Hello From Florida

[Nasty]

new guy on the beach here! Hoping to use this and other forums to help me in my search for a nice affordable Trimaran in the 30ft or larger range. Me? Disabled Vet US Coast Guard with over 20 years of sailing in the Carib, Celesitial Nav as well as shiphandling under my belt. Sailed in the Ches Bay also on a few monos and more than a few mono hulls that were alittle lost in the windward and out of thier element!! ie the ICW!!! Lots of stories there, as well as my screen name!! Anyways, my goal is to cast off in two years or less and run the islands for a few years.

[Ocean Girl]

Thanks for your service, welcome to the forum.
Erika

[Islandmike]

Welcome aboard.... would love to hear some of the stories. Thank you very much for your service to our Country.

[SurferShane]

Sounds like great fun. As a kid I did a season surfing up the north coast of Australia with this American fisherman from Florida who was working in the Virgin Islands. His life at sea sounded like a dream. Hope you have fun cruising down there!

[Nasty]

Thanks to all! I got my "nickname" actually it is "Big Nasty"! Cuz on boarding teams with the CG I was called on to ""motivate" Drug smugglers we captured to comply with us. In that I mean when they got a little cocky.............I would gently whisper my intentions if they didnt, and being a sailor over 6ft and 240lbs well the choice of "enhancers" i would use in my motivational speech, they usally complied. If not, it was rackin a round in the shotgun or throwin them on the deck and handcuffs if it got physical, which was rare back then. I most enjoyed the search and rescue in the Carib, we did save alot of lives and it always amazed me how alot of "dreamers" would sail some of the most F@Z#$ up POS out to sea that anyone in thier right mind wouldnt step on it moored at the dock!!

I will right a sea story here if anyone is interested later!! Again thanks for the welcome aboard.

[Islandmike]

Would love to hear your stories, write away...

[SurferShane]

There must be something in those miliary psychological tests that weeds out decent and respectable individuals with that “I want too kill” factor. My ex-navy officer mate is now an officer in the army reserve. Regardless, at around 2/3 rd your size, I still don’t think any of his new subordinates are about to start making navy jokes. Now that he is out and works professionally he has also had a bit of a run with bikies treating him like a yuppie, which seems to have ended badly for the bikies. Maybe I should call him "little nasty"?

Please don’t think I am taking the piss out of you; I don’t like talking about other people, however I really appreciate my mate’s straightforward and assertive nature. He has also done some advanced navigation that is going to be interesting to pick his brain about. Then he has some great tales.

[Nasty]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

There must be something in those miliary psychological tests that weeds out decent and respectable individuals with that “I want too kill” factor. My ex-navy officer mate is now an officer in the army reserve. Regardless, at around 2/3 rd your size, I still don’t think any of his new subordinates are about to start making navy jokes. Now that he is out and works professionally he has also had a bit of a run with bikies treating him like a yuppie, which seems to have ended badly for the bikies. Maybe I should call him "little nasty"?

Please don’t think I am taking the piss out of you; I don’t like talking about other people, however I really appreciate my mate’s straightforward and assertive nature. He has also done some advanced navigation that is going to be interesting to pick his brain about. Then he has some great tales.

Kinda ironic you mentioned "bikies" as I rode with 1% (outlaw clubs) back in the mid 70s. I always had (and still do) a very individualistic wild side that chafed at any authority types since I was a kid. My dad was a Marine in WII and a one tuff SOB and hard on all of us 7 kids. But growin up on the edge of the Everglades I was always exploring and just GONE!! Plus I had a boat before I ever owned a bicycle thanks to dad.! I loved the travel and adventure in the service and of goin where I never been. I am still amazed I made Chief and still raised so much hell on da beach! But it is alot different now in the service! I am in the process of aquiring my masters degree in history and love celestial nav and the old ways of knowin where the hell you are. It is fascinating to me to "relearn" what the old masters of sail, wind current and sea knew that in essence is lost to the ages for most. Thats a big passion for me!!
I am spewing now!! LOL Will tell a sea story on my next visit. How about a Hurricane and locating a 30ft SV in some serious S#@*!!

[Ocean Girl]

Can't wait! Thanks for all you have done for this country and us boaters.
Erika

[SurferShane]

@ Nasty,

I don’t think it is so much that my mate has a problem with bikers than he just as we politely say down here, won't “take crap”. Being a biker is like any lifestyle; you get those who are in it for the love of it, then there are the pretenders. My mate has also now taken up hang gliding as a positive way of satisfying his taste for danger (wonder he didn't go buy a dirt bike?).

Funny you mention the old explorers; I dig reading about adventurers like Shackleton and Bligh. Last week I bought a book on sale called “Pioneers of the Pacific”. It is a bit glossy, but the real aim was to remind me of the incredible seamanship of some of these early explorers.

In the words of Dave Graney “I dig the pioneers”!

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and Welcome aboard!
Thanks for your service and isn't being retired great?
regards

[Nasty]

I again appreciate all the good vibes shown here!! Soooooooooo, Here is one of my sea tales.
It was 1998 September, Hurricane George was running its course up through the Islands and my cutter was lying off the Lee of the Southern Claw of Haiti far enuff to not get beat to death and yet close enuff to repsond to any emergency in the area. Well we did get the call around 1600 (4pm) of a demasted 30 S/V with 2 pob just south of Great Inagua, and of course adrift in the Hurricane!! No other info except it was white with a Blue stripe!! (all S/V are described just like this it seems)
It took us more than 12 hours to get up into that area, taking seas over the flying bridge (over 70ft above the water line) turning for 12knots making 4 to 6 kts maybe. The ship would fall in a trough, like a a huge hole in the sea, burying the bow, and the crest would batter the bridge windows. The ship would vibrate and bend as shook off the tons of seawater and just kept on comin.
I took the 4-8 watch as Deck Watch officer, as the sun came up (or tried too) the look out spotted something off to the port bow on the horizon. Now the sea is white with foam, Spray is everywhere as well as the huge seas were confused in the Windward. As we turned to port, we added more eyes, and finally what appeared on the crest of a wave was a STICK! It would come and go as it rode the crest of the huge seas and then disappear in the troughs! This stick (it was so hard to see) was what was left of the mast of the S/V! We manuvered slowly (over two hours) to finally confirm it was the boat. We sounded the ships whistle and a head poked out of the cabin door. With a thumbs up we knew they were at least alive. We could not board them or send a line over due to the conditions, So with signals we were able to keep up above them to provide a small Lee. This was very difficult due to our ships sail area, we were constantly manuvering so as to not run them down. After many many hours the Hurricane cleared out the area enuff to where we could get a line to them and tow them to Matthew Town in Great Inagua. Seems they were new adventures, on a lark, got the boat a few months prior and well "took the chance". The got away with thier lives,a wrecked boat and a hell of a story to tell. They did sustain some injuries as well being thrown around in the cabin. Nothing serious. The wife stated she would never set foot on a boat again, at least not with her husband. LOL