with the idea that we’d do it for 2 years and see if we liked it. Twenty years later, we still consider ourselves cruisers, although we’re ashore right now caring for elderly parents.
…Read more
Cruising with kids
March 3rd, 2010 - by Behan Gifford
It’s been over a year and a half since we pulled out of our home port of Bainbridge Island, Washington, and headed south.
Going cruising as a family, instead of waiting for our children to leave the nest, is one of the best choices my husband and I have ever made.
Sure, we have some challenges that the empty nest cruisers don’t have: they probably haven’t had lego bits bind up their macerator pump, or string cheese blocking the finely machined teeth on a winch. …Read more
Relationships aboard
February 27th, 2010 - by Michelle Elvy
 “Are we gonna make it?” (me)
— “Yeah, we’ll make it.” (him)
— “I don’t know…” (me)
— “We’ll make it; sheet in the main!” (him)
60 SECONDS LATER…
— “We’re not gonna make it.” (me)
— “We should tack.” (him)
— “Yeah, we should. We’re not gonna clear that boat.” (me)
— “Wait: I think we’re clearing it. Let’s wait a bit more.” (him)
ANOTHER 30 SECONDS LATER…
— “OK, let’s tack away from that boat.” (him)
— “No, it’s too late now. Let’s fall off and jibe around.” (me)
— “OK, you’re right. You do the jib sheets; I’ll get the main.” (him)
— “Yeah; let’s go. Now!” (me)
These decisions happen fast on board our boat MOMO…
…and my husband and I usually reach a conclusion much like we did that day, when we were departing Banderas Bay in Mexico, bound for the Marquesas.
…Read more
How We Learn
February 24th, 2010 - by Dierdre Wogaman
In December 1992 I answered one more personal ad in the “Columbus Monthly” magazine, a glossy trendy publication in Columbus, Ohio. I responded by writing a note, as it was before Internet dating and instant gratification. Don called me after receiving that note.
What I did not understand at first was that he was actually looking for a cruising partner.
While on my first phone call with Don, I learned that people actually lived on boats. What a novel idea! It had never occurred to me. …Read more
Interesting Reading
February 20th, 2010 - by Gwen Hamlin
 If you are following my Admiral’s Angle columns here on Women and Cruising and if you love books, you will want to catch #42 – My Bookshelf, A Mental Voyage.
This is Part One of three-part series on books aboard. Part Two will be about Cruising Sagas recommended by the Admirals, and Part Three will include our recommendations for your Reference Shelf.
What’s really great about the way these columns are/will be posted on Women and Cruising is that all the titles are linked directly to Amazon! Wow, I wish it had been that easy to find these books in the first place!
The Admirals, of course, recommended more books than I could fit into the three columns, so we will add those, too. If you have some titles you’d like to recommend, send them to us and we’ll add them to the list!
You can email your favorite books to kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.
Q&A: The Big Decision, Sharing Our Stories
February 17th, 2010 - by Kathleen Watt
Question:
My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.
I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.
I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.
– Judy and John
(Women and Cruising sent Judy’s question to several of our friends/contributors for their thoughts. You can read Beth Leonard ’s response here, and Sherry McCampbell’s here. Here is the third response we received, from Kathleen Watt.)
Kathleen Watt responds:
Dear Judy,
When I was asked if I would be interested in responding to your question, I not only wanted to, but felt compelled to do so.
You see, my story is not unlike yours.
I moved aboard and went cruising at age 38.
I had a daughter who was a sophomore in high school, a great, well paying job, and was about to complete a university degree that I had worked long and hard for, while working full-time for many years.
I was not a boater (I got pretty seasick), I was not a water person (terrified of deep water and not a strong swimmer) and I had never sailed before. …Read more
Take Your Passion Cruising
February 13th, 2010 - by Kathy Parsons
 My big passion as I have cruised has been exploring language and culture. I have always loved getting to know other cultures: it is what drew me to the Peace Corps in the 1970s and part of what drew me to cruising almost 15 years later.
Cruising provides a perfect pace for getting to know cultures.
You shop in the markets and eat in your own kitchen – or on the streets. This is so much more satisfying than living in hostels and hotels and eating in restaurants – where everything you do is a commercial tourist transaction.
As cruisers, we can hang in a culture a while and get involved. To get to know a place and a culture, it always helps to have a mission, and though I usually have several “missions” (things that I am seeking out or interested in), so often my mission has been to get to know the language.
Really, if you can’t talk with local people then you miss out on so much
It’s like watching a movie with the sound turned off. …Read more
Q&A: The Big Decision
February 10th, 2010 - by Sherry McCampbell
Question:
My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.
I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.
I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.
– Judy and John
(Women and Cruising sent Judy’s question to several of our friends/contributors for their thoughts. Beth Leonard was the first to respond. Here is the second response we received, from Sherry McCampbell.)
 Sherry McCampbell responds:
Hi Judy,
You don’t say what your job is… but I guess it doesn’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things.
To just give you my story… the first time I went cruising, I left at age 37. I gave up a job I really loved (computer programming) and went sailing.
…Read more
TIPS
February 6th, 2010 - by Carolyn O'Brien
 My world has changed! |
My world has changed!
After 9 years of cruising the Caribbean I am no longer pleading with visiting family and friends to forsake extra shoes, hats and toiletries so that they can pack and carry the most recent best sellers in their one precious piece of luggage now allowed by many airlines.
I no longer search the book exchanges for a book by any author, in English, that I have yet to read. …Read more
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Actually, it was the other way around: It was my passion that took me cruising.
