Anyone choose the boat over the woman?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
What if your spouse was unable to participate? Suffered from extreme seasickness (I know one such couple)? What if they developed a physical barrier or disability?

I know of several couples with asymmetric enthusiasm for cruising yet manage to work it out. It's not a binary choice. There are many shades if gray between the end points where both can get 80% of what they want.

There are a lot of reasons to end a relationship. Ultimatum about cruising is way down the list. When you breathe your last breath, there won't be a speck of fiberglass in your mind. Will be the faces of those who have touched your life.

Peter

Should not even be a thought or discussion. If you really would put boating over spending time with your significant other, you should rethink your priorities. Many of us are lucky enough to have a partenr that shares our passion, but if that should change, why is it even a consideration?
 
There is a saying, opposites attract each other. Why would you then expect the other half to be interested in the same hobbies.

opposites
a person or thing that is totally different from or the reverse of someone or something else.
 
The boat mover/marine electrician who did a great job delivering our boat Melbourne > Sydney left onboard 2 hand towels used for cleaning, monogrammed "Ruthless". I`m wondering...


Unlikely, Bruce...Mine was a 25 yr old true story.."George" was a dockmate of a friend in NJ.


--Peggie
 
This discussion reminded me of this old joke:
 

Attachments

  • boat.jpg
    boat.jpg
    119.8 KB · Views: 39
Last edited:
You are fortunate!

Many people spend a lifetime in a relationship that is not nearly as strong. People marry young without knowing the concept of long term compatibility.

Even culture comes into play. American culture itself creates challenges and often times unrealistic expectations, resulting in deep unhappiness.

Yep. I have family members in abusive relationships that they cannot escape. It is far too common.

One man married a woman whose family is Catholic so they had to do certain things with the priest prior to marriage. The priest told them they should NOT be married. :eek: The priest was absolutely correct.

They married anyway. :facepalm:

The woman ran up the credit card debt, took all of the money, all of the furniture, and filed for divorce..:mad::nonono:

Prior to the divorce they had a child. The husband's parents had divorced and he did not want his child to be in a split family, so he remarried his ex wife. They do not have a marriage. :nonono:

He works. She does nothing but sit at home, eat, make Jabba The Hut look slim, yells at him, and take all of his money. I don't think he owns the land their house is on... :facepalm:

He has had amble opportunities to leave but he has always refused to do so. Along they way, they had more kids, and with one exception, they are an absolute mess and cannot function in society. They have been brought up to serve the mother, just like their father has been trained.

While this "relationship" is horrible and abusive. I have other family members in far worse situations and makes this one look like paradise.

What's love got to do with it...

Later,
Dan
 
I don't disagree with anything except your first statement. You can always escape. It's not always easy, but in the end everyone is better off.
 
The premise of this thread sets my teeth on edge…thank you to the folks who responded with thoughtful words about the nature of relationships. Not so crazy about the comments from rest of you…

I wonder if the lack of women skippers in this forum is related to this treatment of women as object (as in trade object 1 (“the woman”) for object 2 (the boat)??
 
I don't disagree with anything except your first statement. You can always escape. It's not always easy, but in the end everyone is better off.

The problem is we hang on too long.

When we are young we have no clue what makes a great partner, and we choose unwisely.

Later in life we have the benefit of experience
 
The premise of this thread sets my teeth on edge…thank you to the folks who responded with thoughtful words about the nature of relationships. Not so crazy about the comments from rest of you…

I wonder if the lack of women skippers in this forum is related to this treatment of women as object (as in trade object 1 (“the woman”) for object 2 (the boat)??

Please don't complicate the simplicity of using simple words and concepts to describe peoples dreams and desires.

It could easily be discussed with different material objects or conditions with the shoe on the other foot.

If you don't know why there is a lack of women skippers on here, please don't try and blame it on a pretty simple facet of human nature that both sexes exhibit.

There's plenty of blame to go around in relationships.
 
Last edited:
And there you have it - the answer that skips over the problem into trivia. Goodbye folks, enjoy.
 
Yup

Years ago I worked on a Grand Banks longliner,and there was never time for “the girl” between traveling with the boat,and while at the dock the constant amount of work,she gave me the ultimatum her or the boat,and without hesitation I picked the boat
 
And there you have it - the answer that skips over the problem into trivia. Goodbye folks, enjoy.

Maybe this response is why you made your set of last statements. (see I can make gross suppositions too)

You have no idea what has happened in most of our pasts and how we really dealt with them.

I'm not sure where one gets to determine what are "thoughtful comments or not" in internet quips.

The reason why someone would chose a boat over a significant other can be extrodinarily simple or very complex.
 
Last edited:
Allow me to tell what happened to me. The ex expected to have access to my N46 during and after the divorce. I wrote up the requirements for moving the boat. My lawyer did not object nor did her lawyer. She visited the boat one time with her dad.
Well the N46 was destroyed in a boat yard accident …… no more visits.
I did send to Chapman’s school before she made her divorce intentions known to me.
Overall I feel good even the divorce about the divorce even though it cost something real near to $100,000. I hope she feels good about it too. SHRUG.
 
The premise of this thread sets my teeth on edge…thank you to the folks who responded with thoughtful words about the nature of relationships. Not so crazy about the comments from rest of you…

I wonder if the lack of women skippers in this forum is related to this treatment of women as object (as in trade object 1 (“the woman”) for object 2 (the boat)??

Sue, what posessed you to read this thread in the first place. :D

Not PC, but your last line made me remember this Indian tail.

Driving down the road I saw my friend walking along.
Hi friend what you doing.
Heading home, I got a bottle for the wife.

Good trade.
 
I don't disagree with anything except your first statement. You can always escape. It's not always easy, but in the end everyone is better off.

If replying to my post, no, one cannot always escape. Many can but not all.

The person I have described has been living like this for 3-4 decades and the only escape will be when he dies or she dies. Over the years, he has been given many, many opportunities to leave, but he has refused all help.

Another family situation is far, far worse and there is no escape, again, until death. One thug has died to be replaced by another. Now, it is only a question of who dies first, the victim or Thug II.

Even with support from family, friends, victim services, and law enforcement, if a victim will not help themselves, there is very little that can be done.

Some situations cannot be escaped even if the victim got on a boat and sailed away.

Later,
Dan
 
I have noticed in the cruiser community there are a mix of people. Probably 60% of the boats are a husband and wife team.

The other 35% are single guys, generally older.
5% or thereabouts are single females, generally in their 20's.

Are these all guys that chose the boat over the wife???


My boat was an escape valve in a troubled relationship. It was a safe, secure pace to go, and it became my home. My ex blamed the boat for our troubles, when in reality the boat was maybe a result of our troubles, not the cause of them. Nobody in a happy relationship builds a dream of cruising, and buys, and outfits a boat for cruising, knowing their wife does not want to go cruising. That is the behavior of a person planning their escape.

I suspect that I am not unique, and that many who "chose the boat" have a similar story.
 
Nobody in a happy relationship builds a dream of cruising, and buys, and outfits a boat for cruising, knowing their wife does not want to go cruising. That is the behavior of a person planning their escape.

Very thoughtful and sobering. My current partner-in-crime has been my cohort for 27-years. But there was a prior relationship of 16-years. That relationship imploded and I bought my Willard 30 Searcher "St Cyr" as an escape, a soft landing as it were. Exactly as you describe Kevin......

I have noticed in the cruiser community there are a mix of people. Probably 60% of the boats are a husband and wife team.

The other 35% are single guys, generally older.
5% or thereabouts are single females, generally in their 20's.

Are these all guys that chose the boat over the wife???

Weebles is berthed along with 36-40 footers at Cruiseport Marina. My finger probably has two dozen boats, half of which seem to be old tired Islander 36's. Probably a quarter of the boats are liveaboard. One liveaboard has a younger couple; and the rest are single men (I include myself until my wife comes later this summer). At 62, I'm the spring chicken of the lot so it's possible they are single due to death vs divorce. It sort of has a 'trails end' feel to it as many of the men are not entirely ambulatory - several use a walker. Amazing how consistent in appearance these men are - unshaven, need of a haircut, frequent ponytails.

On the 'big boat dock' with 60-footers there are definitely more couples than single folks. And I did meet a gal on an 1950's era Chris Craft +50-foot woody who's partner had died so she was now single and continuing the dream, though not a liveaboard.

Peter
 
Peter my last hair cut was the day I retired so have a ponytail to keep hair out of eyes. Also now have one tie for weddings, one for funerals and one suit, three sports coat, three pairs of dress shoes and 5 dress shirts. Rest went to “Savers” to support work on epilepsy. Still shave and frequently trim my beard. :).

Believe samples can be quite distorted if not large enough. Saw a lot of pony tails in Hilton head attached to grey heads holding hands with trophy wives decades younger.
 
I have noticed in the cruiser community there are a mix of people. Probably 60% of the boats are a husband and wife team.

The other 35% are single guys, generally older.
5% or thereabouts are single females, generally in their 20's.

Are these all guys that chose the boat over the wife???


My boat was an escape valve in a troubled relationship. It was a safe, secure pace to go, and it became my home. My ex blamed the boat for our troubles, when in reality the boat was maybe a result of our troubles, not the cause of them. Nobody in a happy relationship builds a dream of cruising, and buys, and outfits a boat for cruising, knowing their wife does not want to go cruising. That is the behavior of a person planning their escape.

I suspect that I am not unique, and that many who "chose the boat" have a similar story.

Yep.
 
Back
Top Bottom