Hi Jon,

I agree with your post, but the reality is, having a crew that "loves" sailing is not always (or more likely, is infrequently) an option.

Many of us have spouses that are somewhat reluctant. I think cruising is fabulous lifestyle that even the reluctant crew can appreciate and enjoy. But if you don't experience the positives before a major negative the probability is that the reluctant crew will jump ship. It is the rare bird who has a partner or crew that really loves sailing. And even those that enjoy the sailing experience don't always love bashing into waves on a beat.

On my cruise, I was really the only one of 7 adults and kids that loved sailing (and even I don't particularly enjoy beating into waves for days). I knew that there would be times we'd get into weather, but I also knew that if I took the crew out and the first experience was a miserable one (like beating into waves) our trip would be a short one. I studiously avoided doing that in the beginning and only slowly built up offshore passages so the crew could slowly get accustomed to it. Even then those occassions when we did slog into weather were not happy times for the crew.

Crew not happy -> Capt not happy -> end of cruise.