Ex-sailors, do you miss the wind?

[cstpt]

I know many Tugnuts have made the transition from sail to power, as I am about to do. Wondering how much you miss the ability to make headway without the sound of an engine? For me it's a trade off for a boat that is less weather-dependent and more first-mate friendly. (My 22' sailboat doesn't have windshield wipers or a heater. 🙂 I'm guessing I may come to rely more on anchoring for the peace and quiet side of things.

For those fortunate enough to own both, I say, if only...

 

[ixlr8]

The biggest sail boat I had was a 19' Lightning. I miss the quiet of a sail boat. I miss the challenge of getting the most out of what wind I had. I miss the thrill of getting it healed over to the point the deck edge was under water. I don't miss getting to the middle of Long Island Sound and then having no wind and no aux power. I don't miss having no protection from the elements. My last boat was a 21' skiff with a 30hp Yanmar. Loved I didn't have to depend on the whims of the wind and fuel consumption was measured in pints/hr, hated how loud the engine was. I am looking forward to the quiet of the Yamaha OB on my RT-27, the ability to get out of the weather IF I want to and be able to take more than a day trip.

 

[JamesTXSD]

When we bought our CD-25, we also kept a small sailboat... for several years. You know, 'cause I was "still a sailor." 😉 Sold it when I got tired of sprucing up the brightwork, with the boat getting very little use (because we were always out on the powercruiser). You will get spoiled by the comfort and protection of that inside helm and all the amenities that you can use while underway... without heeling. Laugh when the rain comes down. Foulies? You may still need them to go from the boat to the restaurant. 😀

I was a sailing snob before getting a powercruiser - I would tack a hundred times to get up a channel rather than fire up the motor. It only took the first cruise under power, when we were able to spend the day underway and not be tired when we put down the anchor. The views from the anchorage are the same. The sunsets are the same. The view from the cabin is good for everyone, even for the crew that is fixing lunch.

I was concerned that I would lose my sailing friends... a wise man (Jeff Messmer) told me: "You'll make new friends!" So true, and I didn't lose any of the sailing friends in the process.

My neighbor has a 36' sailing cat. I used to go out with him once in a while, but now when he asks, I only do it if he needs a hand. No sunburn, no windburn, no sore hands from pulling lines and grinding winches. OPB (other people's boats) are good to remind you about... the wind.

Do I miss the wind? On that one day a year when the wind is the perfect speed and from the perfect direction, I smile and wave at the folks on their sailboats. They generally smile and wave back. No, I don't miss the wind... you can always open the hatches and the windows if you need. 😎

With cruising, it is about the journey as much as the destination... and that is true whether under sail or power. Enjoy that new boat!

 

[CAPTCRUNCH]

I'm one of the "fortunate" (or is it "cursed") ones who kept the sailboat when I bought the tug (my first-ever motorboat) four years ago. I had sailed/raced the Cal-229 on the same Chesapeake Bay waters for 38 years. As Cat's Meow and I aged, it became harder for me to single-hand and harder to round up crew, especially on short notice. I was/am drawn to the ability to push a button (or swipe a fob) on Gadget and be underway. I'm enjoying going places I couldn't take the 4.5-foot-deep, 40-foot-tall Cat's Meow. The Bay has almost 12,000 miles of shoreline, but 24 percent of its surface area is 6 feet deep or less. My boating season with Gadget is probably twice what it has been with the Cat's Meow. In fact, Gadget and I were out on the Bay in every month of a recent year. Meanwhile, the Cat's Meow pretty much sits in her slip waiting for my granddaughters to get a bit older so we can introduce them to sailing.

I started sailing almost 70 years ago. I've sailed the coast from Florida to Maine. I've raced twice from Buzzards Bay to Bermuda on a 54-foot ketch. Do I miss the wind? What I miss most is those golden hours making miles on a broad reach on the same tack, tweaking sails and rig looking for an extra 1/10 knot on the Kenyon. What I don't miss is the endless hours of too much or too little wind (mostly the latter in summertime on the Bay) before surrendering to reality and firing up the just-barely-adequate iron wind. I suspect that the majority of the auxiliaries I've seen on the Bay in the last decade were motoring.

What floats my boat is getting out on the water, seeing what's behind a point I've always passed, and chasing the horizon. These days, Gadget is the implement of choice.

 

[MACHAYA21]

Last year,at the age of 86,and undergoing chemo I felt great. So what happens,I was felled by pneumonia without warning,in Sept. Almost overnight I went from being very active to very fatigued when sailing. After almost 50 years of sailing I realized that to enjoy boating I have to transition to a powerboat. I put my Precision Seaforth 24 and Catalina 25 sailboats up for sale and ordered RT 23. I don't want to miss out on boating. Loved sailing,will enjoy power and return to cruising and fishing.
Will always have fond memories of sailing adventures.
Manny

 

[Ernie]

I miss sailing, of course, there is nothing like it. I love the connection that a tiller and a breeze creates. That very small slice of perfect that exists right in the moment that your heading and trim are perfect for the breeze and the feeling of lifting off the water puts a big grin on your face.
I’ve bonded with my new R 23 now and just love the heck out of all the places I go with her.
I will certainly not miss sailing for long though, I’ll charter, get on as crew for race night, or who knows, probably buy a small sailboat. A Kent ranger 22 will be great if u can find one. They are sweet little trailer boats made at the Kent ranger boat factory in the 70s and 80s

 

[stwendl]

Pretty much depends on your cruising grounds. After having sailboats for 18 years, most of which on a catamaran, I switched over to an r27. While there were days were I enjoyed putting up the sail and silently move on, most of the cases enforced going somewhere with little time to do and therefore using often engine power, getting there was time consuming and took out time from the destination. But having the feeling that I could leave the country at a moments notice was very satisfying.

Now, I am just curious about cost comparison, going from point a to b under wind takes a certain amount of time, no fuel but cost of food. Going there under power, less time, less food, but fuel. Putting the boat in a trailer, even faster, less food, but some fuel.

However, going to Hawaii, not happening unless you load boat up on transport, what’s the cost of that versus sailing there or the pacific. Do I have the time to do this, still working, not happening.

 

[Aadudley]

As for me, I love both sailing and power boating. Both have brought a tremendous amount of color to my life such as friends you will always remember. As my wife and I have gained life experience (nice way of saying we're seniors) convenience and economy equals Ranger Tugs. Both power and sail boats have taught us different tools for seamanship. However, having owned 14 boats over the years we are truly glad we started on sailboats. Those boats taught us one great lesson .... Sailing taught us to think far ahead of what we were doing. Sailing made us think of "what if" situations as we sailed and how we would respond to it. We are better "stink boaters" because of sail but we don't miss it.

If you do miss sailing, all you have to do is get yourself a small sailboat you can put up on the rack of your Ranger and have at it when you are on the hook? Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Enjoy !

 

[JamesTXSD]

I did buy a sailing kit for my Hobie kayak... haven't used the sail kit in about 4 years. It's a nice thought, but still easier to just pedal it. 😉

 

[cstpt]

Lots of great replies. No surprise that Tugnutters have no regrets. Most perspectives are from the standpoint of cruising; mine is from that of daysailing, heading to the marina every afternoon as an escape from the summer city.

For me, a boat is a way to get afloat, therefore I enjoy the sailboat in almost any conditions from heeled to becalmed. I enjoy it almost as much tied to the dock, although with my easily single-handed boat I left the dock more often than most of my bigger-boat neighbours. Given their need for crew, I should have no problem hitching rides to satisfy any residual cravings for wind power. Considering the character of the EC and the rather polite presence on the water, I've no fear of disses from sailors. I suspect many are more likely to envy than to look down their noses.

Regarding the sound of the engine, I don't enjoy motoring my sailboat, even with a modern four stroke outboard, because it doesn't feel like that's what the boat is meant to do. (Reference the comment about tacking a million times.) Tugnutters describe the sound of the EC diesel as anything from relaxing to ear splitting. I'm thinking (hoping) I'll be in the first camp, since that's the sound of the boat happily doing what it is designed to do.

Sailing is a bit like riding a motorcycle, more fun and less hair-raising for the operator than the passenger. The typical reaction from guests (not to mention the first mate) watching me clambering around the boat to wrestle with halyards, sheets and winches is that it seems like a lot of work for minimal reward. When conditions are perfect and the boat is well trimmed, sailing is pure pleasure for everyone. But those times are few and far between and never seem to happen when you want them to. The tug promises to be a better communal experience.

 

[NorthernFocus]

...Wondering how much you miss the ability to make headway without the sound of an engine?..

We rarely miss it. OK never. There's also a lot of comfort in the purr of a diesel engine puttering along at hull speed while you sit upright and sip hot coffee in a warm, dry cabin. And on those lovely, glassy calm days you can always stop, shut the engine down, relax in the cockpit for lunch or to listen to/ watch the wildlife, then fire back up and still arrive at your destination sooner that you would have sailing. Trawler style cruising is the best of both worlds.

 

[harry ames]

My idea of sailing was with the rail down. My wife's idea of sailing was to run the auxiliary motor, get to a nice anchorage and stay for a while. She won. I've owned many sailboats, potter, hunter, Mcgregor, and a beautiful live aboard Gulf 32 motor-sailer. I never became truly proficient, but loved the challenge of mastering wind and waves and destination. But I was 50 years old then. Now, at age 73, I can't deal with the considerably more work of a sailboat. Emergencies on board a sailboat are much more physically demanding. So, it is the power boat life for me now and I have no regrets. What I would regret is if I'd never owned and sailed such a broad class of sailboats and only been a power boater.

Sailing is a true art form. Power boating is less art and more function. I love both.

 

[NorthernFocus]

...Sailing is a true art form...

Depending on how one defines art that may be true. Personally I got much better at sailing after I studied physics. 😉

 

[CAPTCRUNCH]

...Sailing is a true art form...

Depending on how one defines art that may be true. Personally I got much better at sailing after I studied physics. 😉

And/or read Wally Ross.