Nightmares

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

I sometimes come across the odd Human that is trying that technique :-)

Some, of course, try to shut down both ... and succeed.

Look at any parliament.


Connemara

[Mike Banks]

I think that such a dream is based on a possible reality.

You sail a fine coastal cruiser and a delightful vessel. One can get into bother even in a coastal area with a sudden change in weather--but usually you are close to rescue. Forecasts are not always right but are generally OK, so one can usually decide when or when not to leave port. On an ocean there is no place to run--all one can do is batten down and let the sea do its very considerable thing.

I think your boat is too small to risk withstanding a really bad ocean storm.

For me thirty feet is a practical minimum for a Pacific crossing because one simply can not carry enough provisions and fuel, spares, stores and sefety gear and stow it safely while still having enough uncluttered space for oneself on a twenty foot boat.

I do not think buying your boat and outfitting it was a bad decision--I think it is a wonderful vessel to explore the coast and offshore Islands. That would be what I would do for the first year or so.

THEN if I thought I could cross an ocean in the boat, I would do so based on my personal experience rather than conjecture--and I would be better experienced and qualified to handle a severe storm at sea.

Your boat is going to be heavily loaded if making an ocean crossing--so it will be slower than most and more vulnerable in a storm. Moreover it will be at sea for longer and therefore statistically more likely to meet bad weather if there is any about.

Having said that, if you pick the right weather window you might be very unlucky to strike any really bad weather. If you do though--a boat twenty feet in length will have to ride out such a storm on a drogue or sea anchor to avoid the risk of broaching--which means some really mind and body taxing shaking about for what could be two or more days.

An extra few feet in length might not seem a lot--but it will make a big difference to one's chances of a comfortable crossing. With your present vessel you will feel almost every bump on the ocean--and it can get very bumpy out there at times.

Very few people have made ocean crossings on a vessel of twenty feet in length compared to those who did it in a vessel of twenty six feet and larger. Even thirty feet can get uncomfortable in a modest gale and you are almost certain to get one in the time it would take your boat to go from Mexico to the Marquesas.

Much better you experience it closer to possible rescue--so you know what you are in for--then decide whether or not you need to move up to a larger vessel for the main event.

Alleviate any concerns by taking away the worry. Never feel compelled to do anything out of bravado or the expectations of others which might prejudice your safety at sea.

[Mike Banks]

By the way--it does not take a hurricane to put waves 20 feet high up on an ocean. A moderate gale over a long fetch will achieve that in a few hours--

[Ex-Calif]

I had a nightmare where I bought a boat and had to replace the head, through hulls, anti-fouling (twice), pulpit, chain plates, running rigging, compass, batteries and seven or eight electrical items in the first 4 months of ownership.

I am still waiting to wake up...

[Trim50]

I have a re-occurring nightmare about once every couple of months. The dream is always about by previous boat, a CSY-44, in which I’ve left it for many years without attending to it. I suddenly realize that I need to work on it and I can’t remember where I left it. I usually find it in a small marina or old barn near an abandoned marina. In most cases I spend most of my dream state repairing and refitting the boat. I have also found myself pushing and pulling a 44 ft boat across a muddy field to get it to water.

[rebel heart]

My fiance has had a few nightmares. One where I let the (non existent at the moment) baby drown with the boat, and another where the boat drifted away, out of the harbor.

Not sure I want to admit my nightmares here. I am sure there are a few psychologists on board, and would hate for anyone to figure out how screwed up I am I am, after all rebuilding my third boat, and that is not including all the boats I have owned, sailed, but only done cosmetic work to.
Now my wife... She has repeated nightmares about me buying another boat