Cruising (maritime)

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A cruising sailboat anchored in the San Blas Islands, in Panama. The islands are an idyllic destination enjoyed by many cruisers.

Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living full-time on a boat while traveling from place to place. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages. Cruising is done on both sail and power boats, although sail predominates over longer distances, as ocean-worthy power boats are considerably more expensive. Many cruisers are "long term" and travel for many years, the most adventurous circling the globe over a period of three to ten years. Many others take a year or two off from work and school for short trips and the chance to experience the cruising lifestyle.

This article focuses on cruising in the sense outlined above. In addition, there are two other possible meanings of cruising in a maritime sense, as listed below under Other types of maritime cruising.

1 History
2 Techniques
3 Other kinds of maritime cruising
4 Further reading
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Cruisers can see traditional life in remote areas of the world; here, a Kuna local paddles a dugout canoe in the San Blas Islands.

One of the first people to carry out a long-distance voyage for pleasure, and who inspired many others to follow in his path, was Joshua Slocum, who circumnavigated the world between 1895 and 1898. Despite widespread opinion that such a voyage was impossible and despite being a retired sea captain, Slocum rebuilt a derelict 37-foot sloop Spray and sailed her single-handed around the world. His book Sailing Alone Around the World is still considered a classic adventure, and inspired many others to take to the seas.^[1]

Other cruising authors have provided both inspiration and useful instruction to would-be cruisers. Key among these during the post war period are Miles and Beryl Smeeton, Bernard Moitessier, and Eric & Susan Hiscock. During the 1970's - 80's, Robin Lee Graham, Lin and Larry Pardey, Steve & Linda Dashew and Hal & Margaret Roth have provided inspiration for people to set off voyaging. Most recently, Beth Leonard has been writing both inspirational and technical books about voyaging.

[edit] Techniques

As well as normal sailing and seamanship skills, cruisers use a variety of equipment and tehniques to make their voyages possible, or simply more comfortable.

The solar panels on this 28-foot yacht can keep her self-sufficient in electrical power.

One of the key areas is providing the electrical power to keep the boat's systems (lights, communications gear, etc.) running. Although most boats can generate power from their inboard engines, and some carry generators, carrying sufficient fuel for these over a long voyage can be a problem; and so many cruising boats are equipped with generating devices such as solar panels, wind turbines, etc.

While it is quite possible (and, until relatively recently, normal) to cruise without long-distance communications equipment, such gear is becoming more common on cruising boats. Many boats are now equipped with satellite telephone systems; however, these systems can be expensive to use, and may operate only in restricted areas. Many cruisers still rely on the older short wave maritime SSB radio standard, which has no running costs, and can (with suitable equipment) allow sending and receiving of email.

[edit] Other kinds of maritime cruising

Dinghy sailors may be cruisers. In this case the word refers to someone who sails just for fun, maybe to go from A to B, but equally likely just to sail around for a few hours - in fact, any sailing activity that does not involve racing.

Travel on cruise ships may be referred to as cruising. Those who take frequent cruise ship vacations (multiple times per year) may be called cruisers.

[edit] Further reading

Mary Blewitt, Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen - just the facts.
Nathaniel Bowditch, The American Practical Navigator - A classic, prefessional reference, continuously updated.
William F. Buckley, Jr., Atlantic High - an account of an Atlantic passage.
William F. Buckley, Jr., Racing Through Paradise - etc. about a Pacific passage.
Michael Carr, "Weather Prediction Simplified"
Don Casey, Dragged Aboard: a Cruising Guide for the Reluctant Mate
Linda and Steve Dashew, Offshore Cruisers' Encyclopedia - expensive but so useful it has been compared to Bowditch and Dutton. Easy to read.
Steve and Linda Dashew, Mariner's Weather Handbook
Robin Lee Graham, Dove - The story of a 16-year-old boy who sails around the world in a 28 foot sloop in the nineteensixties
Eric Hiscock, Cruising Under Sail - just the facts, a classic.
Beth A. Leonard, The Voyager's Handbook - a useful up-to-date guide on blue-water sailing
Elbert Maloney, Dutton's Navigation and Piloting - a classic, professional reference, continuously updated.
Lawrence and Lin Pardey, The Self-Sufficient Sailor - The Pardey's message is wonderfully encouraging: Go simply, go cheaply and in a small boat, but go.
Lawrence and Lin Pardey, Cost Conscious Cruiser - more hints and tricks
Lawrence and Lin Pardey, Storm Tactics.
Merle Turner, Celestial Navigation for the Cruising Navigator - some theory.
U.S. Naval Institute, The Bluejackets' Manual - the navy way; the authority on Morse, flags, courtesies, fire-fighting at sea, jury-rigging, ship handling and basic sea law.
Alan Villiers, Cruise of the Conrad. Scribner's, 1937. Reprinted, Seafarer Books, 2006.
Jeff & Raine Williams Around the World in Eighty Megabytes