Blue Water Sailing

[sck5]

"I will NEVER carry and epirb or call for the Coasties. This captain goes down with the ship."

Now there is a guy with no wife and no kids

[wildbillca]

Well I carry mine all the time if not for my ship but for my crew plus it would be really stupid to sail her single handed off shore.It's like going diving alone something just not right with that pic's I've seen to many dark shadows above me..But to each his own...Good luck..

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

As I read through some of the posts, I find two completely different attitudes of sailing "Blue Water"
One being those that are looking to survive it...
And the second being of those that want to play in it...

Being of a Open Ocean Racing background, I find myself to be of the second catagory..

In which catagory to you fall??????

I don't care much about racing. I'm a relatiave newcomer (four years) to sailing and would rather do a bluewater sail with someone more experienced first. But I would not assume my life was in peril if I lost sight of land. I think, all other things being equal, water away from shore is safer than water closer to shore. You can get caught in a bad storm either way, but in deeper water, there are far fewer things for the waves to bang you boat on and break it.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

In order to play in it, you have to survive.

For an example, take a look at the current News | Transat Jacques Vabre 2011 : Le Havre - Costa Rica | Octobre 2011

The Class 40 fleet is going through a series of fronts in the North Atlantic. Yesterday, the two lead boats split tacks, with Aquarelle headed south for less severe weather, and the young guns on Concise 2 headed west for a better VMG. Concise 2 took over the lead for a while, but now they are limping toward the Azores with a crack in the hull, while Aquarelle is back in the lead.

I love blue water racing, but when I'm out of VHF range of the Coast Guard I don't press my luck quite as hard.

One of several reasons I'm not interested in racing in blue water. That bad weather was predictable, but races don't get rescheduled because of weather.

[Piney]

Originally Posted by sck5

"I will NEVER carry and epirb or call for the Coasties. This captain goes down with the ship."

Now there is a guy with no wife and no kids

Yes, you are correct no wife or kids, but I would also never intentionally put my crew in harms way. Thats why I prefer to single hand.

Every sport has its thrill seekers who want to push themselves and their equipment to the edge. just look and the Vendee Globe.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Piney

For me.. Nothing is more exciting than playing in huge waves and heavy weather.. Wondering if the sea is going to rip your boat apart and suck you down to Dave Jones is 75% of the thrill. Surviving it the other 25%.

Also.. I will NEVER carry and epirb or call for the Coasties. This captain goes down with the ship.

It 110% about self-reliance.

For me, the thrill is in getting the boat faster than I've gotten it to go before. That, in turn, leads to sensible decisions, because when you need to reef and do it, the boat sails better. For me, traveling sideways doesn't count for "faster." It has to be forward motion.

[wildbillca]

I've been off the coast of Casta Rica in a gale and tore two sails lost all engine power and electric with a green crew I picked up in Gautamala and made the decision to head farther out to sea.this really scard the %$#& out of the crew but in the long run it was a good call..We did very well by that call..

[sailorboy1]

I want to play in it ......................... but I want to play nice!

[wildbillca]

Very sound reasoning...

[clsailor]

Having survived sailing through the eye of Hurricane Alex in the Gulf Stream and having a great sail from Puerto Rico to Virginia, I will take the Puerto Rico trip any day. But I will not regret the hurricane trip for what it taught me about how well I could handle bad weather. So I would like to vote both ways.

[Piney]

The first time I got hit with a wave big enough to knock me on my a##, I knew I had found my calling. The sea had reached up and taken its first punch and now I knew that this was a beast that I must conquer.
Since that time, I spent countless hours watching the oceans every move, learning its habits, observing its strengths, its weaknesses. I understand now that this beast can never be completely conquered, but at the least it could be tamed.
Now, almost every waking minute is spent on becoming a better sailor. Learning seamanship, celestial navigation, weather patterns, boat design, and marine electronics, anything that can be used to arm myself for battle.
It has become an obsession. Practice, practice, and more practice In fact, at times it has become almost more of a battle with myself then a battle with the sea, but all the fears must be set aside. Now, the only time I feel truly alive is when I am battling the ocean one on one. Just a man against the sea..

[zeehag]

conquering sea aint a reality. taming it aint a reality. coexisting with it and being allowed to enjoy it is a reality. sea gods are finicky. look at odysseus....

when i look over the transom and see the cobalt blue, or look over my gunwhales and see cobalt blue, i am in heaven... in gulf of mexico is a brilliant cobalt, in pacific, as water is sooo deeep, is deep cobalt---AWESOME....... and the sunning turtles--- wow--fishies-- wow--flying fishies mean dinner is coming-- just have to catch it-- pray t0 sea gods for a small fishie for the pan and stomach---is awesome!!!!!!

[D&D]

Surely enjoyment and survival aren't mutually exclusive...? So must we choose? We prefer the spoiled child response...WE WANT BOTH!!

There are many who sailed beyond our meagre ~25000 'bluewater' miles, but our limited experience leads us to both love the open water (feeling vastly more comfortable there than when in the midst or even close to rocks and/or many other vessels) and treat the sea with HUGE respect...EPIRB, good comms, frequent plotting and weather checking, reef early, etc. Force 9's are not fun and we sure wouldn't go looking for them, but if your vessel's well/conservatively rigged and you're focussed and on-the-job, they can be enjoyed.

All that said, we're sure no-one will be surprised to hear we're no longer interested in bluewater racing. We're very happy to leave to others the thrills of pressing one's vessel to its limits when the seas are angry.

[Sabbatical II]

I don't mind the ocean sailing. I like the solitude. I like the lack of a timetable, but the truth is that I sail for the destinations with the anchor down. That I can enjoy a good ocean passage is just a bonus.

[Bash]

[QUOTE=D&D;813698]Surely enjoyment and survival aren't mutually exclusive...? So must we choose? We prefer the spoiled child response...WE WANT BOTH!!

I'm down for that. But I'm also desirous of a third category for those who want to get from Point A to Point B without breaking gear.