I've caught this sailing bug

[Furian]

This may be better placed in another forum, but originally it was going to be about making income and kind of flared from there.

Well, I'm not sure how, or why, but like many of you I have got this urge to sail around the world and beyond, and never look back. This is my first post here. I have absolutely no sailing experience. As a matter of fact, I haven't even been on a sailboat before. All I can say is I have a big heart for adventure and exploration. I'm tired of the normal everyday life and at 38 years old, I have 10 more years before my youngest child is 18. That is when I plan on making a big change. That gives me 10 years to plan, learn, and be ready for the challenge..... So, I have a few questions.

1. I've been reading a lot of these forums over the past few days and I see a lot about passive income. I know that is probably the safest route to go and it never hurts to have it, but those that cross the Atlantic a few times a year has a lot of time to kill, right? It seems you can learn plenty in thirty days of blue water. Have any of you learned something new that could help with income when you get to port? If so, what did you learn?

2. I'm an avid dart player. What is the minimum size boat that I would be able to hang a dart board (would need about 6'4" clearance I believe), and have about 8 feet of floor space to stand back and throw. I know, darts on a boat? But, I would need it. I figure the only place would be in the hallway and have the board drop down on hinges and latch up when not in use.

3. Any cool programs out there like Microsoft Flight Simulator, but a sailing simulator? I did some googling on this and found a couple, but figured I'd ask you guys and gals as well. Would it be useful in learning at all about sailing?

4. This question may be crazier than #2, but what about medication? Do you guys stock up on antibiotics, or pain medicine for your oceanic sailing trips? This makes sense to me, but how do you do it? Just yesterday I had the urge to refill some antibiotics, pains meds, and anti-inflammatory prescriptions I got for a tooth abscess recently. I don't need them anymore now, but they could come in handy for an emergency.

5. Are there any mid Atlantic parties? Do you guys ever meet up by accident, or on purpose in the middle of nowhere for a little drinking and socializing?

6. How do you know if bad weather is approaching? I know most boats have radar and I'm not sure of the max ranges, but let’s say 50nm. Is that enough warning to avoid bad weather?

7. Have you known anyone like me that decided to do this only to call the coast guard after the first day to come rescue them from sea sickness?! (I've never been sea sick before, but who knows after being out at sea for a day or more)

[SV Someday Came]

Originally Posted by Furian

7. Have you known anyone like me that decided to do this only to call the coast guard after the first day to come rescue them from sea sickness?! (I've never been sea sick before, but who knows after being out at sea for a day or more)

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ion-11951.html

Start with post #12. The site -- solo-sailor.com is apparently down, so I am not sure where you can read her personal description, but there are enough nuggets in that thread to give you a taste.

Michael

[ad_astra]

Originally Posted by Furian

3. Any cool programs out there like Microsoft Flight Simulator, but a sailing simulator? I did some googling on this and found a couple, but figured I'd ask you guys and gals as well. Would it be useful in learning at all about sailing?

I have looked into this, and the answer is "not really." This is a flight sim, but someone added a sailboat, since a sail is just an airfoil. I tried it and was not impressed. There are also various sailboat combat games, but unless you plan on sailing a ship of the line, those probably won't be terribly helpful either. I'm a bit surprised no one has made the attempt, given that there was enough interest for Microsoft to make a Train Simulator.... surely there is enough interest for a sailing sim?

[bitman]

have a look here Sail Simulator; the realistic sailing simulator by Stentec Software

[Furian]

Originally Posted by bitman

have a look here Sail Simulator; the realistic sailing simulator by Stentec Software

Thats the first one I found but haven't had a chance to check it out. I was hoping there was some out there that would allow you to sail the world, and chose many different kinds of boats. Maybe this one can do some of those things... Microsoft needs to start a new project, or some other major simulator developer!

[bitman]

Virtual Sailor - Virtual Sailing Simulator ?

i have them both and they are fun to play with

[Furian]

Originally Posted by bitman

Virtual Sailor - Virtual Sailing Simulator ?

i have them both and they are fun to play with

Yes, that's the other one.. guess they are not all that hard to find considering the limited selection

[captain58sailin]

Something you might want to consider, is taking your son with you, down to the local harbor, and connecting with people who do sail, talking with them and maybe crewing with someone for day trips. Around where I live, the local yacht club people are looking for crews on day sails, just for fun. Most folks on cruising vessels are quite happy to talk to you about what works and what doesn't. It would be a good place to start gathering information, and perhaps your son may be interested as well, something you could share together.