Captain's Log
Captain's Log December 2005Many ways to enjoy world cruising
At BWS we hear from cruising folk all over the world and stay in touch with many who have taken the leap and headed over the horizon to explore the watery side of our planet. All of these cruising folk are the real spirit of Blue Water Sailing and their stories and adventures are the fuel that keep the cruising dream alive for the rest of us.
In every issue we offer stories that are designed to take you away vicariously while at the same time providing solid, useful information on what to expect out there. The dream and how to make it real that is what Blue Water Sailing is all about.
Recently I got a note from Paul and Susan Mitchell aboard Elenao commenting on an article we ran back in the September 2003 issue written by Ann Hoffner on Oddly Enough. Her story covered the passage west across the Caribbean to Panama and dwelled at some length on the weather patterns sailors can encounter along the route.
Paul noted in his e-mail, "The excellent, thoughtful analysis of the weather and what caused the conditions they faced looked interesting when we first read it, and now is proving invaluable to us."
That is no small praise since Paul and Susan, who are in Curaçao and heading west, have been out cruising for 23 years and are now about three quarters of the way around the world. They know what they are talking about.
But if BWS offers up the real deal on world sailing and the cruising life, we also know that a lot of us -the BWS staff included- are between cruises or are in the "getting ready" stages and still at home, at work and still moored to Many ways to enjoy world cruising the dock. The cruising life calls us all. It is just a matter of time before we go.
In the meantime, there is plenty of cruising to be had in one- or two-week increments. In this year's Annual Guide to Great Cruising & Chartering Destinations (starting on page 38) we have stories from cruisers in the Bahamas, the Med and in Southeast Asia. The authors are veteran cruisers and their accounts reflect the real world of sailing to and visiting foreign lands.
And in the guide we also provide the information you will need to experience these exotic cruising grounds aboard a charter boat. As we often hear, there is nothing that sails across an ocean better than a 747. In a matter of hours you can be standing on a dock in Phuket, Thailand, or in Split, Croatia, and ready to step aboard a boat for a unique sailing vacation. For many of us there is no better way given our busy lives to cruise the world than by 747 and a bareboat charter.
As you will see, there are charter bases in every one of the most popular cruising grounds. In a matter of a week or two you can experience a new country, have some pleasant sailing and really experience what the cruising life is all about. And there are so many wonderful cruising grounds to explore; it would take a lifetime to visit them all.
There are many ways to go world cruising. Many of us dream of chucking it all and sailing away, and some of us actually get the opportunity to follow that dream. Yet, for those who have to fit cruising in around life's other commitments, a charter vacation is just as good.
