Engine-less Cruising

[K_V_B]

When I was a teenager I sailed with the French "Les Glenans" sailing school. Their boats didn't have engines at that time (nor did they have heads, pressurised water, electricity or even winches)
Learned a few tricks that were handy, as since then I have been on quite a few boats where the engine, even though present, wasn't available...

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

One of the advantages I just noticed yesterday is that at least one of the cruisers in our fleet is down by the ass. We can change a lot of things, but one of the big things we can't change is where the engine is and how much it weighs. And it would take an awful lot of changes to counterbalance it.

That reminds me, I didn't really want to put an outboard on my Bristol 27 but ended up doing it. Now I have a 58 lb, 2012 Mercury 5hp 4 stroke outboard on the stern which replaced a 352lb, 1974 Westerbeke 10 hp Diesel.

I can always pull that outboard and store it onboard also. It uses about the same amount of fuel as the diesel.

[w32honu]

Originally Posted by sck5

I CAN get from island to island in the Caribbean without motoring. But why would I WANT to? I dont know about you but when I am at the end of a passage and the anchorage is in sight I want to get there, get the anchor down and heave a sigh while drinking a cold beverage. Tacking back and forth for a few hours in honor of not burning a pint or two of diesel does not appeal. If it appeals to some then by all means they should do it. Whatever makes you happy, I say.

I agree with this………. You have the skill and the gumption to sail if you want to. And an inoperative aux motor is NOT a "no go item." Especially for long passages.

These days I hear lots of folks suggest that an engine is an essential safety item. I am not sure about this. It is definitely a convenience. One that can get you out of a tight spot to be sure. But not essential. On the flip side….. dependance on a motor might just get someone into a bad spot…..lulled into complacency just when the engine quits. Sediment happens.

So I respect the OP. They got themselves a nice engineless boat. While they work up a rebuild on an old motor, they are out sailing. I respect that. Its good skill to have. I say go for it!!! Keep pushing the envelope.

One thing I know for sure. Once they install that motor, their boat will no longer sail as well. But it will definitely motor a hell of a lot better.

[w32honu]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

So, I'll step up to the plate:

Jammer, I'm not sure what you mean by a citation, but in their early books involving their travels in Serafyn (sp?), they do mention being towed into places several times when either lack of wind or other circumstances inhibited their ability to sail in.

I don't own those books, and am not about to spend the time in the library to satisfy your request.

Jim

Not sure about this……….

I have reviewed the books lately. The only reference to a tow that I can remember is through the Panama Canal. Lin rowed over to ask if she might get a tow from a commercial vessel. They said sure!!! Offered to lift her and her dink onto the deck. She then pointed over to Larry and Seraffyn…. to the disappointment of the fisherman.

They got their tow…… west to east.

Thats the only mention of a tow that I am aware of…...

[w32honu]

Tor Pinney's Homepage - A Cruising Sailor's Homeport

What he said……..

[forsailbyowner]

I have some experience in this area. I did a 40 day engineless cruise that was possibly the most memorable in my lifetime. At one point we drifted for 4 days becalmed offshore and had hundreds of birds land all over the boat on their migratory voyage. This was thought of as really cool, until the next day when they were all dead all over inside and out of the boat. I guess with no wind to keep them aloft they must have been falling dead and landing in the water and took our boat as last refuge. My wife looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "were goin to die out here". Another time we were becalmed again and had a ship that was wider than we were long bearing down on a direct collision course with us. We tried everything we could think of, spotlight to the bridge deck, radio broadcasts and it came down to me getting my rifle out and was going to put a shot into the bridge before it hit, the boat veered off and missed us by about 20' when I had rifle in hand contemplating a boat on autopilot with no one at the helm. Another time I was leaving Charleston motoring into a chop waiting for a front arrival bringing sailing winds and the motor died. I was alone on this one. I sailed to ft pierce and tacked back and forth for 2 days waiting for winds that would allow the entrance into the pass. Then after messing with the engine for 2 days with no good result I waited for an outgoing tide and pulled magic out the pass with the dinghy. By the time I got to the mouth there were 6-8 foot waves caused by wind meeting the outgoing tide. There were 2 towboats rushing to my "rescue" and the coast guard was on alert. towboat US pulled up and asked if I needed assistance, I asked if he would pull me the last hundred or so yards past the end of the jetty, his reply was I can only tow you in. So I got aboard magic and drifted with the tide past the end of the jetty and sailed off. The really hairy part was getting on the dinghy and fastening the lines to lift it aboard while offshore. the davits were going from having to avoid them coming down on the dinghy to being high overhead. I solo'ed that time to Tampa bay and it took almost a week to get up the bay tacking in light winds when the tide was in my favor. Anchoring was done always on the outside. I made stops in boot key and Stock Island after ft pierce. There were some harrowing times but overall great cruises and you get a lot of satisfaction knowing the motor is not really mandatory and wouldnt call seatow if it failed. I was told of a woman who sailed the whole length of the eastern seaboard intracoastal with no motor. That must have taken a LOOONG time!!!!

[mikereed100]

An engineless cruiser will put a lot of fine cruising grounds off limits. The Inside Passage of Alaska and BC comes to mind. We hate to motor and do so only when necessary, but we probably motored 50% of the time while in SE Asia.

[mikereed100]

"Those who would go to sea for pleasure would go to hell for pastime."
Capt. Cook

I wonder if he would have said the same if he'd had a pair of Detroit Diesels in the "Endeavor".

[w32honu]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

"Those who would go to sea for pleasure would go to hell for pastime."
Capt. Cook

I wonder if he would have said the same if he'd had a pair of Detroit Diesels in the "Endeavor".

I'm thinking it was the food…….

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

"Those who would go to sea for pleasure would go to hell for pastime."
Capt. Cook

I wonder if he would have said the same if he'd had a pair of Detroit Diesels in the "Endeavor".

Actually, Cook didn't say that, but one author did have that quote in his book about Captain Cook.

Since Cook sailed about 200,000 miles on three separate voyages, it really doesn't seem like something he would say anyway.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CCsQ9QEwAA

[w32honu]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

The Pardeys touted engineless cruising for years, all the while waiting outside harbors to get towed in by other peoples' engines.



Ann

Not.

Pardeys never touted engineless cruising. They are advocates for going small and simple. Go now…….etc.

Never have known them to tout engineless cruising. It was just their choice. And it seemed to work out just fine for them…..

[captain58sailin]

If you have a schedule, engineless is impractical, if you have a schedule, you shouldn't be on a sailboat anyway. I can't wait to get clear of the harbour and hoist the sails and shut down the main engine. There is no equal to the quality of quiet soley under sail. I expect at some point in the future I will look into sailing engineless, with a smaller lighter vessel, perhaps improve my sculling skills. There was a nice wood plank sailing cruiser in the harbour for awhile that would have lent itself splendidly to engineless sailing. If you could get enough solar panels and a wind generator to keep the batteries up, it would be a nice challenge.

[thomm225]

This thread is a good example of why it is good to learn sailing on a small boat without an engine.


On the other hand, there is definitely something reassuring about that ole diesel when you crank it up:

Das Boot - best movie scene ever - YouTube

[pistarckle]

Many moons ago we bought a 49 foot ketch . Engine had been open for seven years . After paying cash for the boat we had to work and save enough money to buy a Perkins 4-54 . While waiting to get the cash , hurricane Hugo came on the horizon . This being the Carib there was always good wind . We sailed from St. John down to Culebra and put the boat in the mangroves with the help of a dingy boat . .Four hundred and fifty boats were destroyed at Culebra , ours rode out the storm just fine . For many months after that I sailed Culebra to St. John weekly , sometimes with crew but mostly singlehanded . But as I say , it is easy to sail if the wind blows as it does 99,9 percent of the time in the Carib.

[gjordan]

I graduated from engine-less cruising to a boat with a good diesel, but small tankage, and then to a boat with plenty of tankage. When I got into doing deliveries, I realized that I was using the engine ,probably 10 times more than on my cruising boats. Simple! If you are on a (dreaded) schedual you use the motor a lot. If you are really cruising, you only use it once in a while (other than keeping the beer cold). If my memory serves me right, my slowest day on passage was 18 miles(doldrums) and my best day(bigger boat) was about 180 miles, and I can tell you the 18 mile day was much more enjoyable. Nothing wrong with going engine-less if you are not in a hurry, and dont mind tacking through passes. That is the exciting part. _____Grant.