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Old 30-08-2009, 00:59   #46
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Welcome Sandinmytea… You have already journeyed further into the depths than most of us can ever imagine and come out with such a positive attitude.

Wee bit of advice…..Mother Nature is far less political in her judgments of those sailors who meet her upon the Oceans.

Just remember one thing… if it is not coming easy…you are doing something basically wrong.

Good luck and fair winds!
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Old 30-08-2009, 01:27   #47
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Really interesting topic and it is good to see it wander about a bit.

I'd fully agree that the advent of low cost GPS seemed to coincide with a boom in what I'd call family cruisers, but whether it was such devices making navigation easier, or just the baby boomer generation having enough money and time to spend on boats? Or a combo of both??

I also know a couple of the more serious solo sailors who I admire greatly, but each has issues communicating /interacting with real people and none has managed a lonmger term relationship with another. Perhaps they chose solo sailing to enjoy isolation?

I hope not everyone who wishes to cruise oceans needs to go that way.....

But back to the first question. The three attributes I believe are a pre-requisiste are stamina, determination, and confidence. With all those you can certainly cross oceans.

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Old 30-08-2009, 10:04   #48
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I said that to me life at sea (psychologically-wise) is the same like life on the land. Then just below mesquaukee said that life at sea is in sharp contrast to the land life.

I re-read that and I found both these (apparently contradictory) statements to be right.

So is it a bit of offshore psychology too that one can find things apparently contradictory (to a non-offshore mind) in complete synch and valid?

There is a Zen koan where sometimes the sensei is asked if the dog has the nature of buddha. Sometimes he says yes, sometimes no, and sometimes he says nothing! In Zen lore all three answers can be correct - because it is the state of the mind not the external fact that benchmarks the answer's validity.

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Old 30-08-2009, 13:20   #49
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I said that to me life at sea (psychologically-wise) is the same like life on the land. Then just below mesquaukee said that life at sea is in sharp contrast to the land life....

In Zen lore all three answers can be correct - because it is the state of the mind not the external fact that benchmarks the answer's validity.
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Old 31-08-2009, 09:45   #50
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A lot of really thoughtfull posts here. This is such a good forum.

One common idea I hear is that many people would like to make long passages, but are concerned that it would be too demanding and they might need to limit themselves to coastal cruising. Again this is a matter of your own experience, but I look at it more the opposite way. The first two days of any trip are the hardest on me, and after that I am in sync with the boat and the water, my stomach has relaxed (bless you makers of stugeron), and my energy is up and I feel great. Most coastal cruising never gets past a couple days a hop. As an example, my wife and I took 3 weeks going down the outside of Baja. Great trip, good weather and we visited all sorts of different anchorages. By the time I got to Mag bay though, I really needed a couple days to just sit and get rested up again. So sometimes people assume that if they are very tired after a day on the water, that a few weeks on the water would be completey exhausting. Maybe not. As an example, a 24 day passage to the Marqueses had me arriving completely rested and at full power.
Now some people might get bored during long passages, though I have seldom been bored on a boat (except a few times having to motor with a broken autopilot).

By the way, I just got back from 9 days on the boat out in the Gulf Islands with the wife, 3 kids, and the cat. It was brilliant, every day better than the one before. I should be catching up with my huge stack of work, but obviously my mind is still out on the water.
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Old 31-08-2009, 09:59   #51
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I would also like to know why so many start out with the "Sail around the World" dream? I've been sailing for 35 years, and I'm still not that interested in going all the way around. I'm really happy in the islands... most any of them!

Agree with That!!!

While I have sailed in different seas and foreign lakes, this has been in charter or OPB's. I prefer being their rather than long extended Sails. It if if more than a 2 day transits sail... I'll probably just go their by Air and get a boat to sail in. After two days at sea... is just isn't as much fun and more like working a job. Much prefer da island time mon

Rather spend months anchoring a few miles at a hop.
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Old 31-08-2009, 10:56   #52
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PLS - "...months anchoring a few miles at a hop..." what does it have to do with the subject of this thread? PLS start a new thread.

And re: Christian - what is wrong with 'sail around the world' dream? You may be OK having been cruising the islands for 35 years but other people may need a well set target to get them going and keep them on the course. Now 'sailing around the world' you must admit, sounds pretty motivating.

Take my hopeless case - I hate islands, I love passages. The easiest way to have long passages and avoid islands - sail around the world. Next time I go I will try to get at least one 5000+ crossing, I mean get real off-shore.

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Old 31-08-2009, 11:11   #53
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Actually, I thought it was interesting that Reality Check and I have the same 2 day barrier psychologically when offshore. He thinks it starts being more like work, and I think it starts being less. Seems like we're on the right thread.
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Old 31-08-2009, 13:17   #54
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I still consider myself a newbie and a dreamer. I came to this site recently, so you guy's didn't fall victim to my first questions. I think when people, kids more often than not, find out that it's possible to get a sailboat and "escape" to paradise, they want to find out if they're dreams can come true in one post. When they encounter more reality mongers than enablers, reality hit's them in the head and they either give it up or if they really wanted it they sit back and save. I know more sailing than I used to when I first posted on other sailing forums. I still don't have the sailing and nautical terms down yet, but I get by. I still have dreams, but they're not so much of sitting in an anchorage in paradise sucking down Corona's as much as they're visions of putting on the last coat of bottom paint or starting the Atomic 4. I will not allow myself to go out of sight of land without feeling confident in my abilities not to hurt myself or others. I will also not bust anyone's balls for getting excited and posting dreamers questions on this forum, because that's what it's here for. We including me, wouldn't have a boat and be cruising to distant shore's if we didn't have people in a forum, much like this one, who answered our excitable, goofball, dreamfilled, unrealistic questions for us way back when. So, a toast to the next generation of Blue water cruisers and their ridiculous questions, may their dreams come true...


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Cheers to that!
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Old 31-08-2009, 14:48   #55
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I too have the "2 day barrier" except for me it is more like 3 day to a week.

After the break-in period it is pure nirvana to me, cream, bliss (or near bliss ;-))). Once got stuck for 6 days in calms of Darwin - I was not happy at all when the wind came back. Another time got stuck in calms off Galapagos - same story. I think of one day sailing into the eye of the high and seeing how it is like to be like that for a couple of weeks.

I also found that after a couple of days in the open ocean I get used to the 'rhythm' of the weather and some earlier unnoticed/unnoticable changes become ringing bells that say like 'and now the weather will change' or 'and now we will have a couple of typical trade wind days'. I do not think this is anything special but what never stops to fascinate me is that it becomes a subliminal thing.

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Old 31-08-2009, 18:07   #56
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I wish i had the gift of your language, Dreamers keep on dreaming ,but dont forget fear, is fought with knowledge. I sailed before decca and loran seen 10 days plus with overcast skies so no sextant, but sailors sailed before the compass, so if you lose gps vhf radar and all that Jazz, that we now has become used to,let me share a couple of simple ( I was going to write secrets ) but I will perhaps say not often enough mentioned old stand byes, Barometer, if you write the pressure it in the log you wont be supprised by a strong storm, depth sounder ,set the alarm for 10-20 fathoms you will feel, and sleep better, and if it fails let an old fashioned leadweigth trail on a 100 lbs test fishing line when the drag screams you are in shallow water, which you should have known by the shape of the waves. Oh by the way it makes a good anchor alarm too,except in a strong current with clumps of floating seaweed, drop the weight to the bottom near the anchor bring line in through forward hatch tie to a pan on stove ,if you drag the falling pan will hit the cabin sole and wake you. on a dark overcast nite lights of Bermuda is visible for 50-60 miles, onthe bottom of the clouds.And you can smell land from many miles out, or you can the see the pollution from big cities. Stay out of shipping lanes , make a note of aircraft contrails when approching land. hove to you will only move a few miles,while you get a good sleep.Binoculars get the best you can afford , with build in compass, they will see better than radar in rough conditions, dont ask me how I know, ask the owner of the new boat I was skippering.and remember the crew fails long before the boat, EVERY TIME remember only step UP into life boat. but most important enjoy enjoy and share Ole
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Old 31-08-2009, 18:27   #57
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..... let an old fashioned leadweigth trail on a 100 lbs test fishing line when the drag screams you are in shallow water, which you should have known by the shape of the waves. Oh by the way it makes a good anchor alarm too,except in a strong current with clumps of floating seaweed, drop the weight to the bottom near the anchor bring line in through forward hatch tie to a pan on stove.....Ole
Or tie it to the offwatch's big toe — to anything provocative —
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Old 31-08-2009, 20:25   #58
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I've always liked the "trip" more than the arrival. The day after day routine of standing your watch, eat, read, sleep- day after day really appeals to me. As the owner, I'd usually pick the early morning watch when we were on long trips- there is absolutely nothing so beautiful as the long, long twilight of early morning in the pretty far north- blue on blue on blue with the glow from the north where the sun's still up. Man, I miss that. Someone said it earlier- less apprehension when in the deep water, more coming into harbor- yep. It's nice to lose track of time in the routine of the day- dealing with immanent problems rather than future ones.
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Old 05-09-2009, 20:08   #59
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I could never solo 'round the world, I'd get tired of the company
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