Got a Boat, some bucks, and a babe. Where to?

[Charlie]

Ok a little field trip in our minds. Most of us are prepping for an extended cruise. We just need all the planets to line up just right. But what if you had a paid for boat. The right amount of bucks. And an admiral to keep you in line. Where would you go and why?


Ok I've got a few more planets to line up. I've got an eight year old boy and a nine year old girl. Girl is homeschooled but the boy loves school. Where do we go from here?. Just another planet to line up I guess.

Mexico would be my first foriegn country. But then again since the boat I want is in Canada I guess I would start there. Puget Sound is beautiful I'd love to spend the summer cruising there. Then when the winds lighten I would head south in September. From there I would spend time in SF Bay (but not that much) and harbour hop down to Santa Barbara, Explore the Channel Islands, Catalina and then (and I'm torn) do either the Baja Ha Ha or just take my time going down the Baja's West coast. Skip Cabo and then go up to La Paz cruise the Sea of Cortez and then (here's where reality is inflicting itself on my dream) Leave the boat in San Carlos for hurricane season. Then the next season work my way down the coast of Mainland Mexico and on to central America. I'd like to see El Salvador again -- haven't been there since I was 7 years old. Out to the Galpagos and then back to Panama thru the canal along the coast of South America up to Bermuda across the Atlantic to the Med spend a few years cruisng there (and coming home every once in awhile) and then . . . I'm not sure maybe Northern Europe or back acroos the Atlantic and thru the canal to do a puddle jump. Revisit Marquesas, Tuamotos, Tahiti. Cook Islands, Fiji and/or Tonga. Spend maybe a year in NZ. Loved that place since I played my first game of Rugby. Oz for another year. From there I'm not so sure -- Solomon islands maybe. Asia. South Africa. Maritus. I don't know havent dreamed/studied where to go after Oz in enough detail.

Alaska. Peru. Aside from that, wherever you need to stop for provisions. After that, you will know what you want.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Charlie,
Aren't dreams great? You missed the ICW, St Lawrence seaway, the Great Lakes and Mississippi River to New Orleans, the Gulf.
Of course, you didn't mention Hawaii. Maybe by the time you get there it will be more boater friendly.
Kind Regards, --JohnL--

[Charlie]

Thanks Kai and Skipr:

Just wondering where people would want to go. Maybe I should skip the aliteration and change the name of the post. Been to Hawaii once on a sailboat '85 Transpac. Very beautiful place. Wouldn't mind going again but want more anchorages.

[Amgine]

<grin> Don't knock my dream!

I have the paid-for boat (smallish), and a few bucks (smallish), but the babe has said to sail the boat somewhere and she'll fly in. So I've done a few cruises inside the passage, and soloed around Vancouver Island. Now, after a refit, we're going to Hawaii. Then turning around and heading back home. (smallish cruise)

I'm kind of hoping for either of two outcomes: SWMBO tells me to wander off downwind and she'll fly out to meet me other places too, or to sail home and trade up to a biggish boat mortgage.

[Charlie]

Hi Amgine:

Hay a little boat is better than no boat and cruisning in a little boat is better than having a big boat never leave the slip. Anyway I'll be up in Victoria BC in Jan to change out my engine and then again in May to go cruising.

[wind rose ll]

How about Palmyra?

[ssullivan]

Great post! I got the babe, too much boat (to afford), and no wad of cash to speak of. ha ha ha

If the planets ever line up and I'm able to actually take this boat somewhere distant, and if all of the harbors of the world were friendly to boaters, I'd do the following:

Go EAST first to see northern Europe, see if I could get this thing into the Rhine somewhere, do the Med all the way west, pull a u-turn and head for the Caribbean. I'd then work West there until the Canal and head off to Galapagos and to all the islands of the Pacific... ending up in NZ (still think this place is amazing) and AU. By this time, I'll probably be dead, so no further plans beyond that. Who knows, maybe the babe will pull in to NZ by herself, as I plan to cruise at a very VERY slow speed. I want to live in areas, not just visit them.

[bvimatelot]

Originally Posted by ssullivan

Great post! I got the babe, too much boat (to afford), and no wad of cash to speak of. ha ha ha

If the planets ever line up and I'm able to actually take this boat somewhere distant, and if all of the harbors of the world were friendly to boaters, I'd do the following:

Go EAST first to see northern Europe, see if I could get this thing into the Rhine somewhere, do the Med all the way west, pull a u-turn and head for the Caribbean. I'd then work West there until the Canal and head off to Galapagos and to all the islands of the Pacific... ending up in NZ (still think this place is amazing) and AU. By this time, I'll probably be dead, so no further plans beyond that. Who knows, maybe the babe will pull in to NZ by herself, as I plan to cruise at a very VERY slow speed. I want to live in areas, not just visit them.

Oh Sean - you put me in mind of that story, probably apocryphal of the little old lady who sailed into Lauderdale (or pick any suitable port) after 3 days alone at sea with her dead husband swinging around the top of the mast on the spare halliard. Apparently he'd gone up the mast to replace a bulb, or whatever and the exertion caused a massive heart attack. She didnt have the upper body strength or knowhow, to lower the corpse.

Is there a message here? Probably a couple: Go NOW (or as early as you can) and maybe, pick a Babe who can either lower you or who doesnt mind the poor sailing ability that too much weight up the mast would cause...... Tony

[Weyalan]

Heh... I have got the boat, the babe and the bucks (well.... I am a little bit light on with the kitty, but I could certainly get by... But, unfortunately, my lovely lady's kids do not share the same passion for sailing & cruising that we do. Fortunately, they are aged 13 & 15, so it is only a matter of 5 years or so until they will be old enough to fend for themselves (they may not like being abandoned, but life is full of tough lessons!)....

But, to answer the original question: The planned route, currently (and believe me, it does change) is:

Leaving from Tasmania, and initially making an anticlockwise curcumnavigation of mainland Australia. Then heading over to PNG, Indonesia, Singpore, up the west side of Malaysia, Thailand, Bay of Bengal to India, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean, East coast of UK, Norway, West coast of UK, Ireland, Caribbean, Central America, PAnama Canal, PAcific Islands, New Zealand, New Caledonia, back to Australia....

Thats just to start with

[Charlie]

I'm glad this thread is being recycled.

Weylan sounds like a good trip. I've got two kids aged 8 and 10 and a wife who doesn't like passages. I've got the rest lined up pretty well. Does anyone know if there is a Brainwashing for Dummies. If there is I might be able to leave this year yet. I'd sure like to visit Tas. It's been on my to do list for years and three trips to Aus.

Sean:
Don't forget what Jimmy B. says "I'm growing older but not up" BTW I love NZ too. hopefully I can getthere on my boat but the admiral wants the Med first.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by bvimatelot

sailed into Lauderdale (or pick any suitable port) after 3 days alone at sea with her dead husband swinging around the top of the mast on the spare halliard.

I bet that would be an effective pirate deterrent.

I can easily see myself spending many years just in the South Pacific. First goal is to get up into the Kimberly region of Aus. After that, just follow the wind.....

[mudnut]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

I bet that would be an effective pirate deterrent.

I can easily see myself spending many years just in the South Pacific. First goal is to get up into the Kimberly region of Aus. After that, just follow the wind.....

If ya really want to go to The Kimberleys try this site "You'll wet ya self."Kimberleycruising.com.au"It's got soooomuch info on every thing you will ever want and need to know,Trust me.Mudnut.

[44'cruisingcat]

Thanks for that Mudnut. That site hasn't made me want to go there any less, that's for sure. Here's a link to it: http://kimberleycruising.com.au/

[dana-tenacity]

All those worried about the kids- drag them along, you'll never regret it. When we were in San Blas we met another boat with kids and swam over to visit. Their story was the three kids did NOT want to go cruising. They told them they would sail to Bermuda ( from Boston) just for the holidays. OK Set sail and didn't stop till they hit the Virgin Is. By San Blas the kids were loving it and never wanted to go back.