What happens to all the wannabees?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Zarih

So, buying a boat, setting off and then quit is failure? Bying a boat, never leaving the dock is failure? I just wonder, who are you to judge? People change their minds, sometimes the Dream isn't all that it's cracked up to be and so forth. Trying is better than doing nothing. Stop sailing is not failure. And no wonder newbies don't advertise their change of heart here if this is how they are met.

The sailing Community is so supportive I've Heard. I don't agree.

Well, we hear a lot of wannabees saying they are going to circumnavigate the globe... making a big deal of their great plans. When they bail after a short time experiencing the realities of cruising, I do view that as a failure. If they had just said "we're going cruising" then no failure is experienced.

And the cruising community is indeed supportive of folks when they are out doin' it. Maybe not so much for folks who only talk of the life, but if you are out in an anchorage and need help, it will be there for you. I've experienced this from both sides of the coin - helping and being helped, and it is a genuine feature of the lifestyle and experience.

Perhaps you should try it and see!

Jim

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well, we hear a lot of wannabees saying they are going to circumnavigate the globe... making a big deal of their great plans. When they bail after a short time experiencing the realities of cruising, I do view that as a failure. If they had just said "we're going cruising" then no failure is experienced.

And the cruising community is indeed supportive of folks when they are out doin' it. Maybe not so much for folks who only talk of the life, but if you are out in an anchorage and need help, it will be there for you. I've experienced this from both sides of the coin - helping and being helped, and it is a genuine feature of the lifestyle and experience.

Perhaps you should try it and see!

Jim

Sweet..!!!

[CatNewBee]

... usually as a cruiser, you are prepared to cope with obstacles around your journey yourself and you are not relying on help from others, but you appreciate a mix of solitude and social contact too.

Sometimes things go really wrong and help is needed - e.g. in distress, sometimes sailors just enjoy socializing, helping each other and doing things together. Some even make a living of it while cruising and offer their skills for some kick-back.

So if something really goes wrong, like-minded people will very likely be around help you out, but I would not rely only on that, better you develop the skills needed too.

[SSgtPitt]

Originally Posted by Large Luke

To get back to the original question, my wife and I sold our house in July of last year. Right now we are anchored up a channel just behind the Statue of Liberty on our way to the Bahamas and Caribbean for a couple of years.

Right behind ya. We leave Corpus Christi, TX 27 Nov for our first time ever cruise. Kids are renting the house, we’ll take stock at the end of the season and decide if this cruising thing is what we dreamed of or it was fun but not something we want to do for the rest of our lives. Sometimes dreams are better than reality.

[sailorboy1]

I'm still full item cruising, almost 25 months now. I joined here before I had even sailed once or even been on a sailboat. I'm a wannabee success!!!!!!!

Maybe it's because I never asked the forum what boat I should get

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I'm still full item cruising, almost 25 months now. I joined here before I had even sailed once or even been on a sailboat. I'm a wannabee success!!!!!!!

Maybe it's because I never asked the forum what boat I should get

So, with your vast experience, which boat do you recommend?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Ballenxj

So, with your vast experience, which boat do you recommend?

The one YOU like!!!!

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

As I re-read some of the other posts I gave some more thought to this.


I am assuming that its my wife and I, not a herd of kids in tow. That is going to drive up costs and it is not something I even considered.



I am also assuming that all major work that the boat needed was done before we started, not done on route. Sails in good shape, rig redone, motor in top notch shape etc.



I am also assuming Caribbean and or Central America. Not cruising state side.


I figure somewhere 1500 to 2000 per month. Anything less will probably seem like camping and that number is in line with some others that I know who have cruised for a few years.



The $500.00 stuff is possible if your hooked off some island somewhere just sitting on your boat and never getting off but other than that it seems unlikely and not like much fun.

To some extent you will spend what you have, and why not?
Today I took my bicycle by the local shop cause the shifter cable was frozen in its housing, now if money was tight, I’d either have freed it myself, of just left it in an intermediate gear and drove on, but I took it to the shop instead.
Now I’m thinking about going back and making them an offer on the two Dahon Mariners D8 that they had.

That is not meant to brag it’s just the truth, when we were kids in 1981 we lived off of $173.33 a month, for several months waiting on my enlistment in Tx after the oil field collapsed.
So we can live off of peanuts if we have to, but it’s nicer to not have to.

[mr-canada]

Life aboard a sailboat, no matter what size, comes with some serious life changing decisions.

You will not be able to have "stuff". It will clutter up the boat and in many situations it will be rendered useless. (A TV will seriously drain your battery for example).

Laundry will probably be done in the cockpit with seawater and hung out to dry on lifelines. Forget appliances like a dishwasher or dryer. The stove may stop working if you end up in a place where fuel isn't nearby. Prepare to buy food that does not spoil, even if your boat comes with a fridge.

You will need to bring tools and your own personal ingenuity. Things break, bend, and on the water you're going to just have to figure it out. Living aboard without tools is like going out into the snow without warm clothing. Be like the Boy Scouts say, "be prepared". And by being prepared, I mean everything, from a first aid kit to tools and an inverter. If something goes wrong, you're screwed; and even if you make it to a port with facilities, you're still going to need the tools and you can't take your car on the boat with you to go buy some - even if you have the money.

Camping. Yes, you are camping. You will not have the comforts of a furnace, appliances, hot water, constant electricity. Bring battery operated lanterns for when the battery dies. Bring or plan for some place to take a shower. Even if your boat has a hot water system it will seriously drain your battery. Depending on your fuel stores, you may be able to take a warm sponge bath.

Unless you plan on living at a marina, all the above apply. Living aboard at a marina is fine as long as the marina allows it.

Sundrarily:

You will meet some great people. You will also meet some complete SOBs. Maritime life is filled with SOBs and shady operators when you are in trouble. Tow operators, mechanics, parts, all of it add a zero to the price of everything. If you are gunkholing beware of NIMBYs that will screw with your boat, no matter how wealthy or poor they are. I've read accounts of idiots stealing boats that they had no clue how to pilot. People cutting lines, pulling your anchor, etc. Of course you want to leave the boat sometimes and so you should. But a boat unattended is a boat undefended, and good luck calling the police due to maritime laws in your area.

Learn ways to prepare food at sea. There is a book called "10,000 miles", that has a lot of good tips and tricks, right down to how to make an egg last 3-4 months without refridgeration. If you are planning on going really far out, bring an axe so you can cook food over a campfire if you are running low on fuel with your stove.

Moral of my story, you can never be too prepared. That sail that was perfect when you left the dock might become very unperfect in an unexpected blow. Sail tape? Helps. Extra sails? Even better. Bolt cutters - bring them in case you are demasted so your boat isn't destroyed.

Talk to sailors who have done what you plan you are doing, extensively.

Don't worry about the money. Money makes the world go round, but you can usually find some work at any government port, even if it's for minimum wage, or wangle some sort of business opportunity. Remote communities always need people to do things (hence having the tools for your boat helps) so focus on being prepared rather than the budget.

Who knows, you may end up working in a restaurant for a month or two while blue water sailing. Nothing wrong with that if it gets you to the next destination and buys you some more food stores.

[CatNewBee]

It isn't that bad.

Of course you can have all comfort while cruising. It is a matter of money and preparation.

But yes, you need some skills.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I'm still full item cruising, almost 25 months now. I joined here before I had even sailed once or even been on a sailboat. I'm a wannabee success!!!!!!!

Maybe it's because I never asked the forum what boat I should get

over 1000 posts on the thread after 6 years

thanks to the many who have responded

sailorboy1's post is a good example of why i started the thread,well done

for those that have fallen by the quayside,commiserations,better luck next time

[mr-canada]

Originally Posted by CatNewBee

It isn't that bad.

Of course you can have all comfort while cruising. It is a matter of money and preparation.

But yes, you need some skills.

Definitively. I was heading to a mooring buoy in 60 knot winds and learned it didn't have a painter. Had to do a cowboy lasso knot in rough enough weather that I could barely find the buoy as it was night time and slip knot the thing and hope for the best and hope I didn't wake up beached. It all worked out and I woke up not only with a boat still on the buoy, but with full crab traps. My poor fiancee, first time sailing, was spooked. Even the 530 ton ferries cancelled sailings given that wind, and I only weigh in at 6-7 tons displacement.

Improvisation is a skill that takes balls, pardon my french. Sometimes you can scare the crap out of yourself.

[SailingChelsea]

Hi everyone,

We are some potential wannabees! We are very new to sailing and are working it all out OK so far. It has been a big learning curve but we are loving it and have learnt so much from reading posts on forums like these so thank you

We were inspired by sailing videos we have watched on YouTube and wanted to document our trip too. If anyone would be interested in watching, we have a YouTube channel – Sailing Chelsea. We would love to hear any advice or comments relating to any part of our sailing or our videos.

We also have a website, sailingchelsea.com where we have started a forum focusing on marina reviews and places we’ve visited i.e. ease of access, expense, what the people are like. We welcome anyone else to add their experiences of places they have stayed too.

We are relatively new to all of this but are trying to build our following and would be so grateful for any feedback / support 😊

Fair winds,
Ryan, Faye and Poppy!

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

The one YOU like!!!!

Good choice.

[CaptainDana]

Happy to respond. We bought our boat 6 years ago. Since then, we've:
Replaced the Lifelines, Cushions, Aft Mattress. Completely rebuilt the aft head. Replaced a 119-gallon water tank with a 65-gallon tank. Replaced the CNG system with propane and a propane stove. Replaced the refrigerators with a 2 refrigerator/freezers. Replaced all hatch seals and two out of 5 lenses. Replaced all portlights and associated gaskets and seals. Replaced the Radar. Installed a chartplotter. Completely removed and replaced all of the wire and electrical distribution panels in the boat. Replaced bilge pumps twice (still not right). Added a 9-axis heading sensor, gps, and wind instruments. Replaced all mast lights with LEDs. installed mast steps to the top. Replaced the strataglass in the the dodger. Resewed the sacrificial cover on the jib. Resewed the stackpack. Replaced the sheeves in the masthead crane. Rebuilt the high/low table. Installed an Over-the-Air broadcast TV antenna with streaming capability so that we have wireless TV (Hulu and Netflix if there's WiFi) all over the boat. Replaced the anchor with a heavy delta. Fixed/caulked numerous topside leaks. Purchased dinghy/motor. Earned 100-ton USCG Masters License. Attended Diesel I and Diesel II courses. Went to canvas sewing school and ran a canvas business. Retired. Currently Downsizing as we get ready to cut the docklines next October. To Do between now and October 2019. 20GPH Water Maker. Solar Arch. 400watts Solar Panels. Wind Turbine. Self Steerer.

The reason I haven't been real 'present' on this forum is because life is happening all the time.

Yep, I'm just a wannabe. BTW, I spent last month bringing an Irma-damaged Beneteau 49' from the Dominican Republic to Fort Pierce with Tropical Storm Gordon nipping at my heals and Hurricane Florence bearing down on us. Again, just a wannabe.