Newbie questions, crossing the Atlantic

[Skywalker204]

Good day,
I no longer wish to live on land and ive never sailed before. I have my 101 and 103 booked in vancover this month and then i think ill do my 104, 114 in nova scotia in the winter.
My plan is to continue working for 2-3 more years, which will give me time to save, plan and learn.
Im thirty years old and id like to think im a quick learner, im also mechanicaly inclined, im a electrician/welder.
After im done my job (2 years) im thinking of moving to halifax or surrounding area, buying a 35ish foot boat, fixing it up and sailing the world.
My first passage id like to do nova scotia to green land to iceland to Europe.
I want a boat thats comfortable but small enough i can sail on my own and with no electricity if need be. Id like to buy a boat that wont depreciate in value and id like to spend under $70 000 cnd. This way i have enough left over for repairs and expenses.
Im determined to do this, and any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Any recommendations for online courses i can do while at work, courses to take after the 104,114 and icc, boats to buy, locations to stay on the east coast while i prepare, forums that may have similar discussions, ways of making money while sailing or any guidance at all would help.
Thanks
Luke

[Tillsbury]

Originally Posted by Skywalker204

Id like to buy a boat that wont depreciate in value

there aren't any of these

[Skywalker204]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

there aren't any of these

Wont A new boat will depreciate faster than an older boat? I understand all boats will depreciate, i just dont want to buy a newer boat and have it drop 50% in value after a few years kind of thing.

[Tillsbury]

Yes of course. A new boat might well lose half its value in the first five to eight years. Adding in the cost of maintenance makes this much more significant, especially with older boats. You can buy well second hand, though, if you’re careful.

Everything else in your post sounds fine, except the idea of a seriously north-bound itinerary as your first big trip. Please don’t think that sailing Nova Scotia/Greenland/Iceland is going to be anything like the usual sailing videos of people buying boats and setting off into the sunset. You will need to be utterly prepared, in equipment as well as experience, before attempting that.

[Skywalker204]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

Yes of course. A new boat might well lose half its value in the first five to eight years. Adding in the cost of maintenance makes this much more significant, especially with older boats. You can buy well second hand, though, if you’re careful.

Everything else in your post sounds fine, except the idea of a seriously north-bound itinerary as your first big trip. Please don’t think that sailing Nova Scotia/Greenland/Iceland is going to be anything like the usual sailing videos of people buying boats and setting off into the sunset. You will need to be utterly prepared, in equipment as well as experience, before attempting that.

Would sailing from nova scotia to the Caribbean be a wiser way to start?

[El Pinguino]

Nova Scotia/Greenland/Iceland/Europe would be an excellent first passage..... after you have spent a few years getting to know your boat and yourself by sailing her localy in Canada... you will know when you are ready for passage making.....

A boat you won't lose too much money on when you go to sell her? I'm biased but look at some of the Westerlys built around 1980 such as the Discus... you just have to find a good one that has been well looked after.... they are out there...

https://vimeo.com/152958661

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Skywalker204

Would sailing from nova scotia to the Caribbean be a wiser way to start?

Look at boats in the Great Lakes, no salt, gentle usage, short seasons. Outfit as you need. Sail out the St Lawrence and south to the Chesapeake. If you are having fun, join the Salty Dawg rally from Hampton, Va to Antigua and have a good time.

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by Skywalker204

Would sailing from nova scotia to the Caribbean be a wiser way to start?

Yes. Then go to Europe over the Azores. The thing with going over Greenland and Iceland is that you ought to invest way more than 70k in your boat and equipment, need a lot of experience, and a full crew of people who know what they’re doing is highly desirable too. You’re not allowed any mistakes up there. The same issue in a cold vs warm climate can have completely different consequences.

[Tillsbury]

Strongly agree. I’d suggest buying a cheap boat you don’t care about, 20-odd feet perhaps, learn to sail and repair it on a budget over the next couple of years. Sell it for close to what you bought it for, and by that time you’ll know a whole lot more about sailing and about what you’ll be looking for when you buy your next boat.

Another good way is to charter. I did this in the uk for many years, chartering all kinds of boats in different places and invited friends and online crew (back in the 80s when most people online were good guys). However, chartering catamarans in the carribean isn’t really the same sort of sailing as you’re describing, so make sure you’re getting the kinds of experiences you’re looking for.

[Sojourner]

I've been sailing a while on and off all my life, but just bought our first proper little ship, and still consider myself a total newbie....there is just so much to learn when you're on your own responsibility than crewing for someone else. So many systems to learn (and learn to repair when they break), the learning curve is long, and steep. Anyone can learn to tack and gybe 360s in an afternoon, but then consider engine maintenance, electronics, how to use the radios and communication gear and fix them when they short out, navigation, docking and anchoring, weather routing, receiving weather info enroute, and the feel for weather in general, storm tactics (which on your planned route, you will have plenty), outboard engine repair, watermakers, rebuilding your toilet, scrubbing the hull, splicing a rope....the list is endless. If you have a couple years, get some good books on all these topics and read them every night. Sail with friends every chance you get. Ask all the dumb questions you can (I just asked a super dumb one about my dinghy 10 minutes ago on this forum ) And then there is no way I'd make my first trip that far north to those places.... pick your way south to some nice weather and get another year or two of practice in places that look like the videos, and you can swim all day long to boot! That's what we're doing more or less...we've been practicing off Italy since we got the boat in Feb, in Nov getting some final upgrades and rebuilding the engine, then off on the milk run to cross the atlantic nice and easy to go swimming all winter in the carribean.... We'll tackle greenland when we get back around the world in a decade or so, that should be enough time to learn everything...maybe

[Tillsbury]

Also I was being generous about the 50% depreciation. My boat is 13 years old, was 200k (600k new plus extras originally), only very lightly used and in good condition. I’ll probably spend another 200k over the next ten years in mooring and maintenance and diesel etc. I’ll probably be happy to get 100k for it at the end. That’s not really 50% depreciation, it’s 150% over ten years

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Luke.


As has been well noted, that's a very ambitious first cruise.

[Skywalker204]

Thank you Gordmay,
I wont be making it my first or second cruise by the looks of it but i will do it at some point in my life, im just glad theres knowledgeable people that are willing to help me reach my goals and im not having to find out the hard way.

One of the questions that just came to mind is how far away from US land would i need to stay to avoid going through customs if i sailed from nova scotia to the Caribbean, i cant enter the US at this point in time.

[Skywalker204]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

Also I was being generous about the 50% depreciation. My boat is 13 years old, was 200k (600k new plus extras originally), only very lightly used and in good condition. I’ll probably spend another 200k over the next ten years in mooring and maintenance and diesel etc. I’ll probably be happy to get 100k for it at the end. That’s not really 50% depreciation, it’s 150% over ten years

Is buying a boat locally a good idea, or would i be better off buying something down south or across the ocean? I guess what i asking is, would your boat be the same price anywhere in the world or would it go for less in area where there are lots of boats.

[Skywalker204]

Which company would you guys recomend for charting a boat, are there companys that do long term charters or leases?