Cruising by boat is a lifestyle

Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages. Cruising is done on both sail and power boats, although sail predominates over longer distances, as ocean-worthy power boats are considerably more expensive. Many cruisers are "long term" and travel for many years, the most adventurous circling the globe over a period of three to ten years. Many others take a year or two off from work and school for short trips and the chance to experience the cruising lifestyle.


Contents


* 1 History
* 2 Equipment
* 3 Safety
* 4 Other kinds of maritime cruising
* 5 Further reading
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

History

Prior to the Nineteenth Century origin of the concept of voyaging as a lifestyle, boats were almost exclusively used for work. In 1857, the philosopher Henry David Thoreau, with his book Canoeing in Wilderness chronicling his canoe voyaging in the wilderness of Maine, was the first convey the enjoyment of spiritual and lifestyle aspects of cruising. The concept of cruising for pleasure was popularized in the Nineteenth Century, by several widely read authors and books: John MacGregor, 1866, A Thousand Miles in a Rob Roy Canoe; Robert Lewis Stevenson, 1877, An Inland Voyage and Nathaniel H. Bishop, 1879, Four Months in a Sneakbox.
Cruisers can see traditional life in remote areas of the world; here, a Kuna local paddles a dugout canoe in the San Blas Islands.
Cruisers can see traditional life in remote areas of the world; here, a Kuna local paddles a dugout canoe in the San Blas Islands.

One of the first people to carry out a long-distance voyage for pleasure, and who inspired many others to follow in his path, was Joshua Slocum, who circumnavigated the world between 1895 and 1898. Despite widespread opinion that such a voyage was impossible and despite being a retired sea captain, Slocum rebuilt a derelict 37-foot sloop Spray and sailed her single-handed around the world. His book Sailing Alone Around the World is still considered a classic adventure, and inspired many others to take to the seas.[1]

Other cruising authors have provided both inspiration and useful instruction to would-be cruisers. Key among these during the post war period are Miles and Beryl Smeeton, Bernard Moitessier, and Eric & Susan Hiscock. During the 1970's - 80's, Robin Lee Graham, Lin and Larry Pardey, Annie Hill, Herb Payson, Steve & Linda Dashew and Hal & Margaret Roth have provided inspiration for people to set off voyaging. Most recently, Beth Leonard have been writing both inspirational and technical books about voyaging.

Equipment

As well as normal sailing and seamanship skills, cruisers use a variety of equipment and techniques to make their voyages possible, or simply more comfortable. The use of wind vane self steering is common on long distance cruising yachts.
The solar panels on this 28-foot yacht can keep her self-sufficient in electrical power.
The solar panels on this 28-foot yacht can keep her self-sufficient in electrical power.

Though in the past many cruisers had no means of generating electricity on board and depended on kerosene and dry cell batteries, today most have some sort of electrical devices on board thus,one of the key areas is providing the electrical power to keep the boat's systems (lights, communications gear, etc.) running. Although most boats can generate power from their inboard engines, and some carry generators, carrying sufficient fuel for these over a long voyage can be a problem; and so many cruising boats are equipped with generating devices such as solar panels, wind turbines and towed turbines.

While it is quite possible (and, until relatively recently, normal) to cruise without long-distance communications equipment, such gear is becoming more common on cruising boats. Many boats are now equipped with satellite telephone systems; however, these systems can be expensive to use, and may operate only in restricted areas. Many cruisers still rely on the older short wave maritime SSB and Amateur radio radio, which has no running costs, and can with a compatible modem, Pactor, allow sending and receiving of email at very slow speed, insufficient for all but basic communication using ASCII text only, without html formating or attachments. This communication is analogous to the telegraph message in the past.

Watermakers which turn seawater into potable water are increasingly common on ocean crossing yachts. Radar, GPS are usually present and electronic charting systems are also regularly found on cruising yachts.

Safety
Club Med 2 is a 5-masted sailing cruise ship owned by Club Med. The sails are automatically deployed by computer control. Club Med 2 was launched in 1992 in Le Havre, France. The ship, carrying up to 400 passengers with a crew of 200, cruises the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Atlantic.
Club Med 2 is a 5-masted sailing cruise ship owned by Club Med. The sails are automatically deployed by computer control. Club Med 2 was launched in 1992 in Le Havre, France. The ship, carrying up to 400 passengers with a crew of 200, cruises the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Atlantic.

Travel by water brings hazards, collision, weather and equipment failure can lead to dangerous situations such as sinking or a severely disabled and dangerous vessel. For this reason many long distance cruising yachts carry with them sophisticated emergency equipment such as EPIRBs and Liferafts.

Medical emergencies are also of concern, as a medical emergency can occur on a long passage when the closest port is over a week away. For this reason before going cruising many people go through first aid training and carry extensive medical kits.
Other kinds of maritime cruising

* Camp cruising, also known as beach cruising or gunkhole cruising, is a form of cruising in which sailors sail from point to point in an open or semi-enclosed boat, generally remaining within sight of land, and either camp ashore or aboard the boat at anchor. The boats used may be specialized cruising dinghies, small keelboats, or general purpose daysailing or racing boats pressed into service for the purpose.

* Daysailing is recreational sailing that does not involve racing or cruising. Many racers refer to all non-racers as "cruisers," including dinghy and small keelboat sailors who primarily focus on daysailing.

* Travel on cruise ships may be referred to as cruising. Those who take frequent cruise ship vacations (multiple times per year) may be called

Marketing

Further information: Transformers: The Movie Prequel, Transformers: Movie Adaptation, Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday, and Transformers: The Game

The first teaser trailer was released on the Internet on June 29, 2006, depicting a Transformer attacking the Beagle 2 mission.A second trailer was released on December 20,breaking Spider-Man 3's record for the number of internet hits.[] A third trailer was released online on Yahoo's movie website on May 17, 2007. Another trailer was attached with Shrek the Third.[] Bay originally intended that "[The audience] never really get a good look at the robots until the release",] but by the third trailer he had abandoned this idea. The Sector 7 viral marketing web site featured several videos recording supposed evidence of Transformers on Earth. These featured cameos by Generation 1 Transformers, including Grimlock destroying a construction site, and a security video showing a robot resembling Generation 1 Bumblebee transforming in a parking garage.[

Hasbro made deals with 200 companies across 70 countries to promote the filTheir toy line for the film was created over two months over late 2005/early 2006, collaborating heavily with the filmmakers.A pair of preview toys, Protoform Optimus Prime and Starscream, were released in the U.S.A. on May 1, 2007, before the first wave of figures were released on June 2. Characters that do not appear in the film are also featured in the film's style, including Air Raid, Arcee, Clocker, Elita One, Hardtop, Longarm, Signal Flare, Skyblast, Strongarm, Swindle and Wreckage. The toys feature "Automorph Technology" in which moving parts of the toy allow other parts to shift automatically.[] Michael Bay directed tie-in commercials for General Motors, Burger King and PepsiCo,] while props including the 1977 Chevrolet Camaro used for Bumblebee and the Allspark, were put up for charity on eBay. In the third quarter of 2007, Nokia will release a special Transformers edition of their N93i

Transformer

Initially, fans were divided over the film due to the radical redesigns of many characters Michael Bay even received death threats Nonetheless, the film began to draw in many new fans to the franchise. The 2007 BotCon saw its attendance rise from 2,200 to nearly 8,000.

Transformers had its worldwide premiere at Sydney on June 12, 2007. It premiered at Sitges during the annual Film Festival on June 20, 2007 and in Taormina the following day. It premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 27 via digital satellite feed,and in Rhode Island on June 28. The Rhode Island premiere was a freely available event offering fans to buy tickets for $75 to benefit four charities: the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, the Autism Project of Rhode Island, the Adoption Rhode Island, and the Hasbro Children's Hospital.

Box office performance
The film was released in ten overseas markets on June 28, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Philippines. Transformers made $29.5 million in its first weekend, topping the box office in ten countries including a $1.7 million four-day weekend gross in Singapore, the biggest yet. The film was released in the United States and Canada on July 3, with 8pm preview screenings on July 2. The previews earned $8.8 million, and in its first day of general release it grossed $27.4 million, a record for Tuesday box office attendance. It broke Spider-Man 2's record for the biggest July 4 gross, making $29 million.

In its first weekend, Transformers grossed $70.5 million, amounting to a $155.4 million opening week, giving it the record for the biggest opening week for a non-sequel. The opening domestic gross was 50% more than what Paramount Pictures expected, with one executive attributing it to word of mouth telling "parents that it's OK to take the kids." A Cinemascope poll indicated the film was most popular with children and parents, including older women, and attracted many African American and Latino viewers. Transformers opened in China on July 11, setting a record for the biggest foreign language film opening with $3 million. The film has grossed $233 million in the home country of the United States and $380 million worldwide. The film will be released in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland on July 27.

Critical reception

Transformers was met with mixed reviews from film critics, receiving a "rotten" rating of only 57% favorable reviews out of 175 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and a Metacritic score of 60/100 (mixed or average) from 34 reviews. IGN's Todd Gilchrist found it Michael Bay's best film, and "one of the few instances where it's OK to enjoy something for being smart and dumb at the same time, mostly because it's undeniably also a whole lot of fun." The Advertiser's Sean Fewster found the visual effects so seamless that "you may come to believe the studio somehow engineered artifical intelligence". The Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy praised the depiction of the robots as having "a believably rendered scale and intimacy" and ABC presenter Margaret Pomeranz was surprised "that a complete newcomer to the Transformers phenomenon like myself became involved in the fate of these mega-machines". Ain't It Cool News's Drew McWeeny felt most of the cast grounded the story, and that "it has a real sense of wonder, one of the things that’s missing from so much of the big CGI lightshows released these days." Author Peter David found it ludricrous fun, and that "[Bay] manages to hold on to his audience's suspension of disbelief long enough for us to segue into some truly spectacular battle scenes."

Despite the praise for the visual effects, there was much division over the human storylines. The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt liked "how a teen plot line gets tied in to the end of the world", while Empire's Ian Nathan praised Shia LaBeouf as "a smart, natural comedian, levels the bluntness of this toy story with an ironic bluste Ain't It Cool News founder Harry Knowles found the military storylines distracting from Sam, a conflict of Bay and Steven Spielberg's styles. James Berardinelli hated the film as he did not connect with the characters in-between the action, which he found tedious. Los Angeles Times's Kenneth Turan found the humans "oddly lifeless, doing little besides marking time until those big toys fill the screen", while Comingsoon.net's Joshua Stames felt the Transformers were "completely believable, right up to the moment they open their mouths to talk, when they revert to bad cartoon characters."Daily Herald's Matt Arado was annoyed that "the Transformers [are] little more than supporting players", and felt the middle act was sluggish. CNN's Tom Charity questioned the idea of a film based on a toy, and felt it would "buzz its youthful demographic... but leave the rest of us wondering if Hollywood could possibly aim lower."
Awards

Before its release, Transformers was voted "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. Transformers was nominated for nine Teen Choice Awards for Best Action Adventure, Movie Actor: Action Adventure - Shia LaBeouf, Movie Actress: Action Adventure - Megan Fox, Movie: Villain: Megatron, Movie: Liplock - Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf, Movie: Breakout Female - Megan Fox, Movie: Rumble - Captain Lennox vs. Blackout, Movie: Breakout Male - Shia LaBeouf for A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Disturbia, Transformers, Movie: Chemistry - Shia LaBeouf and Bumblebee, and Female Hottie - Megan Fox.
Sequels

On May 30, 2007, DreamWorks greenlit two sequels to Transformers. Shia LaBeouf Megan Fo and Peter Cullen are signed on to return. Producer Tom DeSanto has envisioned a storyline introducing the Dinobots, Constructicons, and Soundwave. Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman may not return, as "the next Star Trek is taking up most of our time. Michael Bay has not signed on, "trying to keep some leverage for the negotiations," but already has ideas, including an aircraft carrier character. The producers expect that with a bigger budget and the special effects worked out, the Transformers will have a larger role