New to the Board, Never Been in a Boat in my Life, Want to Sail the World

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by 858673

David_Old_Jersey - I imagine that a lot of people wash up here bright eyed and bushy tailed as you've intimated. If this is such a regular occurrence why have none of you salty seadogs created a FAQ with the basics of this here game that you are all so familiar with instead of allowing the same threads to play out again and again?

a) no one can be bothered and b) everyone's circumstances are different and c) their is only very rarely a single "right" answer. and d) some folks like answering this question.

Really, it's about helping folk find their own answers. and to do that they first have to find their own questions.

As I know nothing about sailing I (erroneously) assumed that hugging the coast would be a safe option, if it is not then what is the best method for a novice sailor?

hugging the coast is neither safe nor unsafe. starting as a novice my advice is...........don't stray too far from your home port. and no real need to. 2 miles out or 200 - yer usually can't stand up on the seabottom. nor swim ashore. Inshore have a few more things to bump into. like continents. but these also have pubs


Ref my boat suggestions - I don't expect you to follow them . But part of your learning curve will involve developing an understanding why I suggested them as suitable for the voyage intended. But not to say their aren't better boats nor more suitable ones for you.

ZX9R? Bit of a lorry

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

... Really, it's about helping folk find their own answers. and to do that they first have to find their own questions ...

Indeed! Properly defining the question may be the hardest task.

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by 858673

I imagine that a lot of people wash up here bright eyed and bushy tailed as you've intimated. If this is such a regular occurrence why have none of you salty seadogs created a FAQ with the basics of this here game that you are all so familiar with instead of allowing the same threads to play out again and again?

We have something even better than a FAQ--a customized Cruisers Forum Google search engine. Just click on the link in my signature line, and you can plug in keywords to your heart's content. There's a ton of info in the archives here. Get crackin'!

[JustThinking]

Originally Posted by 858673

I hope you note mine when I say that some dreamers live their dreams whilst the common folk just live nightmares.

......it boiling down to: "It all happens whilst we are sleeping".... which, looking at what happens with and on this world without the majority of us massively objecting could be SO true.

By and large I would think that this thread may be the best I have read in this (excellent!) forum so far. Thanks to all who have contributed!

(and I should have uploaded my Avatar after I have made it from my favorite sculpture - hence my nick - or at least that's part of the reason)

My own 2 cents of advice: Other than, already mentioned sea-sickness (which I am soooooo lucky I really dont know anything about!) - but it must be bad, I had passengers who actually wanted to jump over board to "make it stop".... I would also join into the chorus recommending: GO FOR IT" (in a variation of the "Run Forrest, run!")

Another piece of my advice: Don't share your dreams with the other rodents in the treadmill! All they will have to say is that you are insane. And maybe you are, but on the other hand that might qualify you for rediscovering to be first and most of all a human being.
......and once you have faced the roar of the seas, you'll be a "humble human being" on top of that :-)

[barnakiel]

Nay. It is for everybody to try out.

What is the problem with giving it up and going on to the next best thing, should one find they do not like sailing/cruising?

People take up geography and switch to marketing then to politics. And nobody splits hairs. That's why this world is such a big mess.

So I say try it out and if that's not what you want, move on.

;-)))
b.

[JustThinking]

P.S.: @ "8":
If you ever write a book, pls advertise it here! I'd love to read more!
........so damn few good minds left on this earth .........

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by 858673

Therapy - Are you in the therapy trade of did you randomly pick that moniker? As for the boat recommendation, if I was to go that hardcore I might as well grab a paddle and a barrel and see where I can get Need a bit more comfort than that as I've grown accustomed to luxury in this land of milk and honey...


...

Not in the trade, but in medicine. Not picked randomly either.

I don't know how much comfort you think you need but your budget does not seem to include a lot there.

That boat was not picked at random either. It was my second sail boat and it is quite a good boat. Quite a bit better than the Snark.

[David_Old_Jersey]

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ice-20095.html

Ronnie Simpson was one of OP's predeccesors ("I have an idea........"). and one of the more interesting alumuni of CF.com

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I can tell you have never learned Australian. The translation of the line above would have you smacked by an Aussie Mod!

Bad boy!

Maybe so, but his suggestion to ask about Ferrocement monohulls in the cat forum is inspired. Nearly PMSL......

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by Bash

....snip...
4. While sea time is desirable, you can substitute time spent surfing the internet, especially if you're a registered user on Cruisers' Forum......

Works for me and your other tips will save me thousands!

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by 858673

David_Old_Jersey - I imagine that a lot of people wash up here bright eyed and bushy tailed as you've intimated. If this is such a regular occurrence why have none of you salty seadogs created a FAQ with the basics of this here game that you are all so familiar with instead of allowing the same threads to play out again and again?

Getting the salty dogs to agree on the basics is impossible. Getting them to agree on the complex? Never mind...

The Google search that Hud recommended allows hours and hours of reading to get yourself into the context of this place.

Joining in on topics allows you to become part of the fabric for the next person.

It seems every repeated thread has enough of a twist to create new dialog. It's the way this place works!

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

It seems every repeated thread has enough of a twist to create new dialog. It's the way this place works!

Yep.

And well too!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by 858673

David_Old_Jersey - I imagine that a lot of people wash up here bright eyed and bushy tailed as you've intimated. If this is such a regular occurrence why have none of you salty seadogs created a FAQ with the basics of this here game that you are all so familiar with instead of allowing the same threads to play out again and again?

...

Yes, as noted theres vast reems of exactly similar threads. It amazes me you get so many replies.... or any replies at all. Theres some very nice, accomodating folks here.




Mark <--- But I'm not one!

[Boracay]

For mine it's part of being friendly when a new member rocks up with a question. Those of us who've been here for a while know the current politically correct line...

Being told to search and read umpteen thousand posts before asking anything is not a warm welcome.

[rgscpat]

What maybe could be done is an FAQ which guides the would be sailors to provide some information and things to think about that could help guide the responses to their questions.

Something like...

Sailing can be many different experiences. You have a choice of a huge variety of boats, destinations, people to meet, styles of sailing, and skills to learn.

To answer your questions about sailing better, it would help if we know a little bit more about your background and interest in sailing. Please complete at least a few of the following statements:

Experience
My experience with sailing, boats, and water is ____________________
________________________ _________________________________ _____

I want to go sailing to ___ get away from it all, ___ for thrills and excitement, ____ to be part of a team, ____ to experience different cultures, ___ to win races, ___ to be close to nature, ___ to learn a new skill, ___ to escape the rat race, ___ to live cheaper, or __________________________

Boats
I think I would be more comfortable in a ___ small dinghy, ___ athletic high-performance dinghy or ___ catamaran, ____ small trailerable cruiser, ___ racing boat, ___ traditional looking old time cruising boat, ___ live aboard cruising boat, ___ luxury ocean liner, or _______________________

People
I want to ____ be more or less a hermit and get away from people / crowds / government / cities, ___ explore different cultures, ___ be part of a winning team, ___ sail alone but in company with others, ___ sail with my friend(s)/spouse/family/youth, ___ be part of a casual group of sailors, ___ be part of an organized club, ___ sail into the sunset with a special someone, ___ find a sailing partner

Budget
My budget in dollars is ___ hundreds, ___ thousands, ___ tens of "boat dollars", ___ hundreds of thousands, ____ millions,

Risk
I prefer to ______ start slowly, be very careful, and minimize any risk of damage to me, my crew, or boat, ________ don't mind having a few thrills and leaving some bruises, cuts and scrapes, and boat dings behind, or _________

I am more worried about
____ pirates or ____ tax collectors
____ hurricanes or ____ doldrums
____ contaminated diesel or ____ poorly coordinated window accents


I want to go sailing because
__ the ocean is in my blood and I will die if I don't get back out on the water,
__ it sounds kind of romantic
__ I want people to follow my blog, FaceBook page, journal, articles, discussion groups and support my voyage, boost the ratings of my media empire, buy my daddy's merchandise, and make me a famous sailor
__ it might be our last chance to patch up our relationship
__ I want to become a better sailor
__ I want to work in a marine business
__ sailing is my life
______________________________

___ It is important to have everything on my boat in tip-top order or
___ I can make do with stuff that breaks

When something breaks,
__ nothing is allowed to break in my life
__ I call in the experts and expect them to do it right the first time
__ I ignore whatever is broken
__ I maintain things so thoroughly that things almost never break
__ I use baling wire, duct tape, odds and ends to jury rig a fix
__ I have fun seeing whether I can fix something by myself and keep plugging away until I get it more or less right
__ I look at books and ask friends to help me with things I don't know how to fix, or
__ _____________________ _____________________

My level of comfort is ____ primitive camping and third-world accommodations are A-OK with me for life or
____ Most 5-star luxury hotels and resorts are still lacking important comforts and need improvement in their service standards or
__ I can settle for maybe half of the comforts of home and know that I can make some compromises, or
__ I think sailboat cruising is supposed to be brutal and primitive, or
__________________________

My health status is ______________

My tolerance for people who disagree with me or have different values is ______________

My ability to take criticism is ____________

___ I ___ adore ___ like ___ don't mind ___ dislike ___ abominate people paying attention to me and following my adventures.

My feelings about people who don't speak my language are ________-