sea and yacht, floating vessel obsession

Can anyone explain to me in plain, simple, logical English why people in the yacht world are obsessed with yachts, m.vessels and the sea in general?
I really would love to try and understand why people in the Yacht world are so obsessed with their world more than most people in other prof's, who can leave work behind them and do not eat, sleep and breath it!!!!!!!!!!
An insight into this really would be helpful.
Cheers.

Need you guys to talk in plain English please not riddles, Yachting for Dummies here need.
I want to know what makes a guy obsessed with the sea and all that sails on it for over fifty years.
Then passes it on to grandchildren who are obsessed with all things yachts especially how they work, stay a float etc.
As for those who feel it well I was conceived at sea and I certainly do not feel it, so we are ruling out the genetic link.
We are also ruling out the gender aspect here.
What makes old salts tick????????????????
If you have crashed a car against a wall you do not do it again but you guys step foot on land after a horrific trip and within days are restless and off to do it again.
Maybe you all need certified??????????????
If these new builds had curves, bumps and lumps like the female race one could understand your male passions.
One mystified old salts offspring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is just no logic in it.

Sea, yacht and floating vessel obsession

To all who gave me genuine, straight forward answers thankyou.
For give me but I do not have the time to answer you on an individual basis so I will do it here collectively.
Firstly I would appreciate any suggestions on good reading material about yachting in general from knots to cyclinder heads etc.
Anyone know of a good sailing camp for kids teaching them absolutely everything from sailing a dinghy, knotting, boating language etc, etc.
Fort Lauderdale area.
Two kids who have already decided they will be heading that way.
NYCAP123 you have shot right back up in my estimation.
Your answers made logical sense.
GFC you hit the nail on the head with the words for the song Cool Change, would actually love to hear it, will be searching the internet.
Where can I get a copy? Would make a perfect present for one's seafaring Yacht Captain Dad.
Hazzardous, Yachtforums.com is known about by zillions all over the world. Maybe me being inquisitive is wanting to understand my Dad's world and to be able to understand and share in what seems an inherited fascination with yachting by his grandchildren, (Who by the way are of each gender) drew me to Yachtforums. A mother has to do something when a child who has just reached their teenage years disappears from the holiday apt in CDA.
Where do I find said child at the port sat chatting to the crews and after the verbal telling off, when asked, why there?
' It is all really interesting, I want to learn everything about it, everything!' I was safe mum they noticed I had a yacht crew t'shirt on(grandpa supplies mini versions of all he has worked on) and some knew who Grandad was. 'It is even more interesting than the babes on the beach.' Anyone interested they have a fab collection of photos of various vessels.
Many seek adventure and learning new things in different ways and a mother's role is to support that in her offspring, as is it a daughter's role to take interest in her Dad's world.
If my eldest child takes a degree in Yachting and Soccer he will gain firsts.
To the comment about the learning sort and being inquisitive well I am a teacher by prof.
I will say no more.
To AMG, yes I can see where your comment came from.
My mother was a stewardess in 1967, Dad has always been in the industry.
Long before it was classed as glamorous.
They worked long hard hours and did not receive tips.
Being a respectful daughter I will not tell you how old he is.
I will just say he should be thinking of retiring and passing on his seafaring knowledge to his grandchildren.
Your answer comes in the form of a stroll down any of the ports in Europe......to the average Joe Bloggs on their annual summer holiday, it is all very glamorous, It is the ultimate I have made it world, statement.
They do not see the long hard hours and that cleaning a toilet on one of these mega yachts is still putting your hand down a toilet to clean it.
In a 9-5 office job or a checkout in Tescos in Workington or travels to far off places????????????
I have been asked some amazing questions by a class of four and five year olds when I tell them what teacher's Dad does?
To YF, well I am not a woman scorned.
I have a genuine interest in wanting to have an understanding just as I did with my children's fathers passion for motorbikes............
I once asked my father why boats where named after females in general.
'It is lucky, you are naming them after the fairer sex, it is like presenting an honour, it has always been that way.'
To your comment about being easy replaced, maybe so.
Works both ways these days!!!!!!
Not sure what your mother or sisters would make off that comment.
Family comes first and for most the back bone of most families is usually a mother figure who gave birth to you and supported you in all you did/do, whether she agrees with it or not.
Without us females you would have no crews etc!!!!!!!!!!!
The saying, 'behind every successful man is a little woman,' comes to mind.
My answer to you sir or as you called it, 'one of my rants.'
Is I genuinely want to know and understand, do not turn it into a sexist issue.
Finally to the guy who replied to me by PM.
The word manners come to mind and learning to not be offensive.
No I did not come from alien spaceship.
Yes I was conceived at sea.
My father is Capt Les Randall, his wife my mother was a stewardess.
Long before Yachting was so as it is now.
We offspring of yacht crew tended to be brought up on land and sheltered from the yachtworld!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It often seems to skip a generation and then the obsession reappears in the following generation.
Any good reading material would be fab, Yachting for Dummies!!!!!!!!!!!

Ambition....sea and yacht, floating vessels

'Imagine driving a car fast, off road at night in lashing rain. You're forced to hang on to the steering wheel just to stay in your seat and you have no idea what is coming next.'

E Macarthur in the Southern Ocean at night.

Yes we are for real.
I am the 13 year old.
I already know I want to make a career of some form at sea.
My teachers at school have suggested a career in the Navy or Engineering.
(in school you take this test to see what you should be.)
Mum says none of her children are going to be cannon foder for any war mongering leaders..... so navy will take alot of soft talk....thinking maybe leisure industry crafts etc.
At my H.S in Scotland sailing is an unusual choice, no sea cadets or anything.
I have to choose my subjects this year.
Some one suggested I take Maths, Physics, Technology and Design, Geography, a science subject, a language e.g maybe French or Spanish, I.T and English is compulsory.
Off course P.E.
Is there anything else I should take?
(my career as a soccer player has gone up in smoke as I have broke my foot.
I kid you not, for real.)
I know I need lots of hands on experience.
I want to eventually have ashore knowledge, all skills afloat, boat etiquette, navigation etc.
Be able to sail dinghies to mega yachts.
Knowledge from Deckie to Engineer, Skipper etc.
(someone else can do the cooking, supply the irn bru!)
You designer guys have a couple of years to design a berth that accomodates someone over 6ft, storage for a football, do not want to be as round shouldered as Grandad who reckons he has lost inches height wise over the years.)

Incase you still think this is not real.
My teachers asked me to write down why I want to sail.

I think a career at sea and learning to sail will be 'like going to a foriegn country,' many foreign countries on second thought.
Full of adventure, challenge, excitement and constant new knowledge.
'You master a foriegn language over a long period of time.'
The sea will give me independence and maturity, an understanding of creation.
I will follow in my Grandfathers footsteps. Part of my inherited past will be my future.
I may never do as much as my grandad has, Captain, Engineer, Project Manager, Examiner etc, chat in various foreign languages but just maybe I will have a log book he will be proud off.
Grandad and I can argue over a pint was it nature or nurture, he can inpart some of his knowledge to me.
I want to see an albatross, masked booby, jumping dolphins, whales swimming along beside us.
See differnet countries and cultures.
Offer Irn Bru (whisky and sailing do not mix) and a pork pie to Neptune at the Equator dressed in my kilt and Man U shirt, waving a Union Jack.
Feel the adrenalin of crossing the Atlantic/rounding Cape Horn.
Be able to fix a bilge pump, wing mast, humbly varnish and scrub.
Experience low pressure in the Southern Ocean.
As Ellen Macarthur has seen; 'the sky clear, the sea flat and the moon so bright and huge it lights up the whole sea.'
If I tried I could find 6,076 reasons why I want to go to sea.
It was a Scot called John Paul Jones who had a huge influence founding the U.S Navy. At 13 he signed up for a seaman's apprenticeship of seven years and set off in a ship called FRIENDSHIP for the Barbados-Virginia run.
The great warship, 'USS Paul Jones.'

Convinced for real now.
My sibling also wants to do a few seasons as a stew when all grown up so that their is cash to do art and design and has the chance to scribble some marine life.
Please you guys lay off my mum.
You have her all wrong.
She is no Boadicea, she would give you her PDF in a crisis.
Just being a mom taking an interest and giving us the encouragement and freedom to follow our dreams.
Can always post a photo of Grandad in his Merchant Navy uniform or stood beside a well known guy of a training school for adults in Ft L need anymore proof of for real.
Gran in her 60's stew uniform.
Mum does not lie.
She is also a Ms not a Miss.
As she says been there, wore the t'shirt, once is enough.
Happy sailing from a future Skipper.
Thought of the day Excelsior would be a brilliant name for a super mega yacht!!!!!!!!!!!!

sea and yacht, floating obsession

You have answered mum's query about obsession with the sea.
No hope for me, I am lost to the sea.
My Grandfather is Les Randall and my grandmother's second husband was in the army, so mom grew up in such places as Hongkong, HMS Tamar etc, etc.
She looks no further for my genetic obsession.
Would love to do something like Mum was offered....Operation Raleigh.
Anyone know of anything like this regarding youth sailing.
Have been reading lots about anything sea and sailing but no one seems to have written a book about/for young adults and sailing.
Need a good sailing school on the Forth.
I need a mentor who is willing to let a 13 year old kid get his head in the engine, practise all deck skills and let me listen into everyday working life of a yacht, boat yard, crew life as is suitable for my age.
I drive mum mad taking things to bits, seeing how they work, putting them back together and hammering.
Mum thinks if it works no need to play with it or improve on it.
Here we call it work experience.
Read articles you suggested and searching for a copy of the wanderer, the company you suggested do not ship to the UK.
Can you help, mum says is content suitable for me.
Not sure of the tunes, my grandfather thinks what I listen to is trash him being a sixties boy.
Will give them a listen.
Recommend good reading that I will understand.
Ellen Macarthur's book has inspired me the most so far.
Watching the Olmypics, proud to be a Brit we have some fab sailors and rowers.
The three girls in a boat are not bad to look at either.
By the way the Brits victory parade is in London on Oct 16 2008.
Should be worth a look.
Yes sir life is for sailing and looking at the babes on the beach.