Tuning in

[SailboatOwners.com]

When do you enjoy music on your boat?

Do you prefer to listen underway? If so, where do you have your speakers mounted so you can hear over the wind, water, and sometimes the engine? Is it difficult to control the system while you're at the the helm?

Or is it better to listen at anchor or the dock? If that's where you choose, how do you keep the volume high enough to enjoy, but low enough not to disturb others.

Or do you care?

Share your tunes here then vote in Quick Quiz on the home page.

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Just about any time

We have a portable CD player on "Wind" that hangs near the hatchway. Except on Blustery days when we have our hands full the CD goes on as soon as the kicker is shut down and the sails are up. Windier days are harder to hear the music, but we often compensate by dropping a lunch hook and breaking out the wine and cheese after a couple of hours on those days. Favorite CD's: Jimmy Buffet(of course)or mellow jazz of any kind.

 

[Herb Geller]

Porta;ble Music with an IPOD

I use an IPOD with a Logitech MM50 portable speaker system. This works very well for about 4 hours and then has to be recharged. This way I don't eat up those precious stored amps in my battery.

 

[Bogdan]

tunes

All the time is a good time, but at night when we are just sitting there looking up, nice soft music is wonderful

 

[Deadhead]

Gotta Have Tunes

But we don't bother with CD's. These days satellite radio beats terrestrial radio hands down. There is definately something to be said for no commercials.

And on Easy Wind we only tune to Sirius channel 32. Heck - once they even aired Jimmy Buffet covering a Grateful Dead tune!

 

[Jim B]

SATELLITE RADIO

OUR BOAT HAS A NICE STERIO WITH SPEAKERS IN BOTH THE CABIN AND THE COCKPIT. THE VOLUME FOR EACH SPEAKERCAN BE CONTROLLED INDIVIDUALLY. SINCE WE GOT A SATELLITE RADIO FOR THE BOAT (SERIUS BECAUSE OF THE MARGARITA VILLE CHANNEL) WE SELDOM LISTEN TO CASSETTES, CD'S OR THE IPOD. NICE BECAUSE NOW WE DON'T LISTEN TO THE SAME CD OVER AND OVER. VOLUME AND CHANNEL ARE CONTROLLED WITH A CORDLESS REMOTE. THE MUSIC IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR ENTIRE BOATING EXPERIENCE.

 

[dbecker68]

Gotta have tunes!

We have an AM/FM/CD in the cabin, with remote speakers mounted on the stern rails, controlled with a wireless remote.
We mostly sail without human music, because the wind and the water provide enough music. Occasionally, mostly at the dock or at anchor, we will crank up the radio or CD, and listen to Buffet or smooth jazz.
On July 4th, while watching fireworks from the boat, we played the 1812 Overture at full volume, just for the atmosphere. A friend has the theme from Gilligan's Island on CD, and plays it as he leaves the dock. That's always good for a laugh.

 

[Brian D]

I listen to the tunes of the...

wind and water. Yeah, a little lame, but you know, there are great melodies within nature. The wind and the water each are a concerto of their own.

I don't mind if other are listening to music, but I do mind if 2 nm down wind and that is all I hear. *cry

 

[Maine Sail]

iPod..

We're iPod all the way and it's tied in through the stereo and controlled via a RF remote control. We usually sort and play by genre so we don't get bas segues like a Miles Davis song to AC/DC Hells Bells...

Also keep my baby Martin acoustic guitar on board for when I feel like blistering my fingers..

 

[Bob Todd]

I'm with Brian on this one...

I enjoy the peace and quiet of hanging on the mooring having a good read or just plain tinkering. When I'm sailing, the only thing I want to hear is the water and the wind.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[tom schmid]

sailing with tunes

I have one set of speakers nounted into the stern of trhe cockpit and another set of bose speakers on the bulkjead in the main cabin. outside set is while under way and the other set is for evening listening or when we do not wish to disturb other at dockside or raft up later at night. Both set go for party time!

 

[Stillraining]

I'm 50 /50

but that goes for the car at home anywhere...I can get overloaded after a while and just like the sounds of nature...So far its been CD's or FM raido...We do have Ipods in the family now so i guess its time to upgrade so we can direct plug them in...Satalite raido sounds cool but were not on the boat enough to make that pay.

 

[Joe]

tunes?????

I love music.... but I'm in heaven if the sailing's good and the Angels are on the radio. I love listening to the ball game while out on the water. I love summer because the east coast games come on at 4 pm and with daylight savings time I can sail and listen to baseball after work. Lovely.

 

[Capn Bill]

Love the "Buffett!"

I value the peace and quiet on my boat - but also enjoy cranking up the tunes when quests are present. Also - if I've been on the water more than four hours - I like to have some music to relieve the boredom. Bill on STARGAZER

 

[kendall]

occasionally

listen to an MP3 player, cd based will run 8+ hours of music on a CD with light compression. Have a carry-on box built with a pair of speakers and a small amp, pretty much a home built boom-box with jacks to run larger speakers if I want.
Don't realy like loud music, but it has to be clear with clean tones, And most off the shelf portables fall short.

Ken.

 

[Kayak Dan]

Carribean

When we're underway,it's jammin' tunes. Bob Marley,Ziggy Marley,Steel Pulse,Toots and the Maytals.

When we drop the hook,and the mood is quieter,it's Enya,Sade,some easy jazz.

When we left the fuel dock in Road Town BVI,I cranked up Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved?" Great cruising tune. The big stern looking West Indian on the dock broke into a big smile saying" Ya Mon,you gonna be jammin on this ride!"

 

[David H]

Wind in the sails

I prefer to just listen to the wind in the shrouds and the sails ruffle while I’m sailing…
On the other hand if I have to fire up the diesel then I’ll put the ear buds in and turn up the mp3 player. Oh sure there is a stereo in the cabin but I hate to crank it up to hear it over the engine…unlike the power boaters who you can hear long after they have passed. At anchor, just loud enough to hear but not enough to bother others.

 

[Benny]

The radio is located in the cabin with speakers

in the cabin and the cockpit. It has a remote control unit to allow operation from cockpit. An XM radio tuner is available to be attached via the auxiliary input. I like various types of music and will play them depending on my mood. I like classic music, crooners, country western, jazz, movie soundtracks, easy listening and latin music. I play music at a volume level where normal conversation is possible and both can be enjoyed.

 

[SailboatOwners.com]

Final results

Final results for the Quick Quiz ending August 3, 2008:

When do you listen to music?

47% Both
38% At anchor/dock
14% Neither
07% While underway