Whats the Difference Between A Coastal and Blue Water Suitable Vessel

[sailorboy1]

Doesn't it seem like there is a problem with the bluewater boat owners? They get caught in bad weather so often and for so long at a time that they expect this as normal.

[robert sailor]

I should add that these waters are in my old back yard so to speak. The waters along that coast have a well deserved reputation. Coastal hopping in Alaska and BC can be a motoring experience while at the same time someone sailing 100 miles offshore can be getting 40 knots of wind and very large seas. You simply can't compare these waters to tropical sailing.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Yes, as I said, insulting peoples boats is fine on this forum.


Weird forum. 'Be nice' but insulting is fine.

See what I mean.. different mindset..
Folks knock for a reason.. personal insecurity has a lot to do with it.. or so I'm informed.. envy another.. personally its if I've owned one.. and to wind certain folk up.. don't knock it if you've never tried it.. unless its a Bavaria..
Just Kidding..
Insult my boat and I'll laugh my tit's off.. even more so if its just some anonymous hack at a keyboard..

[sailingfarmer]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Yes, as I said, insulting peoples boats is fine on this forum.


Weird forum. 'Be nice' but insulting is fine.

Mark:

Not trying to be insulting to you... just my opinion of what constitutes a Bluewater sailboat...this thread is all about what is and what isn't a Bluewater or Coastal Cruiser...not weather windows. Sorry if my bluntness offends you.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Doesn't it seem like there is a problem with the bluewater boat owners? They get caught in bad weather so often and for so long at a time that they expect this as normal.

Do you really believe this? These days it's quite rare to get caught in bad weather if you stay within the sailing seasons. It's really rare in the 20/20 latitudes as these areas are known for steady weather. The further north or south you sail the greater the chance you will have of getting exposed to stronger winds and bigger seas but even in these areas it's unlikely that you will face a storm. Gales are no big deal and anyone who sails offshore should be able to deal with a gale every now and then and as others have said in most cases it's a 24-36 hour experience. My point is when you are sailing in the higher latitudes you should have a boat properly equipped to deal with sailing in stronger winds. Most of the sailing adventure books I have read were written by sailors that turned a rather ordinary situation into a great adventure with really poor planning.

[zeehag]

back to original question.... difference between blue water and coastal....
try difference between formosa and clipper marine.
ha ha ha
difference between jeff hartjoy and those who return to dock in 15 kts breezes.
life ROCKS in breezes over 20 kts. i LOVE having much of a major body of water to myself
pooor souls sailing south who do not prepare IN ADVANCE for the nocturnal coastal blows called CHUBASCOS which are encountered off baja in darkness, without obvious warning and do NOT show on predictions and weather mapping.
i enjoyed mine. i chalk that up to split rig n heavy hull.

[boatman61]

However chaps.. do not let these 'statistic's' lure you into a false sense of security..
2005 June saw around 50+ boats scattered around the S to W of the Azores riding out 6 days of 50-60kts and sea's 5-10m.. I was coming from the W
You can lie to yourself all you want guys.. but once your out in the middle, land based forecasts mean very little to the reality 7 times out of 10.
Its a Crap Shoot... Enjoy

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Do you really believe this?


Most of the sailing adventure books I have read were written by sailors that turned a rather ordinary situation into a great adventure with really poor planning.

Not a matter of what I believe, it's a matter of what people keep posting.

Not a great endorsement for the people who write the books now is it?

[boatman61]

Remember.. everything you are reading is 10+ year old information with pilot charts and books.. its not like yesterdays info.
Crossing today is not as it was in 2000.. or '04, '05 '06. '08, '11 and '14.. in the Atlantic.. the Azores High is not the force it was in 2000 for a start..
Atlantic gales are occurring in zero gale area's according to the pilot charts and the seasons are irregular.. could be a cyclical thing as my memory of the N Atlantic in the '60's aboard a Frigate is similar to what's happening out there today.. its a shift of patterns that will in time resettle.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Of course its offensive to slag someone's boat. But it's allowed on this forum.
So go right ahead and say what misinformed crap you like.

Mark I did not insult your boat it is a beauty however I would think it would not handle heavy seas as well as some other hull designs.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Not a matter of what I believe, it's a matter of what people keep posting.

Not a great endorsement for the people who write the books now is it?

Well you made the statement so one would expect it's your opinion.

I was and am a sailing nut so I have read lots of books on the subject. Many of the how to do subjects are great books but many of the great adventure books are only adventures because the sailor did a lot of dumb stuff. Obviously not in every case but enough that I formed that generalized opinion.

If I didn't know any better I would think that Smack was back.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Well you made the statement so one would expect it's your opinion.
.

It's not my opinion that people with "bluewater" boats sail in storms a lot, it is theirs as they always seem to write that they do. Guess to you it those of us smart enough not to that are the crazy ones.

I feel these discussions are crazy. If you don't know whether your boat is up to whatever trip you want to make the choice is easy, don't go. And if you need to ask a forum if your boat can do it, then again you shouldn't go. And if you need to justify yourself with some old book, then you shouldn't go.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

It's not my opinion that people with "bluewater" boats sail in storms a lot, it is theirs as they always seem to write that they do. Guess to you it those of us smart enough not to that are the crazy ones.

I feel these discussions are crazy. If you don't know whether your boat is up to whatever trip you want to make the choice is easy, don't go. And if you need to ask a forum if your boat can do it, then again you shouldn't go. And if you need to justify yourself with some old book, then you shouldn't go.

Speaking about old books,the Hiscocks evidently sailed around the world about 3 times and seldom encountered storms, usually due to figuring out weather windows and not keeping to a schedule.
We on the other hand ignored most weather warnings since a lot of our sailings were in high latitudes and storms were unavoidable. Yet in almost 40 years of sailing, really bad storms were rare, manageable storms of 50knots or less were infrequent, and windless days unfortunately all too common. We had to motor around Cape Horn once due to lack of wind. But like the girl scouts, always be prepared.

[sailingfarmer]

I think a lot of Coastal Cruise boat owners have Bluewater Cruise Boat Envy....

Nobody wants to sail in bad weather.. but if your boat is designed to handle it... it sure calms the nerves a bit knowing you have a boat that was built to handle it if you get caught in in a nasty blow....

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by sailingfarmer

I think a lot of Coastal Cruise boat owners have Bluewater Cruise Boat Envy....
..

Or maybe that's what the owner of an expensive Blue Water Boat tells himself to rationalize the amount of money he spent on his boat.

There are so many nice Water boats">blue water boats here that never leave the dock it is unbelievable and sad, but maybe they don't make the best daysailors which most people tend to do more of.

Even when crossing the 20 miles of the lower Chesapeake, I rarely see more than 2-4 other sailboats out there which seem strange because there are 100's docked here