Sailing The South For A Year! Advise, Tips & Stories Wanted!

[OldManMirage]

My advice - which I'm hoping to follow myself, and what I'm planning to do - would be to sail the Atlantic Circle. Essentially you leave the east coast of the U.S. for Bermuda, then the Azores, Madeira, Canaries, Cape Verde and then back across the Atlantic to somewhere in the Caribbean, where you would work your way back up to where you started. Or maybe stay south of the hurricane belt in Venezuela or Panama and head to the Pacific ?

But the Circle takes about a year and you follow the weather patterns in order to be in the right places at the right times. There is a book called ""The Atlantic Crossing Guide" that's worth a read, lot's of information.

Like I said, it's my plan after I give my wife a vacation in the Bahamas as a shakedown. She does not want to do the ocean passages, but she's fine with letting me go. Still not sure what that means !

[AiniA]

Get Cornell's book and study it carefully. It will tell you the best time to go from A to B and more importantly the worst time. The routing and timing just tends to work out for you.We did a four year circumnavigation and had friends who did a 21 year one. Not worth rushing, you miss the good bits. Also note that it is a bit difficult to schedule. We went from Oz along the southern islands in Indonesia before heading to South Africa. A lot of boats went through Indonesia to Malaysia and Thailand. That means an extra year, you can't go for a few months since it messes up your arrival time in SA.

You mention boats from 32 to 46 feet. That is a hell of a difference in all respects - price being just one way. Start by defining your purchase and operating budgets. As a former Catalina 36 Nk II owner it would not be near my first choice for the trips you are considering.

[PushingThePen]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

My advice - which I'm hoping to follow myself, and what I'm planning to do - would be to sail the Atlantic Circle. Essentially you leave the east coast of the U.S. for Bermuda, then the Azores, Madeira, Canaries, Cape Verde and then back across the Atlantic to somewhere in the Caribbean, where you would work your way back up to where you started. Or maybe stay south of the hurricane belt in Venezuela or Panama and head to the Pacific ?

But the Circle takes about a year and you follow the weather patterns in order to be in the right places at the right times. There is a book called ""The Atlantic Crossing Guide" that's worth a read, lot's of information.

Like I said, it's my plan after I give my wife a vacation in the Bahamas as a shakedown. She does not want to do the ocean passages, but she's fine with letting me go. Still not sure what that means !

She's hoping to collect the insurance. Lol

That route sounds pretty reasonable. I'd need to have the boat in the water on the East Coast before the season, which is manageable.

I'll definitely check out the reading recommendation. I've added a few others from another's recommendation to the list.

I don't want to go up north into the squall zones and more specifically the cold! Had enough of that when I was a kid. I'll take a cruise for the ice runs.

When are you planning to make the run? I'm looking to join up with others for the trip.

[PushingThePen]

Originally Posted by AiniA

Get Cornell's book and study it carefully. It will tell you the best time to go from A to B and more importantly the worst time. The routing and timing just tends to work out for you.We did a four year circumnavigation and had friends who did a 21 year one. Not worth rushing, you miss the good bits. Also note that it is a bit difficult to schedule. We went from Oz along the southern islands in Indonesia before heading to South Africa. A lot of boats went through Indonesia to Malaysia and Thailand. That means an extra year, you can't go for a few months since it messes up your arrival time in SA.

You mention boats from 32 to 46 feet. That is a hell of a difference in all respects - price being just one way. Start by defining your purchase and operating budgets. As a former Catalina 36 Nk II owner it would not be near my first choice for the trips you are considering.

I was recommended Cornell's books. They're on my list.

Where boat did you take? What would you recommend? I'm looking for suggestions, before making a final purchase. I'm looking for something that can be managed easily by own, even if equipment fails, but can run with a couple as well.

[boatman61]

The problem with Cornell books is.. there's thousands following them and you all end up in the same places..
I prefer decent Pilot Charts and work out my own routes as I go.. some are unavoidable but others less so.
For example many follow his Caribe-Bermuda-Azores route.. I prefer the straight across route passing SE of the Azores, the weather is so much nicer..

[PushingThePen]

Originally Posted by boatman61

The problem with Cornell books is.. there's thousands following them and you all end up in the same places..
I prefer decent Pilot Charts and work out my own routes as I go.. some are unavoidable but others less so.
For example many follow his Caribe-Bermuda-Azores route.. I prefer the straight across route passing SE of the Azores, the weather is so much nicer..

Great to know! Really don't want to be in the masses!!! Good general guide, but use some discretion for better relaxation?

How many times have you made the run?

[boatman61]

Florida/Caribe to Azores... around 12 times, first in 2000.. 2 solo.
From Florida I pass over the top of the Bahamas and grab SE'ing as I go from fronts coming down from the N.
Have done one solo run Beaufort - Azores passing N of Bermuda, first time 2004 when a wave dumped on me just N of Bermuda which punched out a f'wd bulkhead, freaked me out so turned and ran back to Oriental for repairs.. went again '05 in same boat and got hammered for 5 days W of Flores by 60+kts.. mind you, there were about 40 of us out there scattered from where I was round to the S... one of those times the route made no difference..

[PushingThePen]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Florida/Caribe to Azores... around 12 times, first in 2000.. 2 solo.
From Florida I pass over the top of the Bahamas and grab SE'ing as I go from fronts coming down from the N.
Have done one solo run Beaufort - Azores passing N of Bermuda, first time 2004 when a wave dumped on me just N of Bermuda which punched out a f'wd bulkhead, freaked me out so turned and ran back to Oriental for repairs.. went again '05 in same boat and got hammered for 5 days W of Flores by 60+kts.. mind you, there were about 40 of us out there scattered from where I was round to the S... one of those times the route made no difference..

Sounds like fun... The ** of fun! Lol

How did you connect with the group you cruised with, or was it just a coincidence?

What boat did you take?

What was the crossing time?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by PushingThePen

Sounds like fun... The ** of fun! Lol

How did you connect with the group you cruised with, or was it just a coincidence?

What boat did you take?

What was the crossing time?

Was not in a group.. it was the peak time of the annual migration to Europe.. we ran into each other in Horta and swung the lantern in Peters Bar, the watering hole the voyagers congregate at..
Boat was a Hunter 37c, took 35days coz my wheel pilot died just past Bermuda so it was sail sunrise to set then heave to and grab some zzzzz's.
The 5 days of the blow was spent laying a hull.

[PushingThePen]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Was not in a group.. it was the peak time of the annual migration to Europe.. we ran into each other in Horta and swung the lantern in Peters Bar, the watering hole the voyagers congregate at..
Boat was a Hunter 37c, took 35days coz my wheel pilot died just past Bermuda so it was sail sunrise to set then heave to and grab some zzzzz's.
The 5 days of the blow was spent laying a hull.

Thanks for the Peter's! I added it to my list for that leg of the trip! Like like a fun place to visit and share a drink or ten with others of the like mind.

This first year's run is starting to sound like I'm not going to make it out of the Caribbean before bad weather hits. Might just slip it there and then make the run to the Azores the next clear season.

I've been looking at the Hunter (especially the 37 series) as one of my possible boats for the trip. How was it as a solo? What's the good and bad and you'd have done different in the setup? Specific details on sails, anchors, equipment, etc. would be appreciated.

Though I want to pick up some hitchhikers and travelers along the way, a lot of this will be by myself. Want to spend the quite time writing and in self-reflection. A good solo setup is crucial to that process.

[Sam Woodbridge]

We all push the pen somehow uh?

If I was you. I would figure out your budget for a Boat.

AND politely ask Boatman61 what he recommends.

I think it can be simple like that, but what do I know.

I can tell you if you put sometime into reading the past posts of Boatman61 you will gain trust in his opinion.

Best of luck penpusher! The choosiest decisions are made with the ones who have made the mistakes buddy.

[goboatingnow]

The thought of a year or two to go round the world horrifies me. Personally I’d be scheduling 10 years , we can spend literally a week or more in an Anchorage we like and months in a given cruising area.

I hate the “ it’s Tuesday so it must be Belgium “ type of vacation planning. ( it seems to be a peculiarly American trait )

Not to mention that “ going round the world “ seems like a ridiculous goal in itself.

[PushingThePen]

Yes, we do. I've made a good living from it in the past and decided to finish some choice projects that matter to me. This choice is all opportunity to do just that.

Before I budget on the boat, I'm taking the opinion of others on their choices of what they liked and disliked about the ones they used for similar adventures. Ranging from the model to the equipment they had or wished they had, including what they could have done without, as part of my research. Proper planning at this stage can keep from getting frustrated or in a bind at a later one on the trip.

If you check out my last response, prior to this one, you'll see I had asked him just that question. Specifically with regards to the Hunter 27 he used.

Having spent enough time on the water, I can tell who actually knows what their talking about and who is just talking. I take both with a grain of salt... Or in the case a sip of salt water.

Getting the feedback from a variety of people that have done a lot of blue water sailing will give me a better focus on what budget I want to apply to my initial purchase and how much to upgrading it. Necessary compared to luxury or desire. There's things I know I'll want, but even those are subjective to brands and reliability and ease of use.

Certain things all boaters face. Storage, stability, reliability, bad weather security, safety, etc. Starting with good bones is the key. From there everything else can be adjusted.

Understanding new technology compared to old school practices is a crucial step in the process. Technology fails, so understanding how to read the stars is an important thing to know. Having the right tools, or the ability to make them gives me a distinct advantage over the novice. Have the money to get what I need and the skills to do the work if something breaks are a couple of others.

Though I've the funding, it doesn't mean I need to be reckless with it. Focusing on these with the hands-on experience of actually working in a restrictive budget gives a better grasp of what's actually needed, rather than what's when because someone was too lazy to learn the basics for sailing into the blue.

Getting the advise is only a part of the process. The other part is understanding what they mean by it and how I'll apply it to my journey. That's why I'm taking these next several months fielding questions and answers for my research to a properly prepared, less stressed journey.

I take mistakes as great learning lessons. Made a lot in my life. Learned along the way how to learn from the mistakes of others. Too bad more people haven't.

Thanks for the wish of luck!

[goboatingnow]

By the way delivery skippers are good for route knowledge but hopeless as tourists. I know cause I did years of it. Deliveries are under time pressure

[PushingThePen]

I couldn't agree more! Hence why I'm not going around the world. Just picking some places I want to visit and a set amount of time for the first leg... However far that gets me.

I'm not in a rush to get anywhere on this trip. Spent my life rushing around so that I could have this opportunity to not rush. Doing it before I get too old to do it as well.

I'll probably spend another year just running the Greek Isles, around Italy and Spain. Too much good food and wine to go too fast. Little Count of Monte Cristo tour of sorts.

The purpose of this first trip is for my mental well-being and to finish some writing projects, as well as see how some of the places I've been in the past have changed in the past 30 years. Doing it from the water side is just an additional adventure. Plus it'll help me get my boating skills refreshed without killing myself.

Great to know on the delivery skippers. When I was running boats up to clients I never made it a mandated schedule. Always figured spots to stop for a nice meal, a good drink, music, etc. Except a few times when I was out running the weather. Which is never fun!

What makes this also an enjoyable trip is a few friends will be flying in to their favorite locations to join me for some local sailing.