Wannabe, newbie and so on...

[catakate]

Hi all,

Here's a wannabe, never been on a sailboat but really determined (to be) sailor. I'm from Romania, Eastern side of Europe, and having no used sailboats available here, I'm forced to make a 5.000 miles trip to UK to buy me one.

I already bought an Anderson 22 trailer sailer from there, a boat trailer from Germany, planning to hit the road around 15th of March. Waiting is hard! My boat is in Weston-Super-Mare near Bristol so I'll just cross UK East to West and back from Dover, not far from Southern Coast.

For me the situation is like this:
- Danube, second longest river in Europe: 30 miles away;
- Danube Delta (you should be a fan if you like fishing and wildlife): 170 miles away;
- Black Sea: 140 miles away;
- Population: ~20 millions;
- Marinas at sea: 2;
- Sail boats: maybe 30 (thirty) but I'm 98% sure I'm being generous;

I guess it's hard for any of you to imagine a 50 miles shore along some 15 small holiday towns and one of the country's 5 biggest cities, having an ancient port greeks wrote about, without any chandlery store. All that being in Europe. Sounds like a sailor's nightmare? Well, that's what I'll have to live with!

Not willing to pull my boat ashore and wait for parts from UK, all I'm thinking is what is more probably to break? I can't buy 2 boats and keep one as a spare on the shore. So my question for anyone willing to write down a piece of advice is: what parts you think to be I couldn't live without a spare?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts except those telling me to quit. I won't!

Regards and fair winds,
Catalin

[Khagan1227]

Originally Posted by catakate

Hi all,

Here's a wannabe, never been on a sailboat but really determined (to be) sailor. I'm from Romania, Eastern side of Europe, and having no used sailboats available here, I'm forced to make a 5.000 miles trip to UK to buy me one.

I already bought an Anderson 22 trailer sailer from there, a boat trailer from Germany, planning to hit the road around 15th of March. Waiting is hard! My boat is in Weston-Super-Mare near Bristol so I'll just cross UK East to West and back from Dover, not far from Southern Coast.

For me the situation is like this:
- Danube, second longest river in Europe: 30 miles away;
- Danube Delta (you should be a fan if you like fishing and wildlife): 170 miles away;
- Black Sea: 140 miles away;
- Population: ~20 millions;
- Marinas at sea: 2;
- Sail boats: maybe 30 (thirty) but I'm 98% sure I'm being generous;

I guess it's hard for any of you to imagine a 50 miles shore along some 15 small holiday towns and one of the country's 5 biggest cities, having an ancient port greeks wrote about, without any chandlery store. All that being in Europe. Sounds like a sailor's nightmare? Well, that's what I'll have to live with!

Not willing to pull my boat ashore and wait for parts from UK, all I'm thinking is what is more probably to break? I can't buy 2 boats and keep one as a spare on the shore. So my question for anyone willing to write down a piece of advice is: what parts you think to be I couldn't live without a spare?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts except those telling me to quit. I won't!

Regards and fair winds,
Catalin

First off, welcome Catalin!

Not sure why you have to go all the way to the UK to find a boat or get parts, Greece and Croatia are well known for their cruising grounds.

[catakate]

Thanks Khagan1227!
I've been in Croatia two times and Greece is the place we go to for a proper cheap holiday. That was my starting point but I couldn't find any to fit my budget. Also, trailer seilers are not popular there, but for me it's a must.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by catakate

Hi all,

Here's a wannabe, never been on a sailboat but really determined (to be) sailor. I'm from Romania, Eastern side of Europe, and having no used sailboats available here, I'm forced to make a 5.000 miles trip to UK to buy me one.

I already bought an Anderson 22 trailer sailer from there, a boat trailer from Germany, planning to hit the road around 15th of March. Waiting is hard! My boat is in Weston-Super-Mare near Bristol so I'll just cross UK East to West and back from Dover, not far from Southern Coast.

For me the situation is like this:
- Danube, second longest river in Europe: 30 miles away;
- Danube Delta (you should be a fan if you like fishing and wildlife): 170 miles away;
- Black Sea: 140 miles away;
- Population: ~20 millions;
- Marinas at sea: 2;
- Sail boats: maybe 30 (thirty) but I'm 98% sure I'm being generous;

I guess it's hard for any of you to imagine a 50 miles shore along some 15 small holiday towns and one of the country's 5 biggest cities, having an ancient port greeks wrote about, without any chandlery store. All that being in Europe. Sounds like a sailor's nightmare? Well, that's what I'll have to live with!

Not willing to pull my boat ashore and wait for parts from UK, all I'm thinking is what is more probably to break? I can't buy 2 boats and keep one as a spare on the shore. So my question for anyone willing to write down a piece of advice is: what parts you think to be I couldn't live without a spare?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts except those telling me to quit. I won't!

Regards and fair winds,
Catalin

Hi... Congratulations on the boat.. and I'm sure you'll have a ball in what sounds near virgin waters for leisure cruising..
Service kit for the sea toilet if it has one..
Spares for the outboard maybe.. prop, filters etc
A good all purpose anchor..
Get LED lights nav & domestic with spare bulbs whatever..
Sails..?
Spare pin for the lift keel..
Spare rudder brackets..?
I don't know what rigging facilities are like so maybe some spare bottle screws for the rigging... galvanized are fine.. SS are prettier..
Boats this size I do my own rigging.. no fancy swage's, just old fashioned eyes
Spare blocks and shackles
200 metre roll of your most used size in sheets.. same with running rigging..
You picked a nice little boat mate.. nippy and a great creek crawler... Enjoy
For those unfamiliar they look like this...

[catakate]

Hi and thanks boatman61!
Although I'm an IT professional, I did some research on boat designs and think I had the luck to find one good compromise. Will have to wait to prove me right, though
So I think it's time to put together a check list!

1. Toilet. Was out but one will be fitted prior to pick-up, sea cocks still in place, so should be as new. I can make a gasket from cardboard and grease if no spares are available, the rubber ones are a concern.

2. Engine. I would consider a spare outboard hanging on the push pit. I'm a computer guy, I need to know I have a back-up. But then, where is the joy of sailing?

3. Anchor. One anchor will come with the boat, I need a back-up again, what size should fit best?

4. Lights. I like China the best as a cheap supplier, got a list on e-bay with LED bulbs and all.

5. Sails. My greatest concern. I grew up by the sea, we had a house there in the family. And I was taught why is called Black. A storm can come in 10 minutes out of nowhere and everything is pitch black! Half an hour and the sun shines again, but the stories tell about many wrecks. No luck finding the sails dimensions online, asked the seller and waiting for an answer. Can buy bigger ones and have them cut to fit here. Head sail is furling, would love to have at least two reefs on the main. Sail repair kit! Oh my, I would love a spinnaker...

6. Keel pin and winch. Double check!

7. Rudder brackets. Need to have have them made here from SS.

8. Rigging. Facilities here are none but I know what means to tie a wire across two buildings or a street, can do that myself. bottle screws!!! Wire and rope are available locally.

9. Blocks and shackles.

10. Come, you are next!

[catakate]

After waiting patiently for almost two weeks to extend my list, I must say sailors are very practical. With so many parts that are prone to failure in a car, it's a wonder why people don't sail on the roads!

Still open to any late thoughts

[boatman61]

The gaskets are the least of your worries.. its the rubber bits inside.. I'm a basic sailor.. any fancy bits I'll leave to other folk

[catakate]

Wright, how silly of me, the newcomer on the list is... THE BUCKET!

[messias]

Hi Katake,

I got very interested in your "adventure" of buying abroad. For me, beeing in central europe, in a country with no sea and even less sailing history, puts me in a tight spot also when it comes to "choice", so I want to know more on that venture of yours.
First of all... how will you get the boat out of the UK and across the channel?
And then the costs of such an enterprise...

tell me, tell me...

Ahoj,
Messias.

[catakate]

Hi Messias,

You might not have a sea but you have Prague and the beer

The transport is still a risky business. A trailer for a boat this size was way over my budget so I went the cheaper way. I bought a caravan chassis from Germany, and will convert it into a boat trailer in UK. Lucky me there is a store selling all the required bits close to my boat. More lucky, trailers in UK don't carry own registration, all you have to do is ask for temporary number plates when you touch continental ground.

A friend is providing the car and his professional driving license for this weight, I'm not allowed to tow this much in Romania, not sure if it's the same all across EU. At first I was planning to rent a platform trailer and put both the boat and the boat trailer on the platform but we decided it was not worth the expense. The German seller assured me he changed the bearings on the chassis two years ago and I can fix the brakes on the side of the road. This way I will be allowed to drive on the way to the boat and we will not be forced to drive in a 8/24 fashion like professional transport.

Crossing the channel is cheaper by ferry, even cheaper if you buy two way in advance, but you should make sure you don't get there too late. I expect the trip to cost anywhere near 1.5 - 2.0 k Euros.

Some say I should start putting together a book with this adventure but that will have to wait, I have plenty others paper-worthy before this

Cheers,
Catalin

[messias]

Wow...
Now that seems a quite detailed plan I´ll be looking forward in hearing from "part-2"

Like boatman61 said, be VERY carefull with everything in the trailer. When I lived in Portugal I´ve almost had a very serious accident with my 5mt inflatable (RIB) due to an overlooked trailer... and it was only pulling 400kg.
If you´re in doubt about some part, better replace it for brand new right on the spot, and don´t take the word of the seller on something you cannot check for yourself. It´s a lot of miles from there to your home...

Originally Posted by catakate

Some say I should start putting together a book with this adventure but that will have to wait, I have plenty others paper-worthy before this

I would go for that also!
It only takes a few notes or some moments of film that you can edit later on.
I´m sure it would make a great and inspiring story.

[catakate]

The "good" part of living behind the communist wall, where you were paying for your car and receive it 4 (four) years later, the only car being the Dacia former known as Renault 12, having no road rescue and repair shops so far apart they were useless in any trip, was that many of us are capable to repair almost anything on the road.

A "soon to fail" bearing is no real issue for one trip if you take good care to not let it overheat and at least give him some quality grease. This can make your trip take much longer but safety always comes first! I agree a broken bearing is a no-no, I've seen what a jammed bearing can do on a car and on a trailer. My trailer will be completely overhauled and greatest preventative measures will be taken.

[messias]

Catakate... I hate you!

You´ve already made me go over some British websites and doing some "basic-home-math" all over again...
You´re very right that the daysailer prices beeing more affordable there, than somewhere much closer..

[catakate]

Originally Posted by messias

Catakate... I hate you!

You're welcome!