Is My Dream Possible?

[captain58sailin]

Once you get a taste for cruising about, you may want to expand your horizons a bit, so when looking for a vessel, keep that in mind, that at a later date, longer trips might be an option. I expect you will be able to gain the experience needed, without too much expense, a friendly person willing to lend a hand around a marina area is usually very welcome, and chances to sail will come early and often, you will soon know what you do and don't want in a vessel. I would advise to spend much time on as many different vessels as you can so that you can learn what attributes are important to you. And spend a lot of time talking with boat owners to get their view. In the end you will have to make up your mind for yourself, but it is good to get as many different perspectives as possible before making your decision.

[Glaucus]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

Once you get a taste for cruising about, you may want to expand your horizons a bit, so when looking for a vessel, keep that in mind, that at a later date, longer trips might be an option. I expect you will be able to gain the experience needed, without too much expense, a friendly person willing to lend a hand around a marina area is usually very welcome, and chances to sail will come early and often, you will soon know what you do and don't want in a vessel. I would advise to spend much time on as many different vessels as you can so that you can learn what attributes are important to you. And spend a lot of time talking with boat owners to get their view. In the end you will have to make up your mind for yourself, but it is good to get as many different perspectives as possible before making your decision.

Thanks Captain. Yes, I was actually thinking about that (buying a boat capable of withstanding the waves of the Ocean). I think it is probably a good idea to save a bit more and buy something really nice. I have seen some boats about 7 meters long that I could buy in 6 months (they cost approx. 6 thousand euros), but maybe it's better to save a bit more and buy something better. I have seen a video about a couple who got a huge vessel for only 3 thousand dollars (it was in a bad state, however). I guess they were just extremely lucky.

[ericoh88]

Spend some time in a boat yard esp. the hard stand. You will see some boats are a project boat. Here in my club, I got to know of boats sitting in the hard for years. Some are going for USD 35k - a 50 footer!! Good hull but it is a project boat which means you need to spend time.

Lots of time or lots of money. Sometimes both.

Good luck in your quest.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

If you chart hurricane frequencies, you will see that the big peak tends to be around Labor Day and by then we were back in school. Of course, "school" was still in Florida so we still had to be alert. We cruised the Bahamas in the summers from 1975 to 2001 (not every summer) and we were only caught once with hurricane Erin in 1995 around August 1st. 'picked a good spot and no damage!

Yep.

And people live there too. Imagine that.

[Glaucus]

Originally Posted by ericoh88

Spend some time in a boat yard esp. the hard stand. You will see some boats are a project boat. Here in my club, I got to know of boats sitting in the hard for years. Some are going for USD 35k - a 50 footer!! Good hull but it is a project boat which means you need to spend time.

Lots of time or lots of money. Sometimes both.

Good luck in your quest.

Thanks. I have posted adverts volunteering as a crew member and I am also reading "The complete Yachtmaster" to get myself acquainted with the basics of sailing. It will take me approximately two years to save enough money to buy a decent sailing yacht. Hopefully by that time I'll have enough experience to buy a good boat at a good price.

Thank you guys for the encouragement and the advices!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Glaucus

Thanks Captain. Yes, I was actually thinking about that (buying a boat capable of withstanding the waves of the Ocean). I think it is probably a good idea to save a bit more and buy something really nice. I have seen some boats about 7 meters long that I could buy in 6 months (they cost approx. 6 thousand euros), but maybe it's better to save a bit more and buy something better. I have seen a video about a couple who got a huge vessel for only 3 thousand dollars (it was in a bad state, however). I guess they were just extremely lucky.

Or were very stupid or deluded - or both. I can't say that they did not get the bargain of a lifetime, but the odds are they bought someone else's problems and tens of thousands of Dollars worth of bills (many tens of).

Very sensible to keep one eye on the future when buying, but given your finances and that you do not know (for yourself) what you want from a boat (if anything - you may hate living aboard!) I think you would be better off getting something you could live on and is seaworthy (if only for coastal use) and the price of that will be less size. Whilst Boatman61 here is on a 21 foot Corribee (6 metres?) in Portugal IMO you want bigger than that, likely in the 26-29 foot range (how big inside depends on design).

The biggest mistake you can make starting out is buying a pile of rubbish with the bills to go with it - apart from the learning to sail stuff (not rocket science) your time is best spent on learning how to buy a boat (what to look for and what things cost to fix - on every boat there is always "stuff" that will eat money and time, you just don't want too much of it!!).........loads and loads of good info already on CF for folks who did (or intended to) do what you are proposing - except every one is slightly different!

Boats is all about choices and puzzling out answers - for yourself, other folks can help get you into the ballpark but only "you" can know what you need or want. and on some of that it will be a Wild Assed Guess!.......but that's boats for ya!

[JPA Cate]

Start small, you don't know whether you like sailing yet. You can get cold, wet, and terrified out there. And just look at the thread by s/v serenity, who abandoned his boat, singlehanding, through lack of preparation and perhaps lack of respect for the sea.

I am not p**ng on your parade, just saying that there is a serious side to all this. Do heed the advice relative to becoming mechanically competent. Being a chemist will be really useful when you want to clean old growth off a dinghy bottom, and for cleaning up spills, but simple mechanics will really help!

Ann

[Glaucus]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Or were very stupid or deluded - or both. I can't say that they did not get the bargain of a lifetime, but the odds are they bought someone else's problems and tens of thousands of Dollars worth of bills (many tens of).

Very sensible to keep one eye on the future when buying, but given your finances and that you do not know (for yourself) what you want from a boat (if anything - you may hate living aboard!) I think you would be better off getting something you could live on and is seaworthy (if only for coastal use) and the price of that will be less size. Whilst Boatman61 here is on a 21 foot Corribee (6 metres?) in Portugal IMO you want bigger than that, likely in the 26-29 foot range (how big inside depends on design).

The biggest mistake you can make starting out is buying a pile of rubbish with the bills to go with it - apart from the learning to sail stuff (not rocket science) your time is best spent on learning how to buy a boat (what to look for and what things cost to fix - on every boat there is always "stuff" that will eat money and time, you just don't want too much of it!!).........loads and loads of good info already on CF for folks who did (or intended to) do what you are proposing - except every one is slightly different!

Boats is all about choices and puzzling out answers - for yourself, other folks can help get you into the ballpark but only "you" can know what you need or want. and on some of that it will be a Wild Assed Guess!.......but that's boats for ya!

Well, they probably got nailed now that I think about it. In the video they were saying that they bought the boat without having seen it in person (bear in mind that they were really young). They were living aboard the boat when the interview was conducted. So, I guess they finally managed to restore it properly.

Thanks for the advice concerning boats. All I want is something which can sail across the Mediterranean. Nothing luxurious. Just a place to sleep, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a shower. It's more or less that same thing I have now in my small apartment, which is probably smaller than most of the 30-foot vessels out there.

There are certain aspects of sailing that are quite difficult for me to understand. For instance, there is a man, Aron Meder, who sailed the world in a 22-foot vessel called Carina; whereas, on the other hand, I've seen threads around here in which a 33-foot vessel is considered not good enough to make it through Cape Horn. What's the most important factor in determining the seaworthiness of a vessel (if a single factor can be individuated)?

[Glaucus]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Start small, you don't know whether you like sailing yet. You can get cold, wet, and terrified out there. And just look at the thread by s/v serenity, who abandoned his boat, singlehanding, through lack of preparation and perhaps lack of respect for the sea.

I am not p**ng on your parade, just saying that there is a serious side to all this. Do heed the advice relative to becoming mechanically competent. Being a chemist will be really useful when you want to clean old growth off a dinghy bottom, and for cleaning up spills, but simple mechanics will really help!

Ann

Thanks. Don't worry, I'll gain some experience before buying my own yacht. Maybe my stomach is not made for the waves, although I've already been in some boats during moderately stormy weather (people around me praying and all that). Luckily I was unreasonable enough not to got scared by the situation.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Glaucus

There are certain aspects of sailing that are quite difficult for me to understand. For instance, there is a man, Aron Meder, who sailed the world in a 22-foot vessel called Carina; whereas, on the other, hand I've seen threads around here in which a 33-foot vessel is considered not good enough to make it through Cape Horn. What's the most important factor in determining the seaworthiness of a vessel (if a single factor can be individuated)?

There is no single factor...
Regarding the boat it depends on the route one takes... a lot of the small boat circumnav's have used the canals rather than the Capes to get around... the ones that take on the Capes and made it in stock boats have usually involved a fair bit of luck with weather and sea's... also picking the right season to do it
Usually though the boats have been beefed up internally/externally to take the pounding down there... the Hunter your talking about likely has tabbed bulkheads.. and on my old one I could slide my finger through the gap between the hull and the bulkhead... did not realise this till I had one pop on me in a blow and I had to strip the carpet lining to fix it..
But even more important than the boat is your own mental/physical strengths and abilities to manage all your systems and keep going in extreme conditions that right now are likely beyond your imagination.... and Hollywood cannot recreate.
My longest solo is 47 days... my longest period at the helm solo with no AP is 31 days... these guys who play down there leave me miles behind...
Folk come on here and say they've a bit of sailing experience... go on about their dreams an ambitions and I used to be one off the 'Go Now' crowd...
True I was an ex Navy guy who'd tinkered in 27ft whalers and 32ft cutters... always 6 coz we used oars back then.
But I'd experienced 3 Oceans and the Med... experienced full on gales and stood on the focsle tending the distance line during RAS's in F7-8's with 20+ft sea's...
My 1st boat came along in the mid 80's and I spent a year sailing the Dorset coast before trying an 80 miles crossing to France and the Channel Isles... my 1st serious trip was not until 95 when I sailed from the UK to Spain... and got clobbered big time in the Biscay by 70kts out of the SE... not nice... but... if I could do it.. anyone could.
These days I say start small.. go slow... after seeing what happens to owners who think a couple of charters in Bali or the Virgins qualifies them for a Trans Ocean... no it does not... its one thing to sail 12 or 24hr crossings.. but the reality for many is the sheer emptiness out there is soul destroying... folk just cant grasp the isolation.. and big hard men have been known to break and cry...
Go slow mate... crawl before you walk... and walk before you run.

[captain58sailin]

Then after you run, learn to crawl again. A lot of newby sailing types, do not have the grasp of the dynamics involved, including the stress on the body from the constant motion. As far as the vastness, it has always filled me with awe and wonder. At night it is like no other place on the planet. Of course if they ever let me on a space ship, I would keep going to out in space until I ran out of oxygen.

[Glaucus]

Originally Posted by boatman61

There is no single factor...
Regarding the boat it depends on the route one takes... a lot of the small boat circumnav's have used the canals rather than the Capes to get around... the ones that take on the Capes and made it in stock boats have usually involved a fair bit of luck with weather and sea's... also picking the right season to do it
Usually though the boats have been beefed up internally/externally to take the pounding down there... the Hunter your talking about likely has tabbed bulkheads.. and on my old one I could slide my finger through the gap between the hull and the bulkhead... did not realise this till I had one pop on me in a blow and I had to strip the carpet lining to fix it..
But even more important than the boat is your own mental/physical strengths and abilities to manage all your systems and keep going in extreme conditions that right now are likely beyond your imagination.... and Hollywood cannot recreate.
My longest solo is 47 days... my longest period at the helm solo with no AP is 31 days... these guys who play down there leave me miles behind...
Folk come on here and say they've a bit of sailing experience... go on about their dreams an ambitions and I used to be one off the 'Go Now' crowd...
True I was an ex Navy guy who'd tinkered in 27ft whalers and 32ft cutters... always 6 coz we used oars back then.
But I'd experienced 3 Oceans and the Med... experienced full on gales and stood on the focsle tending the distance line during RAS's in F7-8's with 20+ft sea's...
My 1st boat came along in the mid 80's and I spent a year sailing the Dorset coast before trying an 80 miles crossing to France and the Channel Isles... my 1st serious trip was not until 95 when I sailed from the UK to Spain... and got clobbered big time in the Biscay by 70kts out of the SE... not nice... but... if I could do it.. anyone could.
These days I say start small.. go slow... after seeing what happens to owners who think a couple of charters in Bali or the Virgins qualifies them for a Trans Ocean... no it does not... its one thing to sail 12 or 24hr crossings.. but the reality for many is the sheer emptiness out there is soul destroying... folk just cant grasp the isolation.. and big hard men have been known to break and cry...
Go slow mate... crawl before you walk... and walk before you run.

Thanks for your post. I didn't know that the psychological aspect of a transoceanic voyage can be so demanding. That makes sailing even more interesting. I wonder if something inside those people changes during those long solo sailings.

[Glaucus]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

Then after you run, learn to crawl again. A lot of newby sailing types, do not have the grasp of the dynamics involved, including the stress on the body from the constant motion. As far as the vastness, it has always filled me with awe and wonder. At night it is like no other place on the planet. Of course if they ever let me on a space ship, I would keep going to out in space until I ran out of oxygen.

Why is it so special at night?

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Glaucus

Why is it so special at night?

For one thing, you will see the stars as you see them no other place.

You'll see the moon as you see it no other place.

The water looks different at night -- magical.

If you're REALLY lucky, you'll see bioluminesensce some summer night in just the right place at just the right time.

The Finnish have a word for one beautiful thing you see -- moon shining across the water. In English it translates to "moon bridge."

[Glaucus]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

For one thing, you will see the stars as you see them no other place.

You'll see the moon as you see it no other place.

The water looks different at night -- magical.

If you're REALLY lucky, you'll see bioluminesensce some summer night in just the right place at just the right time.

The Finnish have a word for one beautiful thing you see -- moon shining across the water. In English it translates to "moon bridge."

Amazing! I had no idea. I can't wait to see something like that.