New to Circumnavigation

[Justakid137]

Hi,

I am in the very early stages of planning a circumnavigation. We have come up with several questions after talking to a few people who are familiar with cruising.

The Idea started as a crazy idea to see the world. My 2 friends and I didnt just want to see the world we wanted it to be an adventure...what better than sailing. Keep in mind we have very little experience with sailing so far, especially blue water sailing. At any rate while brainstorming we decided we'd like to try and make it on a 35' to 40' boat. We also decided it would be nice to make it 100% of the way on sail power...no motor cruising. Another aspect we are looking at is mostly coastal sailing...up thru Alaska....to japan....to china....to australia....to africa....thru the red sea...across the atlantic and down to south america. We have also considered working along the way...just small jobs to make enough money to buy food...to add to the adventure. The plan so far is to film the trip so we can make a documentary when we return from the trip.

Some things we have been told and would like more feedback on are: The size of boat....I am interested in keeping it under 40' mainly because of the added cost of a larger boat...we have been told that it woud be best to go with a larger boat. So my question would be is it relatively safe to do a trip like this on a boat under 40'? Also with 3 and possibly 4 people would say a 36-40' boat be enough room? Is It possible to make the whole trip without starting the engine? Of course the engine would still be there for emergencies...but all the same. Any information on the best route for this kind of world trip would be great as well.

Look forward to hearing from anyone who has useful information. And thank you for your input in advance.

[Intentional Drifter]

Hi, Justakid, and welcome to the forum.

I love these kinds of crazy ideas -- most of us around suffer from them, so you're in good company.

I'll give you my two cents, keeping in mind that it may only be worth what you've paid for it:

Working around the world: Will vary a great deal from country to country. Some places you definitely don't want to get caught breaking their labor laws, you'll be in for a long stay, but not in their best hotels. Others don't seem to care. Bartering in the cruiser community is very common, but you need a skill with which to barter (diesel mechanic, heating/air conditioning/refrigeration, computers, electrician, etc.).

Going around without turning on an engine: Not likely. Sure the old square riggers did it, but you'll quickly find many instances of not enough wind, or wind coming from where you want to go. Not to mention simple manuevering and docking. Although they are called "auxiliaries", they are pretty much essential.

I suggest you start with a good book or two. Hal Roth's book on sailing around the world is quite good. There are others, too. Don't take any of them as necessarily "gospel", but rather as that person's advice and experience.

Cornell's World Cruising Routes is an excellent resource for planning.

Hope this gets you going.

ID

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Justa,
Welcome aboard!! You don't need a boat more than 36 feet length on deck and your costs go up considerably for boats longer than that.
You have a lot to learn so start reading. Political situations and weather changes constantly so your experience will not be the same as others. That's what is so good about sailing. Start sailing and crewing now and learning the right way with "Start Sailing Right."
Get a boat with a reliable small diesel engine and learn everything you need to know to repair and maintain it. You'll need it.
Ask lots of questions and don't be discouraged if you hear things that are contrary to what you want to do. Remember, lots of the advice you hear is from people who have actually done it, not just talked about it.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Intentional Drifter

... Going around without turning on an engine: Not likely. Sure the old square riggers did it, but you'll quickly find many instances of not enough wind, or wind coming from where you want to go. Not to mention simple manuevering and docking. Although they are called "auxiliaries", they are pretty much essential ...ID

Remember, the old timers did it "engineless" because they had to. We don't, and, given a choice, they likely wouldn’t have.

Of course, like others (Lin & Larry Pardey aboard "Taleisin", the 29-foot engineless wooden cruiser they built themselves, and sailed over 67,000 miles < Sailing with Lin & Larry Pardey >), you may choose to embrace & accept the considerable challenges of sailing engineless.

Lin & Larry