Yet Another Wannabe

[Therapy]

Hello,

By the mid 80’s I had sailed a bit and got the bug and bought an 18’ Westerly that was a wonderful little boat. Once I sailed it for a week (cruising I thought) the Tampa Bay area down to Sarasota and back with a friend. I took a sailing course on a 41 Morgan. I sailed a 32 Cheoy Lee in exchange for maintenance. I did crew work on a 95’ “yacht”. Just a little here and there over the years.

I wanted to cruise. I read many books and magazines and a lot of Dutton’s, Slocum, “Heavy Weather Sailing” etc. I never pursued it. Couldn’t afford it.

I said “I DO” and most of the sailing/cruising dreams started to fade away over time with the “American Dream”…….house, kids, school, sports, Boy Scouts, work, on-call, etc etc being the replacement.

My last child is almost 18 and will start his senior year in high school this August and I now have the cruising “fever” again. It is really bad. OMG is it bad!

I have been lurking the internet for a while and have done what I did in the 80s. I pretty much know which (I think) boat I want. I also think I know much of the outfitting I want too. In the 80s it was a Lock Crowther (sp?) 41 cat. He was 6’4’ too and made the berths to match. I wanted that………oh yea! I even visited one being built not far from me one weekend!! OOHHHHHH!!!!! At least I know I want a cat. Now, exactly which one………Hmm…
I have found I cannot ask because it is such a personal choice. All are the best. None are really that good. So I will be at the next Miami show and look at them all side by side.

I have read most boards and many, many threads recently and am relearning that it is much like having children. One can never afford them, yet one does. With children it is a natural sense of necessity. With a boat for cruising it is a sense of need. Some say a want but I know the vast difference between needs and wants. I do not know exactly how I will do it but I may actually try this time. I feel I need to. Not exactly sure what I need to prove but I feel the need (a raging fever), again.

I have read with particular interest the threads on cost………..that is not true. I have read almost all of them with particular interest. There is still no answer for all the questions. Particularly on cost – recently insurance, both healthcare and boat, have gone up “a bit” – what to do – Medicaid??? Which wind generator? The one that uses very common diodes? Which solar panels. Which controller. AUGHH!!!!!

I even read the one (somewhere recently) where there is a great jumping off point (for the Pacific) in Mexico I think and that the hard is full of lots of boats for sale because “they or she decided it was not for them.”

So here I am, late in life for a beginning cruiser with bad knees, a moderately tender back and a fear that I will die before doing one of the few things I always wanted to do in life before I die. Cruise the Caribbean and beyond.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Therapy

So here I am, late in life for a beginning cruiser with bad knees, a moderately tender back and a fear that I will die before doing one of the few things I always wanted to do in life before I die. Cruise the Caribbean and beyond.

Welcome to the forum and greetings fom Singapore!

I hope you find that perfect cat.

You raise an interesting topic about fitness. Sailing exercises muscles you didn't know you had. Just standing at the helm balancing fires up leg, back and core muscles. My wife laughs at me when I say I am tired after a day of sailing and attributes it to sun and beer at the dock.

Sailing is changing me. I have lost 10 pounds and am shooting for 15-20 more. I eat less when I am on the boat as I am always busy climbing up and down the cabin and foredeck. Nothing major in diet just more active.

I also notice that in general sailors tend to be leaner, could be all that rope pulling.

Next on the list is to quit the dreaded coffin nails. That's another thing that you tend not to do under sail is smoke.

Now if I could convince my wife that a bigger boat would be a bigger fitness challenge and turn me into Brad Pitt...

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Therapy,
Welcome aboard!! Good to have you here. Hope you can rejoin your youth. I too was a cruising liveaboard in the 80s and want to do it again. I have my boat, just need to get it back in the water and sailing again.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[maxingout]

Even if you live in the Youth of Old Age, you still have a chance to live your dreams. But you need to take a few things into consideration.

First, a smaller boat is probably better than a bigger boat as you get older. You don't need tons of space when you are cruising the world. What you need is a boat that is small enough that you can sail single handed. You need to be able to raise, lower, and reef the sails by yourself. You need to set up your ground tackle so that you can anchor by yourself as well.

Second, your boat should be smaller because it will be more affordable. I'm not talking about the purchase price. I'm talking about the cost of running it and maintaining it during your trip. Baby boomers are making a shocking discovery that no matter how much money they saved up, one serious illness can wipe them out if they aren't eligible for medicare to pay health care expenses. Plenty of baby boomers will work until the day they die because they can't afford to stop working because they will lose their health insurance.

Your boat should be simpler without a lot of complicated systems that are expensive to purchase and maintain because they can be a big drain on your cash flow.

Finally, you don't know what your health will be in the future, and so if you feel good now, you should go while you still feel good.

I did my circumnavigation in a 39 foot catamaran, and if I go around the world a second time, I will use my faithful proven Privilege 39. I don't want a larger catamaran because it will be too difficult and expensive to sail and maintain.

The Youth of Old Age can be the best time of your life if you still have your health, a small yacht, and the money to make the dream happen. Go for it.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by maxingout

The Youth of Old Age can be the best time of your life if you still have your health, a small yacht, and the money to make the dream happen. Go for it.

1 out of 3 so far.

I am heeding all advice (well.....most).

38-42ft is my target.

Manta, Lagoon, Seawind who knows??

Miami show here I come!!

[Triton318]

When I was 10, we were living in southwest Michigan, near Lake Michigan. My parents had been sailing for several years by then. We often went out on weekend trips aboard our Southcoast 22. I enjoyed sailing, and being on the water. I also devoured each National Geographic magazine as it arrived at the house each month (as well as thumbing through old issues). I had read Joshua Slocum, Harry Pigeon, John Caldwell, and others. I had read Robin Graham's articles in National Geographic. I dreamed of sailing around the world and seeing new places and experiencing other cultures. I was sure I would do this after graduating from high school in 1981.

Well, I never did and it's 26 years later. But, in four years, all of my children will have graduated from high school, and I'll be leaving for my long-delayed trip. I already have the boat (a 1962 Pearson Triton 28') and already know my first destination--Scandinavia.

It's never too late! My back gives me trouble from time to time too! I had to quit running because of my knees. None of this matters. I'll have to work part time along the way in the beginning. It doesn't matter. I'm still going! Anyone who really wants to do it can make it happen. And don't fall into the trap of thinking you can only do it if you have a large investment portfolio and a large, modern boat with all the latest electronics.

Good luck!

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Triton318

, in four years, all of my children will have graduated from high school, and I'll be leaving for my long-delayed trip.

Good luck!

Good luck to you too!!

[TabbyCat]

FWIW,

We created a spreadsheet that had many, many cats on it. Then we came up with a set of questions that we wanted answers to. That allowed us to keep from being swayed by the hype, and let us keep the opinions of others valued but in perspective of what we felt was important.

All the best in your search,
Mike & Susan
s/v TabbyCat

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by TabbyCat

FWIW,

We created a spreadsheet that had many, many cats on it. Then we came up with a set of questions that we wanted answers to. That allowed us to keep from being swayed by the hype, and let us keep the opinions of others valued but in perspective of what we felt was important.

All the best in your search,
Mike & Susan
s/v TabbyCat

I am not truly in the market now but I would probably pay for the spread sheet.
If not that then I would visit and ask questions till you forced me out.
How old is it?

[TabbyCat]

Therapy,

Sorry, but the spreadsheet (from 2003-04) was probably 3 or 4 computers ago and is either long gone or buried on a back-up drive somewhere. If I come across it I will let you know.

Basically, we decided on a size range (36 - 44' for us), listed the specs plus some of the "must have" requirements we wanted down the left hand side, with the different cats across the top.

We were helped by the fact that Susan does boat insurance and found several manufacturers that we had not heard of before. Since we were new to cruising cats, her colleagues helped us understand some now well-known issues (hull-slapping, BroadBlue is the new Prout, etc). We also found out which cats we wanted to avoid due to construction issues (the Jaguar 36 comes to mind).

Again, some of the things we put in were specific to our requirements (can 5' 2" Susan see all points on the boat from the helm? can 6' 2" Mike completely stretch out in the berth?, etc). You will need to develop a set specific to your needs.

Fair Winds,
Mike & Susan
s/v TabbyCat

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by TabbyCat

Therapy,


Again, some of the things we put in were specific to our requirements (can 5' 2" Susan see all points on the boat from the helm? can 6' 2" Mike completely stretch out in the berth?, etc). You will need to develop a set specific to your needs.

Fair Winds,
Mike & Susan
s/v TabbyCat

Yup!

I am 6'4".
It is actually a handicap.
Govt. assistance??