Happy To Listen To Your Advice

[barts88]

Hello Fellow Cruisers!

Happy to be here knowing your help and knowledge can help me and my crew in the future! Beforehand, Id like to thank you guys for all the help you can give me in the future!

So, our story goes like this...

Im a 13 year old sailor. I race 420s and lightnings for the BCC. My Dad sailed in his youth back in Poland. We always talked about sailing around the world together. Right now, we are saving money for a cruiser on a budget. At first we will sail the great lakes in the summer until I finish High School and graduate from university. After that, we would sail the Caribbean, East Coast and the Bahamas, eventually the atlantic, and then around the world. Currently, we practice on our O'Day 23. We really enjoy it! I also race on a Sabre 36 on Thursday nights. I skipper the boat and we always finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd. We would like the boat to be at least 35ft, somewhat fast and does not take a breeze to get it going/ it should do well in light winds and within our 50k budget. We spent years searching for the perfect boat. We narrowed it down to a few options and here they are:

1983 Sabre 38 Centerboard
1983 C&C Landfall
1982 Bristol 35.5
1979 Pearson 40
1983 Sabre 34

The perfect boat is: We can competitively race at our club races, sturdy built, comfortable that performs well in lighter air and finally, within our 50k budget.

It may be a lot to ask given the fact that its my first post and I havent done a lot for anyone else but I know your help will be amazing for us and any tips are unbelieveabely appreciated!!!!

Thank You Very Much Everyone In Advance

Bart

[Cheechako]

I don't know the PHRF ratings so you might want to look at those. Many of the C&C's are cored hulls which can be a big problem in older boats, just watch out for that. I'm not sure any you listed will be very competitive, but I'm out of the racing loop any more.

[barts88]

Thank you very much for the tips

[Prairie Chicken]

Welcome to the forum Barts. I'm sure there will be folks here who can offer all sorts of advice. Good luck to you & your dad. He's a lucky guy to have such good crew!

[barts88]

Thank You Prarie Chicken for the welcome!

[OldFrog75]

Welcome to CF.

You write very well for someone 13 years old. Keep up the good work!

[barts88]

Haha!! Thanks for the fine compliment OldFrog75


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[HappyMdRSailor]

Holy Smoke Bart....

I wish I had a son like you!

I suggest that there are others here with better knowledge of the listed boats, but they all seem to be fine candidates... I know of a Pearson 442? that appears to be up to the task ...

The only thing I know for sure is that I have very little doubts that you and your dad will make your plans a reality...

PS I raced 420's too... Way fun...

edit: PPS Sign your dad up here as "barts-crew" or something like that...

[barts88]

Thanks HappyMdRSailor! Speaking of the Pearson 442, is it the Countess version?


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[barts88]

420s are the bomb


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[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by barts88

Thanks HappyMdRSailor! Speaking of the Pearson 442, is it the Countess version?


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I don't know... But I'll ask next time I see Dave the owner... Or do some detective work...

Originally Posted by barts88

420s are the bomb


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Indeed they are man... Wish I had one...

[Longitude18]

Wow, it sounds like a big dream-- but one that can become reality!

Here are some things I found doing open-ocean passage making;
The winds are, on average, stronger away from shore. We had Beaufort Force 9 gales crossing the Atlantic, and those are not considered survival storm conditions. Take a look at the Beaufort scale, especially the wave heights and conditions for a given wind speed-- because that scale is accurate.

In a displacement boat in open ocean, you can spend quite a lot of time doing "hull speed." That's as fast as a displacement boat can go, no matter how it's engineered, so having a high performance boat that can handle light winds isn't as important as having a sturdy, comfortable vessel that can handle rough conditions.

Things invariably break at sea. Learn as much as you can about boat repair, and carry plenty of spares of everything. Part of the joy of "blue water cruising" is getting off the tourist track, into those idyllic, palm-shaded coves. But those coves don't usually come with state-of-the-art boat repair facilities.

Your racing experience sounds fun and exciting, but it's not much like the blue water cruising life. There are a lot of ways you can get experience "gunk-holing" before you set sail across the sea. Sailing in the Great Lakes sounds like a good way to start. You might also consider a "bareboat" charter vacation in some exotic location. (For those who don't know the term, "bareboats" aren't bare at all. They're equipped with everything you might possibly need for a sail-- except a professional crew.)

Finally, about that boat budget-- good news. The best blue water cruising boats aren't the high performance ones that cost megabucks.

So, all in all, it sounds like your dream is doable. The most important thing is to have fun-- or at least excitement!-- at each step along the way.

[barts88]

Good evening everyone! Although this thread is old and I haven't been active lately. We are more than happy to announce that we are the new owners of Jammin, a 1979 C&C 36! We wish everyone a good night and fair winds.

Bart and Vic

[Tayana42]

Bart and Vic, congratulations on your new C&C. Good for you both!!! That is a major step toward your adventure.

Keep in mind that life can be an adventure wherever you sail. Enjoy it. Sail hard but sail safe!


S/V B'Shert

[CS Cruiser]

Congrats!