Facebook is full of pictures of cute cats, recipes for chocolaty treats, and memes that make introverted middle-aged women laugh out loud. Or at least my feed is. Not sure what that says about me. Possibly crazy cat lady with graying hair and a serious chocolate addiction who finds it easier to talk with people online than in person?
But it's not all kittens, calories, and silliness on Facebook. If you're a cruiser, then Facebook is also full of posts about sailing, anchorages, potlucks on the beach, and, of course, all the stuff that keeps breaking on your boat.
Although we're more of armchair cruisers these days - yes, our boat is still on the hard and no, it doesn't look like we'll get to the Bahamas this season - I still use Facebook to chat about cruising things. In fact, I had what you could call a pretty typical convo with a friend on Facebook yesterday about our fridge, which seems to be slowly dying. I asked her about the issues they had had with their fridge and if they had replaced the refrigerant. Here's what she said:
"We did. It was super cheap at the dollar store at IGA. If you need the adapter and gauges go to the parts place with the attached garage. You can call my hubby to pick his brain anytime. He says 99 times out of 100 it’s Freon."
What makes this Facebook convo so typical?
First off, cruisers are the ultimate DIYers. Why pay someone to fix something when you can do it yourself? Boats are expensive enough as it is. Besides, you may find yourself stuck in the middle of nowhere when something breaks. Being able to do your own repairs and maintenance is key.
Second, the offer to help is so typical of cruisers. The cruising community is pretty tight and everyone looks out for each other. People freely share their knowledge, tools, and roll their sleeves up and help each other.
Third, our friends had issues with their fridge. Eventually, everyone has problems with their fridge, or their water pump, or their battery charger, or their engine, or their. . .well, you get the idea.
What's on your Facebook feed? What do you talk about on Facebook?
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Hahha my feed is about the same as yours but with dogs instead of cats.. well i have a few cat friends that post cat videos i do enjoy watching.. 💕💕💕🤓
ReplyDeleteRight now there's a lot of trawlers ads...oh boy...
ReplyDeleteDeb
SV Kintala
www.theretirementproject.blogspot.com
Mine is full of bar specials. I have no idea why.
ReplyDeleteOkay, that cracked me up. I believe boaters are a lot like those who live in campers. ~nods~ My online conversations tend to revolve around writing. Heh... Best wishes on getting back in the water! Being stuck on land must really stink.
DeleteMy feed is full of kittens, calories, writer stuff, and Dungeons & Dragons! It's pretty cool that cruisers help each other out like that. Neat for us land lubbers to get some tips to fixing stuff too. :)
ReplyDeleteHubby can do some things on the boat, but not much. We have a mechanic to take care of issues. I hear you though.
ReplyDeleteMy Facebook page is for family and friends. I wouldn't be talking to them without Facebook. No blogs and they won't do email. It works.
Have a fabulous day and week, Ellen. ♥
Lol, what’s broken, parts, errands, sunsets, food and happy hour. We’re a quirky group! I can’t remember the last time I made plans with a girlfriend to go grocery shopping up to a week in advance 😆
ReplyDeleteI don't look at my feed much, but when I do, I'm drawn to cute videos of animals. :)
ReplyDeleteNot on Facebook, there are people from back in the day i would really rather not be in touch with. The feeling may be mutual, but it's easier to make sure this way.
ReplyDeleteYes, i'm sure i am missing some things, but not enough to make me want to be on Facebook.
Not on Facebook either. Yes sailors are very self sufficient in general and also very happy to help someone else out in pinch. Not everyone understands this but then, not everyone goes sailing. Sailors are definitely a special breed. Happy parking, Geoff.
ReplyDeleteI like a feeling of community. If only I had a boat...
ReplyDeleteI'll talk about anything on Facebook but politics. :)
I'm like Liz. A lot of my feed is political sludge from both sides of the aisle, but I do NOT wish to engage, and I rarely get into any kind of meaningful conversations at all. My infrequent posts are usually on the humorous side, assuming one considers groan-worthy puns to be humor. :)
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, most people engaged with each other like you cruisers still do. Other tight-knit groups, like amateur radio operators, are the same. Too bad our way of looking at life isn't more mainstream.
When I remember, I'll post a notice about my current blog posts, but that's about it. I've mostly avoided FB in recent years other than looking at the posts from my daughters when they put up pictures about the grandkids or stuff about what their families have been doing. A lot of people have become rather ugly on FB and I don't like it when folks use profane language--that's when I will often put them on snooze for 30 days. Not that it matters since usually I don't see their posts.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Sorry to learn you boat is on the hard... I was just doing some fiberglass work on my kayak yesterday and while I no longer own a sailboat, I do enough work on the boats the club I am a member of owns.
ReplyDeletewww.thepulpitandthepen.com
I don't check my FB feed too much, but when I do, it's relative family pictures, books galore, and weird science tidbits.
ReplyDeleteMy Facebook today is full of Peter Tork's death. So sad. I loved the Monkeys as a child - and apparently so did many of my friends. Sometimes I wonder if people have Facebook feeds where they don't even know that a pop star icon like Tork has died? That would be so odd to me.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the fridge. Hope you get it fixed.