Cruising Musings: The Allure of Cruising

The Allure of Cruising

What draws me to cruising? Is it the challenge? Is it the freedom? Is it the constant change? Is it the ability to feel more present and connected? I’m not sure I can put my finger on it exactly, but it certainly has elements of all those things for me.

Still bogged down in boat work and coming from our longest stretch on land in the past nine years, I’ve been thinking why? Why do we do this? Why do I miss it so much? Why am I so desperate to get back out on the water?

Plenty of people romanticize the sailing life and say they’d love to do it or that it is their dream, but then they don’t take the leap. Others try it and decide it’s not for them. Still others go sailing and then get pulled back to land life for any number of reasons – family or personal illnesses, boat problems, the cruising kitty runs dry, etc.

But then there are the crazy few who are addicted to the life and can’t imagine going back to land life. Some find their balance in-between the two and do part of the year sailing and part on land, while others might try land life again for a bit, only to be called back to the sea. Perhaps each of us that becomes addicted to this life, find it fulfilling for a wide variety of reasons.

Seeking Challenges

I definitely like a challenge and seek out tough things to accomplish. That’s been true for me throughout my life from my choice of university to my career path. While I have found those things fulfilling in many ways, they also felt like a continuous grind with little to show for it. You get up: you go about your day working your job or raising your kids or whatever you do; do some chores; pay some bills and then wake up and do it all again. Next thing you know days, weeks, months, years have passed. It’s just “Groundhog Day” over and over. Hopefully you have some nice travels / vacations in there, makes some quality memories and eventually get to enjoy a nice retirement.

With cruising, there is still a monotony to life – there are still chores to do, meals to cook, kids to raise. But there is always something new – a new challenge, a new little win, a new major problem, a new place to explore. Everything is amped up a bit. The lows are often much lower, but the highs are also higher. Life is more vivid, more technicolor. Life is Easier, But the Easy Things are Harder. You are more present – from the wind whistling through the rigging to the continuous quest for the perfect sunset.

A Life of Constant Discovery

With cruising there is the freedom to go where you like and do what you want to do. There is a world of possibilities, places to visit and new experiences to have. Our sailing time is filled with opportunities for extremely memorable days in ways that land life doesn’t seem to be.

Again this winter, there has certainly been comfort in knowing what food will be available at the grocery store when we were sitting still in one place, but I miss the little adventures that every new place has when you are cruising. Will I be able to find corn tortillas for taco Tuesday or will I need to make my own? What types of food will be available? What will be our go to meals in this country? It’s all a new adventure.

There are things that make the constant change less overwhelming: you get to know what’s available in the countries that you visit and which of the main supermarket chains you prefer or have certain things that you want. However, every region is also a bit different so you never know for sure what you will find. You must stay flexible and resilient in a way that just doesn’t happen when you know the 2-3 local grocery stores and what they have available when. Trips to the hardware store or chandlery are similar adventures when you cruise.

Along with the variation to my daily routines, I’m looking forward to feeling more connected to the outside world and putting down the technology and making new incredible memories. I crave the joy of being at the wheel and riding the wind across blue waters. I know there will be new destinations to explore and interesting people to meet. Undoubtedly, I’ll also soon be back to complaining about a rolly anchorage, a broken part or a bad storm (every happy sailor must have something to complain about), but I’m not planning on giving up this crazy addiction any time soon.

Thank you for this space and continuing to join me on my musings. May you enjoy your own safe and inspiring adventures this year and let me know any topics about life on board and long-distance cruising that you would like covered in my monthly column.

Megan Schwartz
SV Zephyros
Noonsite Sub-Editor

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About the Author

Noonsite editorial team member, Megan Schwartz, joined Noonsite in October 2024 concentrating on research and updating country formalities. She lives on board SV Zephyros with her husband and two teenage boys (18 and 16 years old) and they have been cruising full-time, since 2017. Zephyros is an aluminum, expedition monohull which suits the family’s style of cruising perfectly as they enjoy high-latitudes and places less travelled, but have also cruised popular Mediterranean and Caribbean destinations.

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Other Noonsite reports in the Cruising Musing Series:

• Cruising Musings: Remembering to Breathe
• Cruising Musings: Holidays on a Boat
• Cruising Musings: An Ode to AIS
• Cruising Musings: The Power of Sleep and Resilience
• Cruising Musings: Creepy Crawlers and Nature’s Pest Control
• Cruising Musings: What Do You Do All Day?
• Cruising Musings: The Things We Keep, Yet Rarely Use
• Cruising Musings: Life is Easier, But the Easy Things are Harder
• Cruising Musings: Finding Balance

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.