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his month we explain Why Splurging Now Will Pay Off for Decades and take a look at the One-Way Charter Concept, plus miscellaneous Charter Notes.
Weighing the Options: Can You Afford to Stay Home? To our way of thinking, a stint of vacation sailing far from the pressures of the workaday world is one of the most life-enriching and soul-nourishing things a sailor can do. As we've observed countless times, even if you're stressed to the max when the trip begins, by the time you're a half day into it you'll have traded your mundane worries for a carefree smile. There's no denying, though, that for most of us, taking an exotic sailing vacation is a bit of a splurge. So many would-be vacationers talk themselves into staying home no matter how desperately they need a change of pace. If that sounds like you, read on. We've made it our mission this month to lay out several key reasons that vacationing — specifically yacht vacationing — should be a high priority on your 'must do' list. It seems to be human nature to procrastinate, especially about things that are non-essential. But for certain aspects of life there are 'windows of opportunity' that can close before you know it. A
SUNSAIL
Need to change your attitude? It would be hard to fixate on your troubles back home when visiting an idyllic charter venue such as this.
prime example is spending quality time with adolescent kids or aging parents. If you include either or both on a fun-filled sailing vacation to some dreamy, sunkissed destination, the special memories created along the way will likely endure for decades — long after you've paid off those once-daunting travel expenses. Take it from us, you may assume that your kids will be able and willing to join you on future trips, but as they get older their lives get much more complicated and demands on their free time often leave few opportunities even to hang out — let alone travel — with their mom and dad. Similar limitations apply to parents and grandparents. As we all know, the window of time when they'll be active and agile enough to participate on a liveaboard boat trip could close quickly and without warning. The following are a couple of real-life examples of what we're talking about. Many years ago, my brother and I set up an "all-guy" sailing trip to British Columbia's Desolation Sound with our four sons, who were then between eight and 12 years old. They had a blast hiking to waterfalls, swimming in mountain lakes, and swinging on the famous rope swing in Prideaux Haven. But as we wove our way through the lush, pine-covered fjords, we wondered if the jaw-dropping beauty of the primeval landscapes around us was registering with the boys. They seemed a lot more focused on playing cards and goofing around belowdecks than bonding with nature. These days, more than 20 years later, our boys are busy with their careers and have kids of their own. But every time we all get together for a family reunion, the boys invariably share a few laughs and fond memories from that bareboat cruise long ago. Another time we invited my wife's ever-energetic father and his wife to join us on an interisland cruise in the Easter n Caribbean. They were in their 60s at the time. For them, being unaccustomed to the sailing life, it was a huge adventure. They absolutely loved it, and vowed to
join us on a future cruise. Sadly, though, they never did, and now Grandpa is in his 80s. But he still lights up whenever he is reminded about that trip, which had three generations of family members aboard, all equally enjoying the sailing, snorkeling and celebrating. Some sailors contend that it makes no sense to charter if you own your own boat. But we don't buy that reasoning, especially if you're working toward the goal of cruising internationally. The experience of piloting a similar-sized boat in unfamiliar waters, and caring for its complex onboard systems, is excellent practice for cruising. Trip-planning, navigation, sail-handling, anchoring and provisioning are all part of day-to-day life during a charter cruise, just as they are when cruising. Consider this also: If you are thinking of taking friends or family members on an extended cruise with you — or on a long ocean passage — you'd be wise to spend time with them during a week or more in foreign waters in order to see how they handle minor challenges in unfamiliar surroundings.
