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zeehag · 06-11-2010, 09:26

but with a dark sense of humor from his work and a sense of survival and knowledge of what happens whenye fail, i think the motivation to go onward is intense here.
i think this is do-able-- just please practice sailing first and learn how to face a sea without taking it into your boat. you may want to get pelican cases for the puter and cell fone.
i think you will have a really unique and personal sail and you will learn a lot-- you will learn about the weather, the sea, you will learn what you do and dont want to learn about yourself. you will sail-- you will learn to REALLY sail.....LOL......scary thought. there will be enough wind, i believe, that you may not need the extra weight of the engine on transom-- see how the boat acts with and without it-- you may agree.

i hope your area is ok and that you are not too overwhelmed. work hard and learn to sail... go for it. you will NEED the diversion after this. BTDT.

43 nm should be ok-- just dont miss the island by too much. take some oars? for when and if the wind stops and the engine is too wet to work......

i think has something to do with the intensity of your work will dictate the intensity of the relaxation to counter the weight in the brain. someone should do a study on it.....

Cormorant · 06-11-2010, 12:14

If you put an outboard on your sailboat, you can do like we did when we took our boat to the Bahamas last year: wait for the most placid possible day and motor across fast. (We have a 31' shoal draft boat -- not well suited for big seas -- plus my wife and kids weren't crazy about rough water sailing.) Keep your two big passages as short and easy as possible. Then you can do all the sailing you like along Cuba's south coast, learning as you go.

Just a note on the outboard: 15HP is way more than you need on a 13 or 15 foot boat, unless you plan to get it up on plane . . . which you don't because you might just pound it apart doing that.

So, if you have a 15HP at your disposal, see if you can trade it for a 5HP or 6HP plus some cash, or plus some other necessary bit of equipment. Those two are still more than you would need to get a small boat up to hull speed, but it might be nice to have a few horses in reserve for bashing into head seas.

zeehag · 06-11-2010, 12:34

remember that an outboard takes up not only the space for the engine, but also the fuel tank .....and the hosing. weight can get large for boat. might be best just to sail the lil boat and go for it-- should be a good breeze all the way on first leg. after the dude who makes bat teaches you best how to use it, do so in the bay nearby and learn her well. you will do good. everyone needs a mr toads wild ride for minuet to appreciate the smells of roses and seawater.

always leave a sail plan-- yours probably should take about 2 days at most and i would have friends call at 8 days. take provisions for month. small still.
water for 2 weeks is 14 gallons. at min. that is for drinking. washing is sea with following of fresh=about a quart/liter per bath. dishes???? lol..tether self to boat with a tether long enough to be able to get out from under if boat flips. . especially if weather changes. lookup weather patterns and keep track .. watch sky all the time and seas. lots to learn yet. practice before you leave.

foolhardy · 07-11-2010, 09:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeehag

"..... yours probably should take about 2 days at most....."

You think it could actually take 2 days from point to point (43Nm)? or are you talking about the secong leg?

zeehag · 07-11-2010, 09:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by foolhardy

You think it could actually take 2 days from point to point (43Nm)? or are you talking about the secong leg?

the first one......haiti to cuba.. wont take that long but count on that much and more,....always give yourself extra time for provisions and water....and weather..

Capt Phil · 07-11-2010, 09:53

I don't know, foolhardy... I think your tempting fate. MarkJ's advice is sound. When you roll the dice offshore, make sure that you aren't betting against Darwin... he has amassed a string of wins against those who try dangerous passages, unprepared, underfunded, poorly equipped and adventurous... if you do attempt it... good luck... you'll need it. Capt Phil

mrwright · 07-11-2010, 10:50

personally, i'd say go for it. it will either be a great adventure or you'll die. my personal philosophy is that if i die while having an adventure, what do i care? i'm gonna be dead!

if i listened to everyone who said "you can't" i'd have never had some of the best times of my life. for every proposal there's ALWAYS gonna be a crowd of people saying "ooooh, that's too dangerous...".

i think you can do it. and bring the dog but tether him too! besides, if **** goes down, you're gonna want your best friend there to either help you or ride it out w you.

by the way, big ups to you for your work in Haiti. i work for 2 well-known non-profits and you guys are really starting to make a difference down there. you've got some good karma going, brother, might as well spend it sometime!

good luck.

imagine2frolic · 08-11-2010, 07:48

Maybe you need to read the thread.....4 people & five days...Stuff happens, and it always happens out there......i2f

zeehag · 08-11-2010, 08:19

is true--it will happ0en out ther eif it is gonna-- do make sure you have supplies for a month or so and that the items needing to stay dry do that and that the rest will dry easily.
i still believe you will have agreat sail--how many km in a leaky old boat to catalina from LA--is 26 miles-- 40 km--lol if it is doable across the santa barbara channel, it is doable in the passage between haiti and cuba. folks have gone in jetskis, paddle boards, leaky OLD boats, shiny new ones--all kinds of craft and survived, even in bad conditions-- out there betweeen catalina and lost angeles, seas can get to 50 + ft in windy situations andstorms.some crazy folks do it in that, i know carib only gets like that in a hurrycame--isnt gonna be one of those until after june-- you will be in safety then, or on your way to leg 2, the longer one.. so the first leg-- 43 km to cuba from haiti SHOULD last from 24 hours to a week depending on circumstances. no faster than 24 hours and that only if you have consistently useable air currents. friends who have done the 90 mi between san diego and catalina usually take between 19 hours and 5 days..ii am going by that-- can be variable and uncertain in timing stuff-- the sea gods donot like punctuality and time clocks.
i figure in a 13 ft boat you will probably consistently make 2-5 miles per hour in a decent light breeze and dependent on currents. sometimes you will go like stink and sometimes you will sit in the middle of the water wondering if you are really going anywhere--but in aminuet you WILL be moving-- probably in wrong direction---and that will happen when ye are trying to nap. before you go, make sure you know th e currents and the patterns of water movements and air flow patterns in th eregion and get a good hold of the directions everything flows. you can make curents work with you or fight them--fighting them is harder then flowing with them. use everything to your advantage and save work--much of this research is doable on computer. sailflow, passage weather, weather buoys from noaa, many sources for these tidbits of knowledge that will aid your adventure and help you control your course. do take spot so we can see you as you travel.....