Four People and a Sailboat. The Quest.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Doodles

How about guns on board and anchors? Any advice there?

Sure, some advice on anchors for someone that has never sailed before would be as follows:

Don't throw the anchor in waters such as the middle of the Chesapeake Bay on a beautiful, hot, flat water day, and jump overboard with the entire family for a swim to cool off.

[WebWench]

I have read the blog and it looks like all of you are learning to sail now! I am also glad to see you are looking at boats around 40' . I think that is wise to keep your long term maintenance and docking costs down.

In my opinion.....I fly and sail.....flying is easier. In flying you are in much less crowded conditions, have speed and great maneuverability, can land if storms come up and the hardest part is landing...usually..on a nice long empty runway. If the engine quits....most of the time you still have the option to keep up your airspeed and land.

With the boat, maneuvering in some marinas, responding to weather and losing your engine during a storm can be harrowing. You don't have the nice birds eye view to assess your situation.

In both cases ....maintenance is the big key to safety....and maintenance of both is costly. If you don't plan properly and do it well you will risk your safety.

Well anyway...that is my opinion.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Doodles

How about guns on board and anchors? Any advice there?

On guns:
they are seldom actually needed, but are a handy subject to argue about. You can always get a rise out of someone just by mentioning the "g" word. Mostly, that's what we do with them here, is argue about them. Very satisfying and entertaining, no matter which side you are on. Personally, I like guns just because, well, they are guns. I love the heft and feel of it in my hand, the sound and the recoil. I love making a neat round hole appear in something further away than I could ever imagine throwing something. I respect their power for settling a disagreement over whether I should live or die, or whether I should be robbed or not. They can be a major PITA when clearing in to most countries. And I will point out that unfortunately, using a gun successfully to defend yourself does not end your troubles, and on average it probably costs around $10k to stay out of jail even for a righteous shooting. OTOH it is better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6. So take 'em or leave 'em. Consider the pros and cons and do what you think best.

On anchors:
These are actually used more often than guns, but we still argue about them. As a general rule, bigger is better. A spare is great. On those points, everyone agrees, I think. Danforths are popular. Plows IMHO are a better all purpose anchor. There. I just started another argument for you.

[Doodles]

Jeez, did some of you miss the at the end of my comment or is the autopilot on?

[CAELESTIS]

Hey, once you get past the sudden death by sailing off the edge of the world, guns, anchors, size, how many hulls, etc, I have one question.

How did you talk your wife into this?

In my book you are already a genius!

On a serious note, have you tried a charter for over a week to see how the family really likes cruising?

[Greggegner]

Since kids are involved, take a two vacation with a captain to teach. Either you will be ready and continue with your dream appreciating the training or you will alter your plans some. Either way the life you save might be your kids...

[salticrak]

These people are an inspiration to me. They dare to think outside the square, brave enough to dream and work and plan towards a dream in a concrete way. They are no armchair travelers who preach from up high in their ivory towers.

Hard workers who work smart and are not a slave to the dollar driven lifestyles that require you to be on the hamster wheel for a good part of your one life. All of this so that you can retire somewhere warm where nobody knows yer name.
The whole financial crisis caused by greedy bankers and dare I say it greedy clients has left the ordinary working schmuck with little or no savings left to go '' somewhere warm'' in their old age.Now those bankers probably own the condos '' somewhere warm'' and are still sitting pretty thank you very much.

Good luck to you, you show what can be done working on the fringes.

[goboatingnow]

We have two kids, a boy and a girl, 15 and 9. We are looking for a boat with a three-cabin layout, cutter, 45 feet+, bluewater cruiser, maximum 180K, mono hull. We will live aboard, sail everywhere.

We have no sailing experience. We never had a sailboat before.

We are considering a Wauquiez 49 and a Stevens 47.

Any advise and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Just that we dont loose track of the OP, NO sailing experience, considering a almost 50 foot boat, 15, 9 year old and wife.

yeah sure just get aboard and go for it. thats it

These people are an inspiration to me. They dare to think outside the square, brave enough to dream and work and plan towards a dream in a concrete way. They are no armchair travelers who preach from up high in their ivory towers.

Well I suppose my tax rescue dollars will get used again!!.


Had I seen a post saying, yes well get some experience, do some training, crew or charter and get an ideas, I d say great, off you go.

Dave

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

...
Had I seen a post saying, yes well get some experience, do some training, crew or charter and get an ideas, I d say great, off you go.

Dave

I think that's kind of what they said here ...

Originally Posted by thelifenomadik

Oz, you are intriguing me! What's a hatch diving, I can't wait to try it!

Seriously, you are right, we need experience before heading 400 miles, we knew that! The simple idea was: get a boat, stay in safe near-shore water, make friends on the near-by boats, and learn to sail for as long as it takes, then hit the Panama Canal and keep going west.

Taking courses and lessons ASA 101, 103, 105 all those, we've checked them, we will do that, I promise to you! We have time to do it before or after we find the boat, we are not pressed for time. I know that theory is nothing compared to practise, but we have red number of books already and it is something, isn't it? Plus, we are all about alternative ways, and chartering seams too strait forward rich-folks kind of thing. But we WILL check into it, also promise.

Best option and idea so far- sign up for crewing. We will do this ASAP. Where, which yacht club in which city will take one of us, any suggestions? We are now heading towards St Pete, FL to check out two Tayanas and one Tatoosh, and from there we can go wherever we want to, we decide on a day-by-day basis.

lovely sarcasm! Don't stop now!
cheers!

[goboatingnow]

Thats great , far more mature things to do , go for it.

Dave

[familycruisers]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Well I suppose my tax rescue dollars will get used again!!.


Had I seen a post saying, yes well get some experience, do some training, crew or charter and get an ideas, I d say great, off you go.

Dave

The first comment is pompous, and arrogant. Anyone can have a series of unfortunate events that can lead to needing to be rescued.
Secondly its apparent you didnt even read the entire thread, otherwise you would have realized that they are in fact going through training while they're going through the boat buying process.
Goboatingnow, or not...

[goboatingnow]

i am not being pompous, thank you, and yes I did read the whole thread, merely lost track of the many comments over time and I corrected my views based on what was said.

I remain fully of the mind, that the just " go for it" crowd, that suggest untrained and inexperienced people, should just get up, buy a sailboat and disappear over the horizon are just giving foolish advice. The rescue services ( I am involved with the RNLI) here spend far too much time towing in idiots that should know better. And its to their credit that these fools dont just end up on the bottom.

But as I said, if you approach it in a proper and thoughtful manner, go down a reasonable preparatory path , then absolutely, when you feel ready," go for it."


and ps my moniker is a call to get go boating,ie get out and learn to sail, etc, not jump in the deep end without any idea of how to swim

Dave

[familycruisers]

Which is exactly what they are doing. I don't see your comments as being edited to reflect your new found knowledge that they are educating themselves.
The "my tax dollars" comment was arrogant, imo of course. I dont think I saw one post that advised to simply buy the boat, cast off, and sail over the horizon.
Most yahoos I've seen that needed rescue typically are the ones with more money than brains.
Maybe you should change your screen name to Learntosailsoyoudontusemytaxesnow.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by familycruisers

Which is exactly what they are doing. I don't see your comments as being edited to reflect your new found knowledge that they are educating themselves.
The "my tax dollars" comment was arrogant, imo of course. I dont think I saw one post that advised to simply buy the boat, cast off, and sail over the horizon.
Most yahoos I've seen that needed rescue typically are the ones with more money than brains.
Maybe you should change your screen name to Learntosailsoyoudontusemytaxesnow.

Ive no need to engage in a pissing competition. Money is the least of the issues, those with lots tend to employ those that know how. Its the dreamers that set of in a ill prepared boat or have few skills to handle unexpected situations or find that the crew is unsuited to the intended activity, they result in rescues, People lost for want of simple nav skills, people frightened for want of basic experience, People adrift for want of basic boat skills , etc.

Ive nothing against the OP, Ive a bone against the armchairs that respond with the "do it" nonsense or people that say

anyone can go sailing,it aint rocket science

They miss the point completely.

[familycruisers]

Pissing contest? No problems unless your arguments leave you in the lee.