What necessary (Or comfort/luxury) supplies do you suggest for a blue-water passage?

[TheNomadicAspie]

A little about my situation. My wife and I plan to buy a 30-40 foot sailboat in the next few months, and spend the next year or so learning to sail before making it our eventual goal to sail around the world together.

We have never sailed before so of course getting to that point is a long way out, but in the meantime we are trying to figure out what kind of budget we should have, what the most important supplies we will need are, etc.

We want to be as self-sufficient as possible and to avoid going to port more than necessary, so we'll definitely be getting a watermaker.

I'm curious what kind of stuff you guys would recommend making a priority. Either emergency/life saving supplies, things that make life easier, or even just luxury items some people may not think of.

Sorry for the very basic and broad question. I just thought instead of trying to think of everything on my own as someone with zero sailing experience, maybe you guys would have some ideas of stuff to budget for when the time comes?

Open to any and all ideas. Supplies for doing repairs, food items, obvious stuff, non-obvious stuff, entertainment, doesn't matter.

I don't expect a comprehensive list of course (But if there are any that would be awesome), but what kind of stuff do you think I (Or someone in a similar situation) should make sure to have?

[Mike OReilly]

It's an impossible question to answer. I personally think the best approach is to get a boat and actually go cruising. Go out for as long as you can, as much as you can. This will teach you what you really need and want.

[JPA Cate]

Mate, your cart is in the country 20 miles from the horse!...what you need to do is read everything in the 702 section in the library. 702 is where the sailing/yachting books start. I'm not meaning to be mean, but until you've owned, sailed and maintained your own boat for a year or two, all the input you receive will be without your own context for interpreting it.

The decisions about how frugal and how simple one wants to keep an ocean crossing boat are very individual. Some people want luxury; others, easy to fix, and not fancy. If you approach this the way you're suggesting, you'll teach yourself more about following, when you really need the courage to plot your own course.

*****

I have spent roughly the last 31 years as a cruising sailor who lives with her husband on their boat. You need to start sailing. Your dream is only a pleasant fantasy right now, you may not even know whether you (both or only one) get seasick.

If you have ever gone back packing or camping, and have a list of what to take, that can form the basis for provisioning. As for tools, there have been threads in the past here on CF about tools and spares. Use the Custom Google Search, under the search menu at the top of the page, 'cause it will work better for ideas. There, you'll also find discussions about dinghies. Under the social groups, there's a sewing group, for people who like to sew things for their boats and dinghies.

And, a caveat, although it has been my life, I do not think cruising is for everyone. I think there are traits that if you already have them will help, but what you really, really need are hours on the water, observing and thinking up what you want to try for coping with situations. Mental flexibility and good communications skills. With your own boat, you will work out routines for doing things that work for you and that particular boat. In all cases, it's the skippers themselves that are the most important part of the kit. And, finally, if you try to jump-start with lessons, I would start with having your wife take courses separately from you. For most women, they'll develop greater competency, more rapidly, if they learn in a group that does not have their spouse in it. If it all works for y'all, then you will be delighted to sleep soundly on your off watch, knowing that your good lady can handle most of what happens on her own--and will wake you if she wants you, or feels uncertain about something. And she'll have the competence to get you both to safety if something bad happens to you. There's the added benefit of if you do courses with different instructors, you'll already have more input for situations because of two instructors, whose emphases were different.

Brief recommendation: either begin with a trailer sailer, and sail the heck out of it; or, if you can't bring yourself to that level of simplicity, then buy a 26-30 ft keel boat with an inboard engine. Sail the heck out of it, too. Learn what you like and what you don't. Get up to speed with diesel engines, and boat electrics. Then, you'll be in a position to decide about the next boat. Old boats are not like cars, there are no owners manuals for them on line. Lucky to find them for your engine.

Ann

[HeinSdL]

As far as learning how to sail is concerned: spend time in dinghies, take some courses and really get to grips with sailing itself before stepping on to a larger boat. It would be super sad were you to equip the boat just the way you want it only to realise that the actual sailing is too much of a challenge. On big boats it takes much longer to get a feel for the boat, and that is something you really need to be comfortable and confident.

[TheNomadicAspie]

I completely understand that we may not like sailing, we may not be able to do it, and that we shouldn't waste money buying everything we need only to later discover it isn't for us.

That said, we haven't left our house in 5 months due to being in the high-risk category for COVID-19 complications, and the idea of someday being able to travel safely while mostly staying away from people is appealing to us. Since we can't actually get a boat yet, we want to learn everything we can in the meantime. I'm trying to find resources to learn how to do repairs, I've been reading and watching everything I can online, and generally trying to be as prepared as I can going into it before we do eventually pull the trigger and buy a boat (If we do).

We have always been big on finding unique ways to travel. We like to go on bicycle tours for example. Last year we rode 150 miles from Seattle to Canada and camped with everything we had to live strapped to our bicycles. We spent months backpacking in Southeast Asia, and we love to see new places though we have Asperger's and therefore don't particularly like people (Autistic people aren't known for being social).

I know sailing is hard, and maybe it won't be for us. But we love to try new things and challenge ourselves. We also like to prepare as much as possible. Of course there's going to be things we can't know or prepare for without being in the situation. By no means do we plan to buy everything on a list before sailing, we just figure since we can't actually do much right now, the next best thing would be to learn everything we can.

I've already read a lot on this forum over the last few months. I know absolutely nothing about how to actually sail besides what I've read online, and while I would love to go out and learn in person, being on a boat with other people isn't an option for us right now until the pandemic situation improves.

If it came down to it, worst case scenario for us would be we buy a boat (Without much else), tried sailing and realized it wasn't for us, and sold the boat for a loss. If it came down to that then that would be fine too, because at least we would have some new experiences out of it.

Sorry again for such a broad and probably insulting question to assume it was as simple as getting a shopping list. We're just excited to learn what we can. Sometimes we read about some unique way people do things, or some way people saved money in a situation that would otherwise have been more costly or complicated. Just figured it would be an interesting thread for myself and others to have a random collaboration of things people find useful. Apparently that was a mistake though, so sorry about that.

[Jim Cate]

You don't tell us much about yourselves, things like age and more importantly, your location, so this is a shot in the gloom, if not the dark...

Why can you not buy a small (14-16 foot) daysailor type dinghy, or two smaller ones, put them on a local lake or river or pond or whatever, and get yourselves started on the learning curve of sailing?

The money involved is small (1-2 K$ or so at most) and most will be recoverable when you move up... or out of sailing. This is arguably the best way to become involved, even in non-Covid times, and will serve you well. No lessons are needed, no infrastructure that is impacted by the virus, no unnecessary interaction with other folks. It is how many of us got started back in the days before institutionalized sailing instruction was common, and it works. Armed with that knowledge and skill set, moving on to larger boats when the health issues abate will be faster and less error prone. At the very least, you will have had a lot of fun on the water...

And a personal note: we read so very many posts here that are so similar to yours... ones that say in general "we've never been sailing at all, but are going to buy a boat and sail around the world". Do realize that only a tiny fraction of sailboaters ever sail more than a few miles from home, and of that tiny fraction, another tiny fraction go for long term cruises, and of that tiny fraction only another tiny fraction complete a circumnavigation. So the confident statement that you made in y our first post rings with hubris in many ears, and that may explain some of the less enthusiastic responses that you receive.

I support your aims in general, for I have gained so much from our many years of cruising (but not circumnavigating) and know how tantalizing and how rewarding the life can be. Please consider what I've said as friendly, not critical, and get going on the water... NOW.

Jim

[guyrj33]

Hot coffee is pretty important to me.

[rosatte]

Everybody offers advice but none answered your question ,,myself black berrys they go good in granola on toast on pork gotta have black berrys ..cheers

[AZUS]

Lots of Ramen and Cup-a-Soup type meals, plus a means of quickly and easily heating water. On the long night watches, these treats get me through another night.

[barnakiel]

Since you do not have that boat yet. It is impossible to say what is lacking.


I give you my comments though as if the boat existed, assuming a typical boat, and a typical Western mindset. For what is important or not depends on your attitudes, not on any objective set of features or equipment choices.


Well. blah blah blah


"We want to be as self-sufficient as possible and to avoid going to port more than necessary, so we'll definitely be getting a WATERMAKER.


Well. I would start with integral BIG BIG water tanks. A watermaker is fine, but not usable everywhere. I would suggest electing a boat that has a minimum of 500 liters fresh water tankage. More is better. 1000 liters is sweet bananas. (Assuming two onboard).


"Sorry for the very basic and broad question. I just thought instead of trying to think of everything on my own as someone with zero sailing experience"


ZERO SAILING EXPERIENCE ??? Well then here you get you first BIG and ESSENTIAL item. Get this experience.


Watermakers / radars / furlers and burlers, these are all items you can do without. And if you need them, it is something only YOU can say. Other people will have their choices that will be irrelevant to your upbringing, lifestyle, risk profile and one million other PERSONAL factors.


Other people's choices are noise. Listen to it for a while, then do your OWN thing.



Aside from trying to sound 'rough and weathered' ehm ;-) (Ha! We here be pirates, eh?") I myself and humble me would look for the following properties in a blue water, off-grid boat:


SIMPLICITY - all simple can be fixed with few and basic tools and materials.


STRENGTH - all strong needs no repair longer, when repaired - lasts longer.


COMFORT - inside a comfortable boat a happy human takes place.


ILLUSION - get a boat that makes your soul tremble, one that says "let's go beyond the horizon" every time you look her way.


PARTNERSHIPS - if you sail with some body, make sure they are in it for themselves, not for you. Two happy sailors / adventurers are a company. But one happy sailor cannot make an unhappy person happy.


More ships get wrecked on human relations than on actual rocks.


Take care. Find your dream boat. Buy it (or steal it). And go for it!


Cheers,
barnakiel

[tarian]

For the question get a good sea worthy boat the.most you can afford, 36 feet upwards, prkrotse safety first . standing rigging, decent working electronics. Do not be fooled into buying new if the boat has older equipment if it works why change, make sure you get good safety equipment, liferaft for ocean sailing, eprib. Sat phone . A water maker if going onto the wilds. Good power source via solar . Generator, wind. Running rigging and sails In good order. Do some courses . RYA are good
Do navigation courses and general sailing. Along with basic diesel engine . Get to know your boat for a fee years
What works and does not work
Change as you see fit
Most importantly go for it, no need for dinghy classes. Get on a proper boat and experience maybe take a holiday on one first , the old timers will tell you to go slow .
Me as an aspie as well understand how our brains work and with proper focus we can do anything , fast and curious get out there you will love it , a.d if dream s change so what we adapt sailing in trade winds might sound great but just as much fun coastal sailing or coming to the EU for all the countries to see. Good luck and fair winds

[thomm225]

So why can't you get a boat now?

The best thing to do is get a boat and start sailing ......now. You will then learn at least what questions to ask.

All you have to do is sail around your local pond, lake, or bay for a few months or a year or so to get an idea of what it's all about.

You can buy almost any sailboat for this.

Is your budget to waste on a boat $5000, $50,000, or $100,000. I say waste because you might be like many that buy boats.

They play around with them for a few months then park them at a marina and never use them again.

Most boats at marinas are rarely used

If you budget is on the mid to lower side check this site.

https://atomvoyages.com/planning/goo...oats-list.html

[barnakiel]

If you are low in experience, get a two-person dinghy and sail it every weekend.


These tend to be inexpensive and easy to sell off later. And in many places they can be rented. Any Club Med package has them all-inclusive.



You cannot learn in a big boat some of the things you will learn in a small dinghy, especially one that is easy to capsize.


barnakiel

[thomm225]

They may not have time for all that small boat stuff to learn sailing.

Lots of our "cruisers" on here say sailing isn't important to cruise they say is about being a repair man and an anchor guy

Motor 50 miles with your chart plotter at the helm, watermaker, AIS TX/RX, AC/Heat, fridge, etc then put the sails up and sail a mile or two then back to motoring.

The OP says they gotta learn in a year then its the old sail around the world tour.

What's the problem?

Folks have that plan all the time.

BTW # 1 luxury item: Beer

[George DuBose]

Buy something less than 30 feet. Learn to sail it and maintain it.

There are books written that answer your all your questions, and yes, there are manuals for these old boats written by Daniel Spurr and Don Casey among others.

I hope you like to read.