Why Now Is The Perfect time For the Younger Generation to Start Sailing
When you think of sailing, there are several things that come to mind. The first is probably an older white couple, decked out in khaki shorts, pristinely pressed polos, and perfectly clean Sperry shoes. The other, is the same in appearance, but rather than an older couple, it’s a gaggle of fraternity and sorority members on a college sailing team. A very stereotypical view of sailing is prevalent in the world around us, and it’s not exactly the prettiest picture. If you do not fit in this mold that you see before you, you would assume that you’re not welcome to walk among them. If you’re not of the upper middle class, and white, then you don’t belong. Not only was this the perception of the sailing world that I personally held, but so did many people before me.
On the other hand, if you were to google sailing, or perhaps search on YouTube, what you will find is the exact polar opposite. You will discover a community of young, attractive, and diverse array of people who all live the life of a sailor. The older generation in this world exist in the periphery, and only make up a small percentage of the people sailing the oceans, albeit still mostly white but less so than the original perception. This too, is not the reality of the world, only one that exists in the digital medium.
Each of the two preconceived notions of sailing present the world in a different light than the other. If you had no actual knowledge of the world, neither would truly help you gain any additional knowledge, apart from the actual sailing itself. But, once you step into the world of sailing, you start to see that one is more true than the other. Can you guess which is closer to reality? The former. According to Sailing Today in the UK, the average age of a cruiser is 50 years old. As we know, the greatest portion of the population doesn’t sit around the age of 50. On the contrary, the global median age is 30 years old, meaning more people are closer to 30 than 50, yet the sailing world doesn’t reflect that reality. The average age is more than just a statistic in a magazine, it’s a fact I can attest to from my own personal experience. There are a large plethora of reasons this may be true, but now is the perfect time for the younger generation to start sailing.
In spring of 2020, the entire world went through an existential crisis not seen since the turn of the 20th century. As the world came to a standstill, many people began to question their existence, and their life from that moment on. Having spent a year in lockdown, and mostly away from day to day life, people are questioning whether they even wish to return to normal. Whether that question arises in the form of civil rights, wages, or just overall what people want their lives to look like. Many are deciding they don’t want to go back to the life that they had before, and no one sums it up better than Tim Kreider for The Atlantic. Tim states, “Quarantine has given us all time and solitude to think—a risk for any individual, and a threat to any status quo… And a lot of them don’t want to return to wasting their days in purgatorial commutes, to the fluorescent lights and dress codes and middle-school politics of the office”. After the world fell into disarray and utter chaos, many people had the time to step back from their lives and reevaluate it. Even those who didn’t stop working began to feel unappreciated and not respected in their fields, which then leads them to questioning what they’re doing. As things wind down in the United States, now is the perfect time to make that change. To make the choice to live life on your terms, and not someone else’s. If you have always dreamed of living on the water, or by the water, now is the perfect time to take that leap and move closer to what you want. If it’s not even something you considered, perhaps now is the time to explore it. With the world changing, perhaps now is the time you changed with it. With remote jobs on the rise, and becoming the preferred work for the younger generation, what better time is there?
A study conducted by Business Insider revealed that out of 1000 workers, 39% said they would consider quitting their jobs if they weren’t allowed to continue to work remotely. Another report released by Flex Jobs in April revealed that out of 2100 individuals surveyed, that 58% would ‘absolutely’ look for a new job if they couldn’t continue to work remotely. Almost immediately after things began to worsen across the globe, companies started initiating work from home orders. From that moment on, everyday work was being performed from the comfort of people’s homes, and meetings were conducted on services such as Zoom and Skype. In the age of emails, web portals, and video conferencing, there is no logical reason to operate in offices for many companies. The ever present phrase, “That meeting could have been an email,” definitely comes to mind during this time. After this new change, many companies stated they would allow people to continue working from home indefinitely if they chose to do so, while a percentage of companies are forcing workers to return to the office even though the numbers aren’t in their favor. Many people are opting to work from home for a number of reasons. A large group of people said they saved nearly 5000 dollars over the year by not commuting. On top of the monetary savings, people have saved time as well. No longer are they requiring the time to get dressed, commute both ways, etc. Not only do you gain a bump in the bank, but also your free time as well. With more companies offering remote positions, you can choose where you make your home. Gone are the days of needing to be in the city just for the sake of being near your place of employment. You can live in a different state, or perhaps even a different country, the possibilities are truly endless. In the world of sailing, it’s not even unusual. Many younger cruisers have been surviving with remote jobs for years. For some, they created their own businesses that allowed them to run it from anywhere in the world. For others, they work for a company that allows them to work remotely, which grants them the ability to cruise tropical locations while getting their office work done. Just because you have to work to survive doesn’t mean you can’t live an adventurous life in the process. With so many companies offering remote positions, now is definitely the time to head to the ocean and get in that sailboat. Adventure is waiting for you!
The cost of owning a boat holds a lot of contention in the boating world. Spend more than a few weeks around any boaters, online or in person, and you will hear some overly cliche phrases regarding owning a boat. Some will say it’s a money pit in the middle of the ocean. Others will give some variation of that phrase, constantly complaining about the costs of owning and operating a boat. To them I say, shut up. I know that seems uncouth, but it’s something that I’m frankly sick of hearing. To own anything, operate it, repair and refit it, will cost money. Whether that is a house, car, or a boat, they will all cost money to purchase and maintain them. Initially, a boat purchase can be quite high, but on the other hand, it can also be quite affordable. Like housing, the range on which you purchase a boat is quite large. There are some older boats in amazing condition that you can purchase for 10-20k. But, there are many newer used boats upwards of 300k dollars. Refitting can also be costly, depending on what you wish to achieve. Don’t use Sailing Ixion as an example because we have done quite a large bit of work that wasn’t necessarily needed, but things we wanted to do. Ixion operated great it’s first season, and the refits we did were simply because we chose to do it. The only large issue that required any money or time our first season out was a new alternator for the motor, beyond that, we sailed every week for several months without spending any large amount of money. There are many boats out there that are affordable that sit in the same class as Ixion. Now, where boating is in fact affordable, is when you live the cruising life. Gone are the days of rent, utilities, etc. The only time you pay to house your boat is when you rent a mooring, slip, or haul out. Most cruisers prefer to anchor as it is free, and grants you complete freedom of access and mobility. If you implement things such as solar and wind energy, it helps power your boat, preventing you from having to charge up using a motor or generator, which uses fuel. There are many cruisers who release their monthly budgets to their fans, or those who follow them. The numbers vary, but an entire family has stated they live for only 2500 per month, where another couple stated they only spent 1300 a month on literally everything. That included food, some medical bills (not in the United States), and regular repairs on their boat. Obviously, this number can vary greatly depending on potentially large jobs, refits, or purchases. But on the average, it saves quite a bit of money. For many, the initial costs of boat buying and refits are covered by selling cars, houses, properties and nearly everything they own. Then, their salary covers their living, and allows them to save money at the same time. Obviously, not everyone owns property or cars, or has savings. So, much like anything, there is a slight threshold, but it’s not insurmountable. We entered into the sailing world with literally nothing, but we have managed to make it work and survive. It does take some work, but if you have a small nest egg, or perhaps a car you don’t want or need, now is the time to take the jump. Especially if you’re working remotely, you already have a built in salary that will cover the cost of cruising for you. Plus, now is the perfect time to get into boating, it’s more popular than ever!
As the world ground to a halt last year, and felt like the apocalypse was imminent, people decided now was the perfect time to get into boating. Whether it was them trying to escape reality, or finally having the downtime to pursue hobbies and passions, doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, boating is more popular now than ever! Yacht brokers and manufacturers are seeing higher demand than ever before. According to the Boating Industry website, there was a 13 percent increase in sales last year, the highest increase since the Great Recession in 2008, and the trend isn’t slowing in 2021. One powerboat company stated they sold 85 percent of their inventory before March 31; which in portions of the world is before the boating season even starts! Why do these numbers matter? Well, for multiple reasons.
Whenever there is an influx in the boating market, it means there is new blood. Which overall, means an increase in the community size. Whether it be power boating or sailing, it’s great to see more people out on the water. The boating community is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. They are always willing to offer aid, invite you over for a cocktail, or just help you tie up your lines at the dock. There is a camaraderie that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and the more people who do it, the more comrades you gain in the process! Apart from just gaining friends, it also means there are more individuals out in the world willing to help you gain your sea legs. Whether it’s telling you tricks of the trade, or telling you the best local bits of knowledge about specific areas, the more people the better! So, jump in now when so many people are rushing to join this amazing community.
On the other end of the spectrum, the hype normally doesn’t last forever. Inevitably, people will return to their normal lives, or decide they don’t like it. Perhaps some will even decide they don’t want to spend the money on this new hobby. So, I imagine, there will be a large influx of used boats on the market in the next year or two. I have no facts to back this up, just a hunch. People flocked to this world because of the drama of the outside world. But, what happens when things return to normal? People return to normal as well, and put their boats up for sale. So, if you keep an eye out, you may just find a nice sailing vessel for a decent price pop up on the market in the next year or so.
At the end of the day, life is short as far as we know, so go out and do what you want. I can list a million reasons why this is the perfect time to get into sailing, but that doesn’t necessarily fall into the best reasons to do so. The best reason is because you want to. Life should be lived in the way that makes you the happiest, and the best way you see fit. If that entails living on a boat, working remotely, and sailing the world, then go get it girl.
For me, the comradery is probably the most important part of all of this. I have always felt like I was lacking a community, and in boating, I found that. This community isn’t local, but stretched out all over the world. I have connected with people up and down the eastern coast, all the way down into the Caribbean, North American Pacific Coast, to Europe and beyond. I have met and interacted with some of the most interesting people with the most amazing stories ever! Not to mention, as a gay man, I have connected with other queer sailors and boaters who take on the world head first. For me, that was my biggest fear and hold up coming into the sailing world, because it’s predominately straight, white, cisgender men. But that is changing, and I am part of that change.
Now that you have made it to the end of this piece, I say get out there and enjoy the world of boating. If you’re a little scared at first, that’s okay, we all experience that. If you still aren’t sure, look up sailing channels on youtube, Sailing Ixion included. Here you can follow people who have taken that first step and began living their dream. Perhaps they can inspire you to do the same, and begin chasing your dream.
That is why now is the perfect time for the younger generation to start sailing.
Sources
The Atlantic : https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/post-pandemic-dont-want-to-reenter-society/619045/
Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-job-flexible-remote-working-from-home-return-to-office-2021-6
Democrat & Chronicle: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/06/01/boats-for-sale-rochester-ny-region-dealerships-see-record-breaking-sales/5280606001/
Sailing Today: https://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/news/children-of-the-revolution/