A challenge, a mission, one last chance...

[Calif.Ted]

What leads you to believe sailing around the world would be the most effective way to raise awareness for type 2 diabetes for $20,000 ?
I don't understand how the 2 issues have anything in common ?

[Hanksy]

Read Chay Blyth's book The Impossible Voyage. He got the British Steel Industry to sponsor his boat. The steel industry was declining and uit was sold as a demonstration of how great the British steel industry was by producing a boat. The American steel industry might want a similar good news story.
His book has a chapter or two on spnsorship and his trip was east to west also.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[akprb]

I wrote a piece on this called "ultra budget", you might enjoy.

Second thought came to mind when I read this: "I have logged too many hours with online research, nose in as many books, and at my local shipyard picking brains to consider this a passing fancy."

Do as many hours sailing, in your case across oceans. I'd take 2k of your kitty, get to Spain and crew back across the Atlantic. That or get on a boat that is Bermuda bound in the early spring or Newport bound in the late fall.

After one of those experiences you'll have a better feel and resume for your potential sponsors.

Third and final though, watchmaking. Consider marine electrical, diesel or A/C Refridgeration ;-)

Go git em!

[leftbrainstuff]

Your budget is missing a zero unless you want to do this in a small uncomfortable boat. Some have. They wrote books before Youtube.

There are plenty using Patreon to support themselves. This is the business model of the moment. It takes a lot of time mostly spent full time video editing. You need to be able to support yourself for several years.

Trying to raise awareness and donations for a cause is tough from a boat. How about you cycle across the US? You can talk in small communities and schools everytime you stop. Donations too. It's much cheaper too. The tax and reporting obligations are also onerous.

Many others have left on a great sailing adventure to save X. None remain that I've discovered in the last 5 years.

Sailing the world is a great adventure documented well by interesting people. This is what patrons and followers desire. Bikinis help but if you look at the metrics this doesn't guarantee income.

[hamburking]

1980 Bayfield 29 | sailboats | St. Catharines | Kijiji

Stop thinking about sailing around the whole world. Think about where you are, and the next place you need to go. One step at a time, but always in the right direction.

You need a solidly built full displacement boat with a full keel and keel hung rudder. Start with the right boat, and take it from there.

And start reading. I suggest you start at the beginning with Joshua Slocums famous book. Then Dove, and a few of the many other great books about sailing around the world. You can learn a lot from those who went before you...like which way to go around Cape Horn.

Good luck.

[thruska]

Hello bottle, can you say why diabetes awareness?
I may be prying but any donor will ask same.
Do you have diabetes? Are you aware of its parameters?
Do you embrace alternatives to mainstream medicine?
In your search for donors , these questions will come up.
If you are sailing with the scorn of diabetes, that may complicate your task.

Regarding the actual act of the excursion, some experience is required, not just a wild hair. Respectful of the cause, I commend you in your efforts.
My wife has worked in several nonprofit camps, and it's no bowl of cherries.

Can be very stressful and even less rewarding than imagined. Prepare yourself accordingly.
Take these comments as simply comments, with a grain of salt, merely suggestions of thought to add to the foray of ideas which may be involved.

[buzzstar]

Abottleofrum- since Scot McPherson gave you a pretty direct and good answer, I am going to temporarily semi-hijack your the thread to solve another philosophical riddle posed by Sea Dreaming's signature quote, "If toast always lands butter side down, and cats always land on their feet, what would happen if you strapped toast to a cat's back and dropped it?" - Steven Wright. Is it not obvious that the toast would have butter on one side and cat fur on the other? I won't mention either the strap or the cat. The semi-hijack is used because the situation answer applies to your inquiry as well. It often helps to think of questions and the answers in known real world conditions, not just theory.

[Scot McPherson]

Notice that there is no mention of butter on the toast strapped to the cat either.

[smacsdesign]

Buy the book "Twenty Small Boats to Take You Anywhere" and start looking around.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Scot McPherson

Notice that there is no mention of butter on the toast strapped to the cat either.

The devil is in the details!

Then again, what happens if you butter the top of the cat?

[Scot McPherson]

I don't think that matters because that's not one of the axioms.


There is no axiom that says "a cat that's been buttered always lands butter down."


The twain do not meet.

[Stumble]

Originally Posted by smacsdesign

Buy the book "Twenty Small Boats to Take You Anywhere" and start looking around.

With $20,000 to spend on the boat, outfitting, and expenses... no, it's not possible.

At a pretty reasonableness minimum let's assume is trip will take 180 days. Which is pretty quick but not impossible.

Food for 180 days is going to be $2,000 alone
Cold weather weather gear">foul weather gear - $1,000
A half decent autopilot - $1,000
Sails - $3,500
Entry fees, cruising permits, and the like - $1,000
Insurance liability only - $1,000

That's $9,500 gone and we haven't bought a boat. So what can you buy for 10,500 that needs no repairs at all, and you can sail around the world? Keeping in mind if anything breaks ever in this 6month trip you are sol.

It simply is not remotely possible on this budget.

So the next option is to find sponsors. Well good luck doing that. Corporate sponsors want to know what type of media coverage they can expect, and the likelyhood of you pulling it off. Unless you can show a serious sailing resume no one is going to sponsor a solo round the world trip. I have friends who are doing this right now with decades of solo races under their belt, proven sucessful fundraising for charities, and they have a hard time even getting gear sponsors.

Guys with multiple Solo transpacs, Figaro's places, lots of big boat 2 handed deliveries (VOR, Vendee boats, etc). Not quite professionals, but worked really hard at trying to become one for years, and they have a hard time getting people to buy in. Without thattype of resume not a chance.


Look I get wanting to do something important and fund raise for something you believe in, but a solo around the world trip is incredibly difficult, doing it on a shoestring budget I said just rediculious.

[Abottleofrum]

Woah Nellie... buried in replies. Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply back, and a further thank you to those who are helping me get that much closer to this.

On MY end, looking back at how this thread started off, I realize there's a few misunderstandings in the part of those who early replied, which is primarily my fault. So let's start over...

Hi! Avast! Hola!

I'm Abottleofrum, and I'm new to the forum. I'm 25 years old, and I'm a watchmaker by trade. I was picked up by Rolex two years ago and am currently the youngest certified watchmaker in the US (for now at least. There's a 23 year old graduating from my program later this year whose gonna knock me off my perch).

Sailing has always been a tremendous interest to me, but I've never had the opportunity, financially and logistically, to participate. While I've lived near the shore my entire life, possess a boating license, and at least know my local weather signs enough to know whats coming and when, I've never had the chance to work on or with a sailboat. It's primarily fishing and powerboats where I live.

Sailing, in general, has fascinated for a very long time. And now that school is completely behind me, I have 0 debt of ANY nature, its something I want to pick up and incorporate into my life. Preferably while I still have my hair, teeth, and health.

Ultimately, my goal is to circumnavigate the globe (not in one go!), both for personal achievement and adventure, and to raise awareness for a cause that is personal to me. Likely, due to a resounding lack of interest from friends, associates, and family, any effort put into this will be from myself alone. Including the sailing bit. I'd love company on the boat, and for the purposes of Transoceanic trips, I'd love company for both increased safety and sleep. But, I cant pine and wring my hands that one of them might come around.

I've been doing research into bluewater cruising, both online and in-text. But at one point, with no personal knowledge to back up what I want to do, I've hit a dead zone. Hence, the need to reach out to you folks; people WITH the personal experience.

Reasonably, I'll have around 20k come september. Ill have a little more after that for various repairs, and equipment, but ultimately that is my kitty. And its one thing to read about sloops, and cutters, and so forth, but I'm the FIRST to admit, my book knowledge doesn't have a practical application at the moment. But since I only have so much, and I know it will be a long time till I can upgrade, I need to know what boat is best for me, or the direction I can look towards. If such a journey cannot be physically completed on a boat that is xxxxxx amount with xxxxxx features, great! I'll know that.

Let me try it this way with watches;

Say you guys want a nice waterproof tachymeter chronograph for use in a yatch race. (See, I can make inside jokes too~). Rolex makes a fantastic lil' something called a Daytona, which does everything you need (namely, with a Tachymeter, is to measure nautical miles and speed). You'd think that with a close to 13K price tag, its the best quality. But its out of your price tag. Of course, someone like me, who KNOWS about watches knows thats not the case.

Infact, a generic ETA 7750, regardless of which company buy it from, has a technical superior movement. Sure, its not covered in gold and jewels... it doesn't have the Prestige of being a Rolex. But for what you need it do, it does a HELL of a lot more accurately, for a cheaper price. $500 bucks actually. At the same time, a Timex, which is even cheaper, is utter garbage and worthless of an investment.

I know, this is a very LOOSE analogy, but give me a little slack. It's one thing to know I need 'this' type of boat for the venture. But its another to know which one. I have roughly over 20k and likely the boat I get will be the one I embark on this venture with, unless I acquire a greater kitty (feel free to donate on the non-existent Donate button in this post XD) before I set out. I intend to put as many hours as I possibly can on her, learning and mastering the nuances of the boat for such an extended venture. But I gotta start somewhere.

And any sort of help any of you can offer, whether its how to better ensure my safety, or reaching out to mentors, or brushing up on what I'll need further, or beginning to long slog of fundraising, is beyond appreciated.

Thanks, and fair weather to all!



Now for individual replies...

Suijin : I've heard of Matt, but I had no idea he was in Annapolis. I'll definitely hit him up, and pick his brains. Always good to hear from people who did it for personal insight as opposed to speculation. Any reason I'd be lucky for him talking me out of this?

belizesailor : Yes, but nothing large scale like this. My sister and I started two fundraising programs during our Highschool years. One was a series of teddy bears dressed in various military, airforce, and naval uniforms. All proceeds went to the Homes For Our Troops. Another was bracelets with glass spun from local beach sand. All proceeds went for local island beach replenishment and dune grass planting.

But large scale like this? Not a bleeding clue. Would love to learn from someone experienced though.

Calif.Ted : What do Ice Buckets have to do with with ALS? Or planting trees in Palestine have to do with promoting peace there? I might get 0 support or anything towards this. But Id like to have a cause that I believe in instead of "Yolo! Round the world gunho!"

Hanksy : This... is rather intriguing. I gotta sink my teeth into this one. Thanks for thought and the advice!

leftbrainstuff ; Unfortunately, you are 100% right. This is the business model, but Im the first one to admit what Im doing isnt anything new. Im just another guy who wants to do it.

But your ideas are awesome and much appreciated. Definitely gotta add this to my equation... god, can you see the papers though? "Man rides bike across US to raise money for round the world sailing to raise money for moon landing."

hamburking : You are amazing. Thank you so much, both for the listing and the type of advice I was looking for. If I might ask, do you know anything about the Bayfield 29s that you would recommend that one?

thruska : Of course. For starters, an inordinate amount of money is raised for various causes, but numerically why do not make sense. A study in 2011 showed (and yes, theres more current ones. Im being MILDLY lazy about this) that 258 million was raised for Breast Cancer, which kills 41k people that year... whereas something like Diabetes which killed 73k raised only 8 million. Thats in the entire US, for that year alone. More recent studies are very much the same. So yeh, I might not raise much. But I can promise you, the drop in the bucket I contribute would be more meaningful for this cause than something like cancer.

That's the detached version. Unofficially... Im very well familiar with the effects of Type 2 Diabetes. My father was diagnosed 4 years ago, as well as the majority of his brothers. Its in my future. My father's life is one of regiment, from what he eats now (none of which is appealing) to what he can and cant do. What I want to do, he'll never have the chance to. Any amazing adventure he could've had after working 35 years and ready to retire is gone. Its medicine and pills and needles now. And maybe he'll last another ten years, if he's lucky. Its unlikely my children, if I have any, will meet their grandfather.

So honestly... Im doing this because if thats my future, Id rather live my life now, and maybe, bring a little good out of it in the process.



Thanks for all the replies and advice! I aint leaving any time soon!

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by Scot McPherson

Notice that there is no mention of butter on the toast strapped to the cat either.

True, my failure to read carefully. Thanks.

[Abottleofrum]

Originally Posted by buzzstar

Abottleofrum- since Scot McPherson gave you a pretty direct and good answer, I am going to temporarily semi-hijack your the thread to solve another philosophical riddle posed by Sea Dreaming's signature quote, "If toast always lands butter side down, and cats always land on their feet, what would happen if you strapped toast to a cat's back and dropped it?" - Steven Wright. Is it not obvious that the toast would have butter on one side and cat fur on the other? I won't mention either the strap or the cat. The semi-hijack is used because the situation answer applies to your inquiry as well. It often helps to think of questions and the answers in known real world conditions, not just theory.

Give me a few hours to get back to you on this. Im gonna have fuuuuuuuun with this one. While I get this... what if I made a cat sandwhich, and buttered both pieces of toast?


Stumble: Thank you for the budget break down. Unfortunately, I didn't get my second lengthy post until after you wrote that for me, but thank you for the reality of the situation. Relying on just twenty thousand was never the initial gameplan, but you are raising alot of solid point.