{"id":43740,"date":"2021-01-21T17:11:35","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T22:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=43740"},"modified":"2023-05-06T17:41:18","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T21:41:18","slug":"young-and-restless-cruising-millennial-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/people\/young-and-restless-cruising-millennial-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Young and Restless: Cruising Millennial Style"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Alex <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Alex and David Giovannini found a sponsor for a sail through the Northwest Passage.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Not so very long ago, in a South Pacific anchorage, I watched a neighboring boat of three young cruisers going about their daily routine. Their 28-foot classic-plastic yacht looked as though it had been in a head-on collision with the watersports department at REI. Dive gear hung off every available inch of lifeline, a menagerie of floaty toys bobbed happily alongside. One crewmate was unsuccessfully attempting to launch a kiteboard off the stern while another filmed his efforts with a drone. As I watched, I couldn\u2019t help but feel a mixed sense of amusement and pride. These guys epitomized my generation; they were millennial cruisers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My husband, Robin (age 35), and I (30) have been cruising together for five years. In that time, we\u2019ve met and interviewed scores of millennials for Waterborne<\/a>, our website for 20- to 40-year-old sailors. In collecting their stories, we\u2019ve found several common themes that typify how millennials are going about cruising today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Boats, Young Salts<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Millennials have less disposable cash, making boat purchases and cruising a financial challenge. According to a 2017 analysis of Federal Reserve data, today\u2019s young people earn 20 percent less than their parents did at the same age and have 50 percent the net worth. Fortunately, our generation has inherited a vast supply of old fiberglass hulls. Of the young cruisers I\u2019ve met, 95 percent own pre-1980s boats. While not the most mechanically inclined generation, millennials learn to make repairs by watching YouTube videos and, over the course of a year or two, get their boats cruise-ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such couple, Ruth and Garrett Jolly, both 24 years old, in the search for their dream cruising boat, bought, refitted, sailed and sold six old boats! \u201cWe\u2019d find these old boats on the chopping block for free or a couple thousand bucks,\u201d Garrett told me. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t necessarily be the boat that we wanted, but I couldn\u2019t stand to see it destroyed. We\u2019d just put in labor and reclaimed lumber, not really spend any money, and turn them around for a profit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Ruth <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Ruth and Garrett Jolly flipped six boats before deciding to build one on their own.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

In the search for their \u201cperfect\u201d boat, the Jollys ultimately decided to build one from scratch\u2014a 35-foot George Buehler ketch\u2014in the mountains along the Columbia River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their advice for young cruisers: \u201cIf you think you\u2019re interested in the ocean, the best way to find out for sure is to get out on the ocean. It doesn\u2019t need to be scary, because you start hanging out with people and you get pumped.\u201d Follow along with their adventures at saltandtar.org.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charter, Borrow, Hitch<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Other young cruisers are doing away with owning a boat altogether. For a generation accustomed to Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, Airbnb and Uber, owning an asset that can cost thousands of dollars a year is less appealing than renting, borrowing or riding along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ian Drogin, a 28-year-old California native, along with his brother and three friends, chartered Hellenic Sky<\/i>, a Bavaria 44, for a two-and-a-half month sailing and rock-climbing expedition in the Greek Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think a lot of people have this idea of sailing being a luxury sport for the rich, but the way we did it seemed very financially manageable. Adventures are not as hard as you think. They\u2019re actually pretty accessible,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drogin estimates that the total cost of his trip was $2,500 to $4,000 per person, a fraction of what it would cost to purchase and outfit a boat for a similar adventure. You can find out more at iandrogin.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more financially friendly is boat-hiking. We\u2019ve met dozens of young cruisers who are seeing the world by jumping from boat to boat. Boat-hiking opportunities seem to range from paying your way to all expenses paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two hitchhiking experts, Mariusz Honka and Maciek Badziak, both 27, began their trip in Poland\u2014with almost no sailing experience. They have since boat-hiked across the Atlantic and Pacific without spending a dime on accommodations or transportation, proving that you don\u2019t need a boat to sail the world; you can just thumb it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Mariusz <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Mariusz Honka and Maciek Badziak left Poland to hitch a ride around the world.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Their advice to those looking to hitch a ride: \u201cSkippers prioritize good people over good sailors. Because of that, the most important thing is to have a positive attitude and an open mind. Do your research, get a little knowledge about \u00adsailing, but don\u2019t hesitate too long. Adventure is waiting for you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Panama <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Mariusz Honka and Maciek Badziak transited the Panama Canal.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Hacking the Cruising Life<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Steeped in tech and startup nomenclature, most millennials are familiar with the idea of life hacking: employing tricks, shortcuts or skills that increase productivity or efficiency. Millennial sailors apply this hacker\u2019s mentality to many aspects of cruising. For example, they tend to opt for satellite communications over a single-sideband radio, choose multiple redundant\/independent electronic charts over paper ones, and many prefer an iPad for navigation to a marine chart plotter. The majority have sailed for only a year or two before embarking on multiyear cruising trips. While young cruisers have a healthy respect for the ocean and their own limitations, they happily embrace hacks that get them cruising quicker and cheaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One good example is Mark Miele, 37, and Eden Yelland, 34, who, with little previous on-water experience, bought a trawler with their savings. As Miele put it, \u201cWe ended up with a trawler because we were looking to avoid the learning curve of sailing.\u201d Six months later they left Victoria, Canada, bound for La Paz, Mexico, and became, they believe, the first people to make this journey<\/a> in a 36-foot Universal Europa Sedan, proving the boat\u2019s long-distance cruising ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Mark <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Mark Miele and Eden Yelland chose to see the world from the deck of a trawler.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

They told me that they wouldn\u2019t have been able to figure out the ins and outs of boats and cruising without the internet and YouTube. They said that they learned almost everything from one or the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boaty Base Camp<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sailing for sailing\u2019s sake is great, but young cruisers also think of their boats as a base camp, or a vehicle that serves as a platform for adventure sports. From rock climbing the rugged shores of Greenland to freediving in the Tuamotus, millennials aren\u2019t content to sit and read a book on the boat all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two Swiss brothers, Alexandre, 31, and David Giovannini, 29, recently navigated the Northwest Passage in Bonavalette<\/i>, their 1979 Dufour 35. The trip was sponsored in part by Swiss cheese-maker Le Gruy\u00e8re AOP\u2014an excellent excuse for fondue on an iceberg!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Giovannini <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The Giovannini brothers and crew sailed from ice to the tropics.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Both avid kiteboarders, they were determined to ride in one of the world\u2019s most extreme environments. After donning survival suits, one brother flew the kite in the frigid waters of a small cove while the other sat in the dinghy looking out for polar bears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing we learned along the way is that while it\u2019s great to just sail, your boat can also give you access to remote places where you can hike, climb, kiteboard or dive,\u201d David says. \u201cSome of our best experiences have been in places where we were the only boat in the anchorage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this adventuresome duo successfully transited the Northwest Passage, they went on to kiteboard the warmer (and polar-bear-free) waters of the South Pacific. You can follow their adventures (in French) at Bonavalette Autourdumonde (facebook.com\/\u00adbonavalette.autourdumonde).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Says Alexandre: \u201cI think preparation is the most important thing. You don\u2019t need an expensive boat, but it\u2019s important to do lots of research. We were able to complete the Northwest Passage in a small fiberglass boat because we spent a lot of time preparing ourselves and the boat before we left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Thousand Words<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have yet to meet a young cruiser who isn\u2019t vlogging, blogging, photo journaling or writing a book about their cruise. At times, documenting a trip seems to absorb as much if not more time than actual sailing. Of course, it\u2019s only natural that our generation\u2019s fascination with media would extend to sharing stories about sailing and life aboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Guillaume <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Guillaume Beaudoin sailed a \u00adboatload of camera gear across the Pacific.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

One top-notch example of sailing documentary is Canadian cinematographer Guillaume Beaudoin\u2019s current project, Across the Salty Roads (facebook.com\/acrossthesaltyroads\/). The 34-year-old Beaudoin has just completed a boat-hiking trip across the Pacific, filming community-driven ocean-conservation projects. He told me that while he likes sailing, his real passion is storytelling. \u201cSailing to me is not about the number of miles I\u2019ve covered; it\u2019s about meeting new people, discovering new places, and sharing their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Guillaume <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Videographer Guillaume Beaudoin\u2019s current project is Across the Salty Roads.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

His advice for storytelling? \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand the pros and cons of documenting your trip. The upside is, you\u2019re going to get to go deeper into communities, go places you would never otherwise get to go. The downside is you have equipment to worry about and always have to work. So, you\u2019re not as free as if you had gone on an adventure without filming it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Fiona <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The author\u2019s sailing \u00adadventures allowed her to meet a new \u00adgeneration of cruisers.<\/span>\n Courtesy Fiona Mcglynn<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

From drone-flying digital nomads to cruiser\/climber adventurers, it\u2019s exciting to see my generation develop a unique take on seeing the world by sail, and adding to cruising\u2019s rich heritage of adventure, community and appreciation of the ocean. Undoubtedly, it will all be different 10 years from now, but I\u2019d like to think that millennials will leave some mark on cruising culture, making it even more attractive and accessible for the next generation of sailors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fiona McGlynn is a freelance writer who \u00adrecently cruised from Vancouver to Australia on a Dufour 35. McGlynn also runs \u00ad<\/i>waterbornemag.com<\/i><\/a>, a website devoted to millennial sailing culture.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new generation of cruising sailors are finding ways to buy a boat and, well, just do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Fiona McGlynn","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"20210121","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"165","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"From hitching a ride to vlogging, this generation of sailors has found new ways to go cruising and document it.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"JFGGTFVC5FBE5PQMFYMKLVNSD4","arc_website_url":"story\/people\/young-and-restless-cruising-millennial-style\/","custom_permalink":"story\/people\/young-and-restless-cruising-millennial-style\/","arc_subtype":"right-sidebar","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[165],"tags":[1918,197,1232],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}