Jon decides to go sailing

[charliehows]

as you may have noticed, jon is gon - he turned 13 and discovered the "bendy bikini babes" key on his mums laptop and has moved on to better things...

[Creedence]

Originally Posted by charliehows

as you may have noticed, jon is gon - he turned 13 and discovered the "bendy bikini babes" key on his mums laptop and has moved on to better things...

Let us wish him Godspeed.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Where is our OP anyways?


Another poster scared to death by CF hostility?


barnakiel

Or another troll who has achieved his objective?
(getting very close to the 50 post mark in this thread!)

[JPA Cate]

Yes, manateeman, it is The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow, by A. J. McKinnon. Somewhere in England to the Black Sea via the European canals, after the English Channel crossing, in a Mirror dinghy.

Ann

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Where is our OP anyways?


Another poster scared to death by CF hostility?


barnakiel

Licking his wounds no doubt.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

Licking his wounds no doubt.

Here ya go, he gets his 50 response target.

[mqbenedict]

Hi Jon,
Lots of good ideas and you can make it by taking some 'first steps' before you realize your dream.

A great read about an inexperienced person's experiences is 'Maiden Voyage' by Tania Aebi.

Keep in mind, there's a lot you will need to learn by reading and experience. Don't take it lightly but it's not insurmountable. Everyone who has done what you want to do started with some initial small steps. Your post might be just the first of many many many.

Mark B.

[Linesledaft]

Must have watched too many Delos videos on YouTube.

Any boat can cruise with $$$$$$$, but you must find some first.

[Lesliesailsaway]

Originally Posted by jonsailingearth

Hello lovely people of the world. I am a young English man. My name is jon. I have decided that I will leave the UK by sailing off on a boat on an epic adventure around the world. I greatly desire to spend the next 10 years or so sailing to the most distant parts of the earth, tropical islands, amazing places. It will be just me, the elements, and the nature.

There are perhaps a few obstacles that I will need to overcome to be able to do this, and I now seek some guidance in the matter.

Immediate challenges. I have no boat, no money & have never sailed before. I was wondering if there was anyone out there who perhaps has an old boat they no longer use or have time for, perhaps they might be willing to let me 'borrow'.

Thankyou for your time.

jon

Hi Jon,

Welcome to this adventure of sailing. But, with adventure there must be a lot of planning and preparing for such a journey or that journey will be packed full of problems and misery that will cut your plans short.

With that being said... What I would suggest is to volunteer to crew a large sailing yacht. You may decide that sailing is not for you. Things you may not have considered is how you will deal with rough seas. For many that is a real eye opener. Sea sickness is no joke!!!

Interview your captain. See how many long voyages he or she has made and ask them if they are willing to train you to be a deck hand. Learn everything you need to know about navigation, maintenance, what to do in emergencies, and provisioning.

Having no money is a definite problem. Being a yachter means you will pour lots of money into your boat. You have general maintenance and then you have major repairs such as your engine(s) breaking down; boat insurance; sea tow insurance; money for provisions and dockage fees. The list goes on and on. Exploring all these distant places will require money to go ashore.

I don't want you to give up your dream but you have to take this seriously. You can volunteer locally; work and save your money. Crew on several yachts to see what suits you. With this horrible pandemic people will be selling their yachts at a loss because they can't afford them. Good time to buy a boat. But, be careful. Get a haul out and a survey.

Good luck Jon. Keep the CF posted of your progress. Happy sailing!!!

Leslie

[sailblues]

Have you thought about hitch hiking on sailboats around the world? Sailors are often looking for extra crew to make the passages. It's a good way to learn how to sail and see the world at the same time, not to mention meeting some terrific people.

[jdaltonpe]

Hi Jon,
If you really want to go sailing then just do it, one step at a time. I know it is possible because I did it - no experience, $25k into the boat, $9k per year, 4 years around the world with a little work along the way. No fridge, radar, chart plotter, or much else - just solid basics. Don't listen to the naysayers and ignore most unsolicited advice. When you do need advice ask someone with lots of hard earned miles under their belt. Go ahead and live your dream, you can do it!!!

[maersi]

On the off chance that the OP is genuine, I would suggest finding a copy of "Shrimpy" by Shane Acton (ISBN 9781852604486). This book details his adventures sailing around the world, starting with no experience or money, a plastic sextant, and a book from which he learned how to use the sextant. Shrimpy was a Caprice, an 18 foot plywood boat. It took him 8 years, but he succeeded.

No skill, no money, and a really cheap boat.

Oh, and I am an old English man, with a similar dream, but fading muscles, so, if anyone has an Amel 55 that they no longer have any use for, they could lend it to me for 10 years, and save on marina fees.

[Lihuedooley77]

Going to come from a different direction. At one time, Many of us had dreams of sailing adventure, maybe the caribbean, or south pacific, etc.

Many of us were not born into big bucks. But we had dreams of the military, or sailing, or flying air planes , and living a life of adventure.

Can those goals be reached ? Sure can, but it takes work, study, knowledge, experience , persistence and dedication. The is no free lunch, get out there and make it happen. Earn it !

Yep, a job would be a good plan, and maybe work at something that will assist a particular dream, such as sailing, boat yard, or both. Crewing on Other peoples boats, and more knowledge gained. Maybe then a chance to crew on a longer passage to those adventures in paradise. Eventually, skippering your own vessel.

Okole siting and non performance , looking for a free ride and challenging mother ocean, is not going to get it.

For others out there who have the dream, many of us here have now achieved grand lives sailing, and even flying fighter planes . Yep, from a kid who had those dreams, and zero silver spoonism.

Had a job, and made descent money, and wanted to sail, and maybe world cruising.
I joined a SAILING CLUB, not a Yacht Club, and started taking professionally structured lessons on 25 to 30 ft sailing vessels and on up. I wanted to learn as much as I could about sailing and motor vessels and everything that surrounds them. There is so much to learn and experience, but we will never know it all.

Thru the sailing club, I worked my way up to 55 ft, sailing vessels, and 55 ft motor vessels, Also, started instructing part time,and taking out charters and earned my 720 days of documented sea time ,

Now, an old geezer, sort of, I have realized a marvelous sailing and motor vessel career, and sailed Australia, Tahiti, Tonga, Mexico, Calif, much of the caribbean, Ireland and Greece. Also a USCG Merchant Marine Officer, and had two parallel careers of sailing and flying.

It can be done, so for those who have those dreams, continue to read, learn, train, and gain experience . Honestly, the world is out there waiting for you, but it does take effort, action and dedication.

Stolen quote : "Don't dream your life, LIVE YOUR DREAM "

[MagicBeans55]

That’s very funny...so do I jon ...start by looking for a job in a boat yard, working on boats..keep dreaming..when I was 7 years old, I told my mom I wanted to be a sailor..I a now a charter sailboat captain with 28 years experience sailing between Grenada and Puerto Rico...dreams come true if you persevere....

[AlexandraCirka]

First goal is to make your own money,,, find something you really like and just get good at it and then think of ways to make some quick cash and THEN buy your own boat with your own damn money Johnny. Its not easy but your dream to sail around the world is much harder than that. things dont just magically happen like that, "borrowing a boat" from someone to sail around the world with is like a monkey trying to save a fish from drowning and safely putting it up a tree as our favourite Alan Watts phrased it!