Most of us here on the Seabreeze Sailing Forum seem to be bent that way.
Technical discussions abound on this forum. Got a question, it will be answered. Such is the depth of the brains trust in this forum.
That is a given. I think a more philosophical discussion would enrich our forum.
Assuming your yacht is capable of live aboard, the question is what does your yacht mean to you from a philosophical point of view.
I believe club yacht racing is a great way to get to know your yacht and how to get the best performance out of it for when you go cruising, as cruising is where it is at. Yacht racing technology flows down to the cruisers, so there is nothing wrong with yacht racing.
Personally, I just love living on a yacht that goes from place to place. A marina mug I am not. My responsibilities to family, business etc do not allow me to engage full time with my yacht but it is there when I have the time to engage with her. My escape module one might say.
So I will admit unashamedly that my yacht to me is an escapism.
What is your yacht to you??
Select to expand quoteI think you nailed it on the head Cisco..
"wool-gathering"
indulgence in aimless thought or dreamy imagining; absent-mindedness.
<div class="vk_gy">"a vacant daze that leads to formless wool-gathering"
<div>synonyms:daydreaming, dreaming, building castles in the air, building castles in Spain, reverie,
RANI has been very much an escape plan from day 1. Now she is my home. She is almost alive. I talk to her. Say hello when I pull up on my tender. I have a land base but have only slept one night on land since November.
I loved being on her in the marina, but since leaving the marina and being on the hook, I am totally addicted. I'm actually dreaming of buying a better boat, so RANI may be for sail soon. But it gets hard to part with a boat that has become so much a part of me.
I'm looking forward to cruising on a permanent basis when I can see my way clear to retire.
Floating shed.
I sail regularly but in between times I spend a lot of time onboard. Yachts just out of sight down the end of my street. I have to walk about 100 metres to see her. I often just go for a row and socialize with other pensioners doing the same.
Right on Cisco!
I am only relatively new to sailing, although spent much of my childhood on the water. The step up to a keel boat from a racing dinghy was a bit scary, but with lots of helpful advice from knowledgeable people, especially on here, I am having the time of my life. Racing around the cans on Friday nights with friends is a focal point of the week. Then cruising up the local waterways to some of the best spots on earth for the rest of the weekend, or heading up or down the coast for a week is just the icing on the cake.
Like McNaughtical, I am planning to do permanent cruising, become a 'Blue Nomad' as I like to say, when I am setup to do so. It wont be too far away. The journey next year to Hammo will hopefully be the start of my longer term adventures.
I recently investigated buying a bigger boat that ticked every box on my wish list, and came very, very close to doing the deal. But when it came down to saying goodbye to the love of my life, I couldn't do it. So I am admitting I am sentimental, but there is no doubt my EastCoast will get me to anywhere I want to go. She is my best friend!
I live in marinas as this is most of the time where my employment is. I have the advantage to apply for work anywhere along the coastal citys and towns within Australia.
I have good insurance and it will only be honored if the boat is in a marina or if im cruising.
I will be living on the hook for the next 6 months just returning to the marina once a fortnight for a couple of days work.
My only expense once on the hook will be my monthly phone and insurance payment totaling $300 per month
and maybe some fuel and gas every 3 months or so.
I'm in awe of people who can define what keeps them on the water. I just don't know what it is, is just there, the need for ocean, cant do a thing about it.
When I was out cruising I wrote my blog [www.sailblogs.com/member/seaka] up whenever I had an internet connection.
About half way through my first cruise I had people asking who else I had onboard? [Being a solo sailor]
I had to go back and reread the blogs and it was then that I realised that Seaka had become a partner in the venture.
I had been referring to the royal "WE", meaning Seaka and I.
It was at that stage Cisco, that I realized I was answering just the questions you have posed,
but to get there you have to get out and start cruising. 
Guys
My post count would indicate I'm not much of a contributor however I follow this forum every day.
The reason is that I sold my boat!
The question posed by Cisco is a good one and I enjoy reading everyone's responses.
I suppose, for me, that I did not understand my why until a long time after I sold my boat.
Over the years I have pursued Golf, Cycling, Motor bikes and Sailing with equal passions.
Through this journey I understand why sailing appeals to me.
I always thought that I sailed to escape from everyday life.
We all know that on the water you can become so engaged that you forget everything else.
If you want you can concentrate on the technical or the more esoteric.
I tried racing as a crew and as a Skip.
I found that I much preferred 2 handed races which I often did single hand.
I realised that I did not sail to escape but to find myself.
I like my own company but I also like the company of a few close friends and family who share a passion.
I also know that I need to find out what is around the next corner, whether its a bend in the road, the next hole or the next port.
I also know that to own and get the most pleasure out of a boat is that you need to be selfish. You need to allocate sufficient time and in my situation this often meant sacrificing family. I have realised that close family to me is more important than myself. I was frustrated by the fact that I couldn't afford the time to find the next port - demonstrated by the fact that I didn't even get out of the bay!
Will I own a boat again - most definitely. Most likely at a time when I need to find myself again.
Upon reflection in writing this post I possibly do not need to sail again.
The lessons I learnt, the events I experienced are with me everyday and forums such as this help me remember them vividly.
I thought I owned a boat to escape but in reality I owned a boat to find myself.
May have misread the brief but here's that's my answer to a question - not necessarily this one>
I agree that a yacht is a form of escapism. This can take many forms, not necessarily sailing off into the blue yonder, but a mental escape. Something to focus on, rather than the daily stresses of work and life.
Solving design issues in my head, is my way of helping me fall asleep. Or trying to remember the geometry to calculate a noon sight. Sailing offers endless topics to think about, and it's many facets allows something for everybody.
The conflict between work, family and other comittments is eased by having a trailer/sailer. That way it is possible to fiddle with the boat in short bursts, and there is no guilt or worry if you haven't checked the boat in a few weeks or months. To do justice to a permanently floating boat I think you need to have a family equally committed, or be single or retired. Or be very rich! However, I have a friend who bought a tenth share of a new, fully maintained 40 ft boat on a marina, and that is working for him.
I'm in a syndicate of 4, but that doesn't mean I am less emotionally attached than if it were all my own. Busy career, wife and three kids, mortgage, school fess and all the bills, means I really couldn't justify a yacht on my own. I wanted a yacht that could take all the family and friends and be kept in a marina 10mins from home.
I love sailing solo and being alone with my thoughts away from life's stresses, I love taking just one of the kids out for a sail, catching up on their lives and tales with no distractions, I love taking all the kids and a bunch of their friends for a fun day out. I love a few days at Rottnest with just the family. I sometimes like to just go and chill out on the boat without going anywhere or finish that little fix job.
I enjoy racing with my fellow owners and short trips away. I enjoy working on the boat with my fellow owners, tackling a big job and enjoying a few beers and laughs afterwards.
ill stick with a syndicate for a while yet, but I can see a time when the kids get older and work slows down, that I'll move to that next stage of life and head off long term cruising.
My yacht to me is freedom, escapism. Shes a portal to another dimension. Since sailing ive kinda stopped going to busy beaches. Dropping anchor, jumping off the bow with my board going for a surf, coming back aboard for lunch is my new thing. Shes also a link between myself and nature. Making friends with Sea Creatures. Seals, Whales and dolphins.
Shes a a ship, she will take you anywhere. Point her in any direction and you can go. To me she is endless possibilties.
Select to expand quotekenif said...
Guys
My post count would indicate I'm not much of a contributor however I follow this forum every day.
The reason is that I sold my boat!
The question posed by Cisco is a good one and I enjoy reading everyone's responses.
I suppose, for me, that I did not understand my why until a long time after I sold my boat.
Over the years I have pursued Golf, Cycling, Motor bikes and Sailing with equal passions.
Through this journey I understand why sailing appeals to me.
I always thought that I sailed to escape from everyday life.
We all know that on the water you can become so engaged that you forget everything else.
If you want you can concentrate on the technical or the more esoteric.
I tried racing as a crew and as a Skip.
I found that I much preferred 2 handed races which I often did single hand.
I realised that I did not sail to escape but to find myself.
I like my own company but I also like the company of a few close friends and family who share a passion.
I also know that I need to find out what is around the next corner, whether its a bend in the road, the next hole or the next port.
I also know that to own and get the most pleasure out of a boat is that you need to be selfish. You need to allocate sufficient time and in my situation this often meant sacrificing family. I have realised that close family to me is more important than myself. I was frustrated by the fact that I couldn't afford the time to find the next port - demonstrated by the fact that I didn't even get out of the bay!
Will I own a boat again - most definitely. Most likely at a time when I need to find myself again.
Upon reflection in writing this post I possibly do not need to sail again.
The lessons I learnt, the events I experienced are with me everyday and forums such as this help me remember them vividly.
I thought I owned a boat to escape but in reality I owned a boat to find myself.
May have misread the brief but here's that's my answer to a question - not necessarily this one>
An interesting post. I suspect my feelings are similar which is why I was close to selling MB. The buzz of the annual Lord Howe adventure keeps me in.
It was a gradual process for me, starting with my love of wood and the appeal of a vanishing craft, the building of fine wooden boats. This dovetailed into my love of fishing. My first was a clinker lifeboat I rescued from Webb Dock in Melbourne, next was a 15 ft clinker I rescued from a paddock in Sommers. With a seagull outboard on the back I explored Westernport in that little boat, going with the tide up creeks and channels, catching snapper and the amazing arrival of the shearwater. I don't think I would describe it as an escape though. I reckon its more like an embrace of something I value so much that i never want the necessary duties and responsibilities of life to rob me of. As I kid I loved dawn and dust and would love to be outdoors at that time. Without being religious about it, there is something spiritual about being in nature, removed from the bustle at these times, in solitude or with close friends or partners. Sailing is all of this and more to us. With the kids, school fees, building a house etc the 15 ft clinker was all i could afford but it was more than enough boat for me then, and I planned and read up getting ready for the time when I could get a more substantial boat. Now we have Warana, a superb example of the art of boat building from the time close to the end of that era, I am just so thankful. It is like having a holiday home, men's shed and a lovers getaway all in one. We are in the process of changing the rig to gaff and getting to know what we and our boat are capable of. I'm not sure where she will take us in the years to come, I'm thinking coastal cruising rather than ocean passage making, but we only have to row out to our mooring and put the billy on, have a nap, or go for a short trip on the bay on our days off work to know that being on the boat will be a major part of out life from now on. We are planning on becoming coastal nomads and our first cruise will be to Hobart via the Prom and Bass Strait Islands in 2019. We will see how things go from there.
She is my home,I've moved around Sydney a lot , the day I gave away all my furniture and moved on board amongst all the mess was the day I knew I had found my place.l love working on her and like others here find myself talking to her. It's stress relief, there is nothing like getting up and drinking coffee on the back deck watching the sun come up. I had to go back.to land due to an injury, I can't manage the dinghy at the moment, one trip and I pay for it all week. I will go back when I'm better and spend half my time on board for a while to see how it goes. The up side I suppose is its warm in the unit. But even snuggled up in the Doona on board last winter was ok.
TSelect to expand quoteMorningBird said..kenif said...
Guys
My post count would indicate I'm not much of a contributor however I follow this forum every day.
The reason is that I sold my boat!
The question posed by Cisco is a good one and I enjoy reading everyone's responses.
I suppose, for me, that I did not understand my why until a long time after I sold my boat.
Over the years I have pursued Golf, Cycling, Motor bikes and Sailing with equal passions.
Through this journey I understand why sailing appeals to me.
I always thought that I sailed to escape from everyday life.
We all know that on the water you can become so engaged that you forget everything else.
If you want you can concentrate on the technical or the more esoteric.
I tried racing as a crew and as a Skip.
I found that I much preferred 2 handed races which I often did single hand.
I realised that I did not sail to escape but to find myself.
I like my own company but I also like the company of a few close friends and family who share a passion.
I also know that I need to find out what is around the next corner, whether its a bend in the road, the next hole or the next port.
I also know that to own and get the most pleasure out of a boat is that you need to be selfish. You need to allocate sufficient time and in my situation this often meant sacrificing family. I have realised that close family to me is more important than myself. I was frustrated by the fact that I couldn't afford the time to find the next port - demonstrated by the fact that I didn't even get out of the bay!
Will I own a boat again - most definitely. Most likely at a time when I need to find myself again.
Upon reflection in writing this post I possibly do not need to sail again.
The lessons I learnt, the events I experienced are with me everyday and forums such as this help me remember them vividly.
I thought I owned a boat to escape but in reality I owned a boat to find myself.
May have misread the brief but here's that's my answer to a question - not necessarily this one>
An interesting post. I suspect my feelings are similar which is why I was close to selling MB. The buzz of the annual Lord Howe adventure keeps me in.
That's the synopsis to a movie right there Kenif!!!!
Had a tear in my eye man! 
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
My yacht to me is freedom, escapism. Shes a portal to another dimension. Since sailing ive kinda stopped going to busy beaches. Dropping anchor, jumping off the bow with my board going for a surf, coming back aboard for lunch is my new thing. Shes also a link between myself and nature. Making friends with Sea Creatures. Seals, Whales and dolphins.
Shes a a ship, she will take you anywhere. Point her in any direction and you can go. To me she is endless possibilties.
And that's inspirational Steve
Growing up in a family of professional fishermen I was always on or near the ocean in some way shape or form as far back as I can remember.
My grandfather was a couta fisherman in Western Port and as a child I remember fishing with him and being on those most amazing sailing craft.
As a youngster crewed and raced skiffs of all lengths and designs and crewed on keelboats until school and work finally got the better of me and the ocean fell by the wayside for a lot of years. Trying to keep contact with sailing while bringing up a family was near on impossible.
Now that my children are older I have once again bought myself a yacht and sail regularly in the local waters where I grew up.
Each time I get on my boat I am filled with joy and my fondness for the ocean is reinforced.
My yacht to me is a link to my past and it fills me with joy every single time I go out. Working on my boat is never a chore and the tinkering is almost as much fun as putting the sails up.
I catch myself on occasion becoming very emotional as I sail back towards the yacht club as I remember being out on the water with my grandfather and coming back to the mooring with him.
In a nutshell I love my boat and it sets me free. I know it sounds a bit spiritual and for me it is.
Scott
Great responses fellas. Seems like we are all fairly emotional about our boats because of the JOY we derive from them. Joy is what we strive for and our "raison d'etre".
What several have said is that when sailing "they find themselves". When sailing one of the things I have found in myself is "the cook". Rarely on shore do I have any interest in cooking. When afloat I love cooking but I am definitely no "master chef".
I have been following some of the adventures of Riley and Elena on La Vagabonde via You Tube. One of their latest is quite relevant to the topic of this thread.
Select to expand quoteoldboyracer said..
She is my home,I've moved around Sydney a lot , the day I gave away all my furniture and moved on board amongst all the mess was the day I knew I had found my place.l love working on her and like others here find myself talking to her. It's stress relief, there is nothing like getting up and drinking coffee on the back deck watching the sun come up. I had to go back.to land due to an injury, I can't manage the dinghy at the moment, one trip and I pay for it all week. I will go back when I'm better and spend half my time on board for a while to see how it goes. The up side I suppose is its warm in the unit. But even snuggled up in the Doona on board last winter was ok.
A room with a view and you can change it any time you feel
waking at anchor and hearing a put put in the distance its a lovely noise for me
Natural from the perspective from the ocean to the shore
being one with the wind .
subsistence living and its independence
a small energy footprint
Being self sufficient
enjoying your own company
for me my yacht is an escape hatch if i could i would spend much more time cruising but am unfortunately tied to work so am limited to racing short weekend cruises with the odd passage run thrown in and the odd ocean race with a cruise home have just built anew lightweight timber dingy with gunter rig to do river and protected water sailing (another interest ) with the intention of doing the raid in Hobart before the wooden boat show a different form of cruising
Select to expand quotePhoenixStar said..
I'm in awe of people who can define what keeps them on the water. I just don't know what it is, is just there, the need for ocean, cant do a thing about it.
We all have different reasons to be on the water PhoenixStar, but I believe our common denominator is the decision to switch the equation "land/sea to sea/land, making the sea your primary world, if that makes any sense at all. As someone said in this topic, it is generated by the desire to discover who you really are, where there is no easy way out. Sorry to but in, this topic is a very important one for people wanting to leave at sea for long periods of time, we should all read it carefully and share.
Good on you Cisco
LJ
Esoteric.....What we sail on is the life blood of this Planet. If it were not for the oceans we would not be here, nothing
would be here.
Earth is a living, breathing being that coughs and sneezes and scratches itself. If we happen to be there when it happens
it can be curtains for us.
As yachties we are privileged to be able to not only see the Planets livingness close to but be able to be taken along for the ride.
However, rules apply. As long as we are prepared to do the necessary things to ensure our safety then Earth will takes us by the
hand and show us what power really is.
And when we eventually sail into calm waters the Planet will say " There....now you've seen my Glory, can you imagine the Glory
of the Universe"....well, no, I can't. But.....maybe one day.
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
My yacht to me is freedom, escapism. Shes a portal to another dimension. Since sailing ive kinda stopped going to busy beaches. Dropping anchor, jumping off the bow with my board going for a surf, coming back aboard for lunch is my new thing. Shes also a link between myself and nature. Making friends with Sea Creatures. Seals, Whales and dolphins.
Shes a a ship, she will take you anywhere. Point her in any direction and you can go. To me she is endless possibilties.
I like that. I'd not read thread until now, (self imposed discipline, been spending too much time confirming how screwed up things are).
I was thinking a window to my soul which is I almost the same thing as a portal to a different dimension.
When I sail alone I never have music on and that overwhelming feeling of independence and complete dependance on the boat that floods over me when the engine is cut and the silence takes over is so sweet that it lasts for as long as I'm sailing.
I know exactly what you mean Japie
when the engine is cut and the silence takes over is so sweet that it lasts for as long as I'm sailing.
Select to expand quoteHG02 said..
I know exactly what you mean Japie
when the engine is cut and the silence takes over is so sweet that it lasts for as long as I'm sailing.
Have you ever switched all the boat lights at night in the middle of the ocean when the skies are clear. It takes 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust. And looking behind, the hulls are leaving two traces of shiny plankton...... I feel I am sailing in space.
(156miles south of Fiji)
Select to expand quoteLadyJane said..
HG02 said..
I know exactly what you mean Japie
when the engine is cut and the silence takes over is so sweet that it lasts for as long as I'm sailing.
Have you ever switched all the boat lights at night in the middle of the ocean when the skies are clear. It takes 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust. And looking behind, the hulls are leaving two traces of shiny plankton...... I feel I am sailing in space.
(156miles south of Fiji)
Good winds J.L.
Or a sailing through a rain mist with no visibility to me it appears like you are in a void
Two words: freedom and self-sufficiency. Reinforced this week as I sit waiting for the ferry from Daydream Island, where you are given your box to sleep in told when you can eat and given a schedule of when you can do things.
Watching the boats sailing was sweet torture but it reinforced our resolve that the next time we are up here it will be on our own boat.
Select to expand quotecisco said..
What is your yacht to you??
For me it is what keeps me interested and alive.
Wife and I have reproduced ourselves with a girl and a boy who are now young adults making their way in life. We have created a moderate amount of wealth that funds our lives and will pass onto the young ones when we take the long walk on the short plank. Duty done!!
What is left of our lives belongs to us.
I go out to my boat and feel that is where I am meant to be. The boat has only one purpose and that is to give me enjoyment, pleasure and happiness whether I am sailing her or working on improvements to her.
She is part of my soul and my artistic expression. 
Select to expand quoteLadyJane said...HG02 said..
I know exactly what you mean Japie
when the engine is cut and the silence takes over is so sweet that it lasts for as long as I'm sailing.
Have you ever switched all the boat lights at night in the middle of the ocean when the skies are clear. It takes 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust. And looking behind, the hulls are leaving two traces of shiny plankton...... I feel I am sailing in space.
(156miles south of Fiji)
Yeah right in your dreams
