Is sailing boring?

What makes sailing boring for some people?

1. No social media

In this modern day and age, we usually combat boredom with social media such as Youtube, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok with many more.  With all of this stripped away out on the ocean, you’re gonna have to get accustomed to staying occupied without the help of your mobile phone. Although satellite is an option and has become more available, it’s still an expensive route to take. Communication via. VHF radio to other boats or even land might be the only social interraction you’ll have with the outside.

2. No wind

You’re out sailing and just want to get to your destination, but all of a sudden the wind disappears and you’re left with little to no forward motion. Starting the engine might not even be an option because of the distance. When you focus on the speed, which is way below what you had foreseen and it has set your arrival time back hours, days or even weeks on your chartplotter, you might get bored or even frustrated.

The wind will always come back, but there’s not much you can do other than keeping occupied and wait.

3. Distance

Distance can be a factor into whether you get bored or not during your sailing voyage. This can possibly be avoided by planning more stops in your voyage to break up the long trip into many smaller ones.  Doing this will allow both you and the crew to catch your breath, rejuvenate on a regular basis, instead of running the risk of boredom and burnout.

If, however, you’re circumnavigating and dont have the option to split up the voyage into smaller ones because of crossing oceans, you could prepare tasks. One of the things i’ve noticed over longer distances with a crew is that boredom creeps up on you if there’s nothing to do. Staring out into the horizon with nothing but water and skies can get boring after awhile. As a captain of your ship, giving out tasks to the crew can help combat boredom and rather give a feeling of accomplishment, which will make both you and the crews spirit shine. Tasks depends greatly on your crews experience and knowledge of sailing, but some examples can be to give a crewmember the role of trimming the jib sail, cooking, navigating or even step in at the helm.

4. Waiting

Waiting is a big part of sailing. Checking the weather forecast to see if it safe to head out or not. Waiting for the right wind, for the rain to stop or the fog to lessen. The last thing you want is to head out at sea with risk of heading into a storm. This is usually just a problem when you’re either at an anchorage or in an harbor, so there should be plenty of things to occupy your waiting time with. The key here is to just accept it as it is. Better safe than sorry.

5. Repetitive tasks

There’s no secret that crossing oceans requires certain tasks to be performed over and over until you reach the other side. Adjusting and Trimming the sails, looking out for obstacles and ships, checking the weather and so on. These are predictable, monotonous and repetitive tasks that needs to be done whether you like it or not. This can quickly lead to mental fatigue and boredom. Finding ways to make these tasks more fun and rewarding can help minimize this.

6. Lack of rest and nutrition

You’ve probably heard how important it is to eat enough and sleep enough a thousand times by now, but it would be irresponsible not to bring it up. A lack of rest and good nutrition is critical when out sailing. Feeling tired and malnourished can lead you to slack around, not finding energy to do more than absolutely necessary.

 

How to not be bored while sailing:

1. Bring a hobby

I get it. Sailing is your hobby, but imagine if you could spend time doing another hobby within a hobby. Now we’re talking. Do you play an instrument? Maybe the guitar or a ukulele? Bring it! Nothing kills time like a good old song accompanied by the sound of waves and winds.  The possibilities are endless even if you dont play an instrument. You could do some stitching, read a good book or even write a good book. Photography is also a big one. Capturing the moment for you to enjoy and share later while also keeping you occupied and improving your skills.

2. Maintenance

Lets face it. There’s always something to do on a boat. If there’s some maintenance that you’ve been putting off for way too long, now’s a hard time to make up an excuse not to do it. Although, maintenance on the outside should wait. You wouldn’t want to fall into the water while underway, but simple tasks on the inside. Maybe there’s a cabinet door that’s a little loose? Something that needs stitching together? Some electrical that needs looking over? You’ll find something.

3. Fishing

Fishing is an excellent time killer. What’s better than fixing dinner and keeping occupied at the same time? Besides, the excitement of what’s on the hook is like opening a christmas present as a kid. You never know what you’ll get (altough you might have an educated guess). This brings to the next step on the list.

4. Cooking

It’s time to cook the fish we caught earlier! We all got to eat, and this doesn’t change out at sea. Making a delicious meal to enjoy while sailing into the sunset will sure put a smile on your face. If you’ve brought a cooking book, now’s an excellent time to bring it out. You might have to get a little creative, as there’s no supermarkets out at sea, but experimenting with different ingredients makes it even more exciting. What’s better than to come home and show off your newfound recipe that you cooked up crossing the atlantic ocean?

5. Just enjoy the existence

Breathe it in. The ocean air relaxes your whole body. Sunbathing for your long awaited tan. You, the ship, the ocean and the wind. That’s all there is. No worries, no schedule, nowhere to be but here. Not much is more freeing than just being right here, right now. Maybe that’s all it takes to not feel bored. So kick back and relax.

6. Creativity

Use your creativity. Being bored is sometimes a good thing cause it might initiate new activities you otherwise would never try. Try to embrace the boredom, find your own way out of it. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a newfound hobby you never thought you’d enjoy.

 

Key takeaways:

Yes. The harsh truth is that sailing can get boring over longer distances, when the wind is nowhere to be found and you either have to sit still or fire up the engine. The mobile coverage is out of bound, no internet, no social media, just you, your ship and the wind.  However, you’ll never know until you try, as every sailor experiences this differently. Don’t let that discourage you though. There’s countless ways to solve this problem if you’re easily bored. In the end, it is what you make it, and being bored might not be so bad.