Any Young Cruisers Setting Out Soon ?

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by youmeandthed

rebel heart

our union is a 1984. i did my research and it looked like a lot of boat for price and size. do you have a selfsteering windvane? I trying to figure out the best way to rig one, our boat has a teak extension that kinda gets in the way on the stern.

Check the hydrovane. You'll probably vomit up a lung when you see the price, but it's under a one day install and you can go right through the stern pushpit (I have the same on my boat). If you cut through the lattice make a little ring and thru-bolt it above and below to re-enforce the strength you lost. If you have worm steering (I do), it's awesome from a lot of reasons but it creates a lot of friction that most wind vanes will have a hard time overcoming in light air. The hydrovane has an external rudder of its own so it's a moot point.

My friend sailed his from San Diego to Mexico, through the Pacific and is now in New Zealand. Again aside from the price, it's pretty unbeatable.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

Gee, youmeandthed, someone older might have an answer or two to how to rig a wind vane, but I guess you aren't interested.

[youmeandthed]

captain58, it counts, but not in the eyes of the law...lol

s.v. lonestar, it makes sense to wait, but if the opportunity to go when you are younger presents itself it is best to go. i have heard of many people who refitted boats and sailed with no money, it just takes more balls(or stupidity) to do so. i agree that sitting at a dock in the Caribbean is not cruising. i have a feeling being pregnant is the roots of windtravelers limited mobility. personally my wife and i are on boat number 2, and have gone through some stuff that is much more difficult than sitting in a small place getting sick on each other and ending up in wonderful places. i guess it comes down to each persons, or couples, ability to deal with tough situations. we are also very hands on, and are capable of doing everything from cooking and fishing, to mechanics and glass work. it comes down to a tradeoff between dollars and competencies.

My advice to other young potential cruisers is seize the opportunities life presents you. Ask people who have cruised in their youth and cruised as adults, they will say the same. At any age take the opportunity to go sailing when it is there, or life will take it away and your dream is lost.

[youmeandthed]

that's the windvane i was thinking about. i might just make my own, and make it super simple. i definitely like the extra rudder and steering tab versions. they are so simple, and you have a spare rudder in case of an emergency. and you can fix it without complicated parts.

[msponer]

Originally Posted by sv.Lonestar

The problem with going young is you never have enough money to keep going. I had to fight the desire to go in my mid 30's but would only been able to stay gone for a short time.

Does anyone know how long people tend to stay out? I feel that very few people who can afford to stay out 'forever' actually do it. I don't know if this is typical, but of the people I know from my first set of voyages 12 years ago, only one is still sailing far. I believe everyone else was back to being a landlubber within ten years (and that was only one other boat, the average is easily less than 6 years). So I do not feel like it's necessary to save enough for forever.

What feels the most precious right now is our health. We are healthy now, but for how long? It feels like an enormous risk to collect money for years for a future that could easily evaporate with random circumstance. I can work with many kinds of bad health that would prevent me from sailing far, so I feel I need to do what I want to do while I know I can. Maybe I am too pessimistic about my mortality, but watching my kids grow up so quickly, I have a sense that we truly have very little time in this life to waste.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by youmeandthed

that's the windvane i was thinking about. i might just make my own, and make it super simple. i definitely like the extra rudder and steering tab versions. they are so simple, and you have a spare rudder in case of an emergency. and you can fix it without complicated parts.

If you can make your own, go for it. I have Bill Belcher's book on building your own windvane. Let me know if you want it and I'll mail it to you. I lack the technical chops to construct such a device and would love to know that the book went to someone who's planning on giving it a whirl.

[Ocean Girl]

My husband and I are 40, and not cruising yet having said that I still got to share my 2cents
Unions are great boats, they do not have the shear that HC have, nor the quality, but are still great boats! I like this site, gives stats that you can compare with other boats.Sail Calculator Pro v3.53 - 2500+ boats

A great blog I like to read is WORLD TOUR STORIES - Taru and Alex sailing around the world.

I was crewing on boats in my twenties, many times for money, sometimes more like hitchhiking.

You can absolutely make money along the way, go, have fun, live simple (it isnt expensive) and it will all fall together.

Sorry if I sound preachy
Cheers,
Mrs. Rain Dog

[atoll]

started to build my first boat at 21 launched it 3 years later,managed to circumnavigate a few times,meet the woman of my dreams, have 2 children over a period of 25years.
if you are a little bit handy,plenty of opportunities to make money along the way.
the biggest deal breaker for young couples is getting pregnant!

and when you look at the old farts in the anchorage bear in mind most of them are 20 year old party animals trapped in older bodies!!

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by atoll

and when you look at the old farts in the anchorage bear in mind most of them are 20 year old party animals trapped in older bodies!!

Not me, I'm an old fart, body and soul. I like my solitude out there. Don't party, but don't mind anchorages with families as I think that is the best thing you can do for your kids. Never met an adult that was the product of a cruising family as a kid, that I didn't like right off.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Not me, I'm an old fart, body and soul. I like my solitude out there. Don't party, but don't mind anchorages with families as I think that is the best thing you can do for your kids. Never met an adult that was the product of a cruising family as a kid, that I didn't like right off.

may be party animal was a bad allegori,but most active older people are 20 year olds at heart! even if reclusive......

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by atoll

may be party animal was a bad allegori,but most active older people are 20 year olds at heart! even if reclusive......

OK, that would be me.

[youmeandthed]

Easy fellas, I'm not trying to judge people by their mental age. I know many people in their twenties that live lives with blank stares and glassy eyes, and are over concerned about personal progress and achievements. And I'd rather hang out with old people who are "out there" and have a passion for life over these savvy motivated individuals any day.

I was just starting a thread where "younger aged" cruisers can see that others are doing the same, and its not just a bunch of old crotchety men trying to relive their youth that go cruising.

You old timers should be encouraging young people, if anything for better eye candy in the anchorage... lol

[roverhi]

We did SoPac when we were around 30. Lived in a VW Bus while building our W32. Spent 4 years total in the boat. It's a great age to be out there sailing. Young enough that you've got some maturity in your aspirations but not so old that the rhuematiz won't allow you to sail the boat. Plenty of time when you get back to face reality.

Unfortunately, it seems that the age of cruisers has doubled or even tripled from when we were out in the '70s. Most of the cruisers then were between 20 and 40 and in much smaller boats than seems to be the norm, today. None of us had much money but we always found a way to get by doing odd jobs or flying back to the States for short intense work sessions. We averaged just over a $1,000 a year for two years of cruising but we had a brand new fully provisioned boat with a new bottom when we left. Of course you have to convert that to current value but still probably around $500 a month. We never felt like we were roughing it or forgoing pleasures because of money. We weren't into bars or eating out and our recreation was hiking, snorkeling, spear fishing, and hanging with the locals. Of course there wasn't any peer pressure to do otherwise as we were all in the same boats. Remember everyone would pool their cash when we had to renew our visas in Papeete. The Gendarmes wanted $500 cash, each, for the number of people on board. Good things the authorities didn't mark the bills cause they were seeing the same money over and over again for all of us.

Assume there are still some 'youngsters' out there so enjoy the trip. If there aren't, some of us old farts are still up for a little adventure and we've got taller tales to regale you with and probably have refrigeration to keep the beer cold.

If you wait till you are in your forties to go, you better have made enough money to retire permanently before you leave. Trying to get a high salaried job as you go above 50 is really difficult unless you have some unique talent or qualifications. Probably best to start your own business at that age and that ain't easy or necessarily guaranteed. Retirement ain't cheap and hopefully lasts a long time.

[atoll]

you will meet lots of young people as you travel,but the majority of them will either be crewing on other boats or backpackers seeing the world on the money they have saved after leaving school.

[sww914]

I'm 46 but I loook marvelous, my wife is 38 or something and she looks marvelous too. My son is 14 and believe it or not, he looks marvelous.
But seriously folks, the cruisers we've met in their 30's and 40's seem to get together just fine, most of the others are in their 60's and they have fewer interests in common with us than those in their 30's.