It got me thinking.
First the idea of buying a boat for cheap up in Alaska, sailing it around for the season, and then selling it or even giving it away makes for an extremely cheap five to six month vacation.
The second thing that came to mind was how it would be just the sort of experience a lot of people should have before they decide to spend copious amounts of money on the perfect boat for cruising.
Thirdly was how nice it would be to do some serious fly fishing in out-of-the-way places and camp...
Yeah, I just said the word camp as in camping and you know what?
I'm not ashamed in the least.
The word "camping" has become something of a negative word where cruising sailboats are concerned. Sort of the worst thing someone can say in polite society in fact, and at best, damning with faint praise.
Folks of a VolksCruiserish nature and bent already know what I mean but anyone with a smaller than 40 something sailboat is going to hear it used often...
"Oh, we used to have a CAL 28 and loved it but we got so tired of camping"
A while back someone asked me what sort of washer/dryer we had aboard and when I mentioned we didn't, I got the old...
"Oh, you're camping..."
The thing is I LIKE camping. Some of the best moments I've had in my life have been in little tents or sleeping under the stars as far away from what passes for civilization as I could get. Whether I was backpacking and climbing in the Himalaya, Patagonia, Alaska, or the Alps, I never felt I was having an inferior experience because I did not have a washer/dryer or some other appliance.
What's more is the lack of a lot of baggage and its inherent problems/upkeep makes me a happy camper...
