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

[858673]

Greetings folks and folkeses,
You may know me by the titular 858673, my friends call me eight.

Over the past few years I've been struck more and more about the drudgery of the modern world with its rodentine labyrinthistic structure that forces us all (well, most of us) to scrape the millage as our 'superiors' rape and pillage (our collective wills that is, the physical form is frowned upon these days so they engage in that in private and under the guise of "war") in order to get through a working week which always leaves me in a weak daze.

The week ends, the "fun" begins and I kill my soul with a drink called spirits, this is the life eh? I just don't want to hear it.

But this morning was different.

This morning I hatched a plan.

A plan to escape.

A plan to be a free man.

Open seas are the way for me. A life of splendor instead of monochromatic 48 hour benders.

A boat.

A boat.

A boat is what I need to set sail from the UK and onto the open seas.

First I'd like to stop by the Netherlands and from there check Belgium, France and Spain. A brief stop over in Morocco then its off to the South East of Spain.

After drinking in the culture (or maybe just the Sangria) I'll be back on the seas to check the South of France and peruse those I tal ee's. Macedonia, Turkey and Syria shall sail by then I'll stop by the Pyramids to say hi.

Through the canal of Zeus I'll pass Arabia and Iran, a quick curry in India then onto Japan with all the places in between which are still to be seen.

The rest of the world I haven't considered, for starters I'd like to ask a few questions:

I've never even been on a boat in my life but it feels like a good idea. I have a budget of around £20k with which to learn what I need to sail, buy a boat and get this show on the road. How does this seem to you good folk?

My opinion is this sailing lark can't be that hard if I hug the coasts, treat my GPS like a lovers caress and take a few courses before my feet hit the deck.

What do y'all think? Am I as mad as I seem or is this just an ocean dream?

Please help me escape, my soul is in your hands, I can't pay any more taxes and be stepped on by "the man". I promise to be diligent and to your replies pay heed. Tell me what you think? Is it an ocean life for me?

[DannySt]

Med.

Your budget is a bit scarce... I would go for joining some boats as deckhand, that way you can learn a bit about sailing, make some money along the way, and see if the boat thing is for you. then, if it all works out, get your own boat when you are much more educated.
But that is just my 2 cents. you can do it and have the time of your life, no one can tell what suites another man.

And with tghat...

YouTube - Randy Newman - Sail Away

[barnakiel]

You can start a writing business. It will fund your sailing trips.

Meanwhile, you can join the seascouts or a sailing club and learn the ropes. If you are in the money already you can go for a learn sailing vacation (e.g. ClubMed, Matinique). Then you could learn the basics but also see how the cruising boats and cruising people are (it is only a short swim from ClubMed to St. Anne anchorage).

b.

[First Mate]

Sir,

you are indeed certifiably insane. That is actually what is required of a person to accomplish what you are considering.

Welcome to club. Come on in, the water is fine.

Your monetary fund will require you to be very ingenious. But it will give you something to do.

Google "Fatty Goodlander" and check out his life style. He seems to get around the world with his wife and a blue water cruiser with only his wit, a package of chewing gum and a lot of guts. He's set the gold standard for cruising without gobs of money.

[maytrix]

Before you go any further - get out on a boat and make sure you like it - in fact, spend a few nights on one. If you feel the same way, proceed ahead full..

[wozzer]

A good way to experience living on a sail boat would be go on a flotilla holiday for a week or two.
some company's do boat share if you don't have any one to hire a boat with and you will learn if actually like being out at sea on a fairly small boat and learn a few basic skills.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, 8.

Originally Posted by barnakiel

You can start a writing business ...

You certainly seem to have a knack for coining new words.

[CarlF]

Before getting more emotionally committed (if that's possible), you must check for your tendency towards seasickness.

If you are among an unfortunate few, your seasickness will be so severe, unmanageable, and unremitting that it is simply unsafe. You can be unable to operate the boat or could even die of dehydration during your voyage.

The best description of seasickness is that it has two stages. In stage 1 you are afraid you will die. When you have advanced to stage 2 you will then be afraid that you will NOT die.

Only a few have never experienced sea sickness. Most of the rest of us have "manageable" sea sickness such that the nausea that sometimes accompanies the start of an offshore trip can be treated by a variety of tricks, good living, and maybe an occasional pill. These tend to be different for each person. When it does hit, the seasickness also reliably departs within 2-3 days.

And all may not lost if you find that a bucket is a key part of your voyaging kit. Evidently, Darwin was severely seasick whenever the Beagle was at sea. Fortunately, he had both a captain and crew to get him to distant shores and an understandable interest in walking about on firm land in the Galapagos. But for seasickness, another name might be associated with "evolution".

The only way to find out is to take some boat trips in open ocean. You could start with a four hour ferry ride in a nasty piece of water -- of which you have some excellent examples close at hand. (no catamaran ferries allowed. The smaller and narrower the ferry the better).

Carl

[858673]

DannySt - I could get to around £35k if I was to go full out balls to the wall.

barnakiel - Thank you, I intend to write about my experiences as I go. Fiscally I have no fears for I could make what I need wherever I land in order to survive. The main concerns at the minute are getting out to sea and getting back without swimming with the fishes or meeting Luca Brasi.

First Mate - Cheers for that link, the rotund sailor was just what I was looking for.

maytrix - I intend to do so as soon as possible. A friend of mine recently accquired an old yacht for a song (no really, he won a kareoke competition) and that piqued my interest.

wozzer - That is a cracking idea and something I intend to get on ASAP in order to get a taste for what I wish to let myself in for.

GordMay - Me and Shakespeare are both fond of neologisms, commonly known as newly coined words or just made up stuff that feels right

CarlF - Indeed, no point riding a seahorse if I don't have sealegs.

After marinating on this idea all day long I have decided that I'm going to do it.

It will probably take me a year or so in prep and seamanship etc... in order to be safe to be let loose on the high seas but I'm considering a boat with a motor instead of a sailboat so at least I can go somewhere under my own steam and speed and not worry about being knocked out by the bit that holds the sail in place when the wind changes

[MarkJ]

Ain't life grand.

Of course you can do it.


But will you?

Its not in our hands, its in yours.




Mark

[sailorboy1]

Just start working toward it in little steps (take a lesson, go down to the marina and look for a chance to crew etc.). I started much the same a few years ago with "The Dream" and I also had never even been on a sailboat (I just jumped in with lessons on a 36 footer). I found this site during my research, but never had the courage to ask your question.

[Ocean Girl]

You can do what I did, just get in your car and drive to the nearest ocean and don't look back.
Of course I had few ties, was 19, crazy and very misinformed. It was the perfect combination of stupidity and determination that paved the way for my dream life. 20,000 plus ocean miles later and the ocean is still my big love and refuge.
So either jump in and go or take baby steps slow and sure, but however you do it. DO IT!
Godspeed to your dreams 8.
Erika

[ShipShape]

Greetings 8,

The first thing you will learn about boats is that making plans is futile. Boats are kinda like electrons - you can (try to) estimate when or where, but never both.

Absolutely do not wait a year - start looking at boats now - it is the best way to learn. If you are one of the lucky few that the boat picks you, you'll know it instantly and everything will come together all by itself.

Excellent avatar, by the way.

[maytrix]

Originally Posted by ShipShape

Absolutely do not wait a year - start looking at boats now - it is the best way to learn. If you are one of the lucky few that the boat picks you, you'll know it instantly and everything will come together all by itself.

I agree on the start looking now. You never know when you might come across a great deal.

My wife and I are anywhere from a couple of years to 5 or 6 years away from getting a boat. If it's the latter, we'll be getting ownership in one of the charter companies, but I'm hoping it's closer to a couple and have been constantly looking at boats. If for no other reason to get a good idea of what my bare minimum requirements are, what makes I like, layouts and a rough idea of pricing.

What's been really surprising is that I've seen similiar boats that vary by over $50 or more in price. The year of them differs a bit, but the overall equipment list is quite similiar and the older boats seem to have a lot more having been done to them recently.

[858673]

MarkJ - My life is in my hands but the experience is within your minds and I thank you all for sharing after all a wise man learns by the mistakes of others, a fool by his own.

Don Lucas - Indeed, as soon as I've extricated myself from the bonds of my current role then I'll start my experience with a ferry trip and then build up to a flotilla holiday or...

Ocean Girl - ...I might just go buckwild crazy one day and scoop up the first boat that feels right and hit the waves flowing without a care of where I'm going after all...

ShipShape - ...Life is quantum, measuring it makes it what you want from em. Best just to enjoy it as time is what passes by when you're busy making other plans.

maytrix - I'm lucky enough to live not far from a marina. One of those wood and trees situations, even though they've been right in front of me for a few years I've never bothered to board a boat until I was gripped by this mad desire.


I've looked around at some of the costs in the forum, 2K a month is eektastic but then if I added up all of "on land" bills per month they probably wouldn't be that far off there anyway.

What kind of boat would y'all recommend to a beginner in the game? Originally I was leaning toward something with power but after a bit of thought life on the ocean wave shouldn't be something that rushed through night and day when you can just glide and watch the world go by.