Back to the sea after 26 years!

[Bijimini]

My wife and I got married while on a year long cruise aboard our Tartan 30 Escapade in 1985-86. We planned to get back to cruising after finishing our work obligations, but got sidetracked into whitewater and wilderness canoeing and then van camping throughout Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. Now we're in the process of buying a boat and preparing to go cruising again. We turned 41 and 50 the last time around (you do the math!) Luckily, we're both in vigorous and in good health. The main difference between then and now is the change in navigation equipment. Then we depended on LORAN, a compass, and a depth sounder. Now we have to learn about about GPS, chart plotters and what at this point seems a bewildering amount of electronic equipment. We'll be starting out in the Chesapeake in the spring, and so we'll have plenty of time for getting to know our new (to us) boat and all her equipment before heading for the islands. BTW we are also photographers. If you are interested you can see the kind of work we do at Fotogypsies Cheers!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Welcome to CF.

(I tried doing the math - but ran out of fingers!).

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Bijimini

My wife and I got married while on a year long cruise aboard our Tartan 30 Escapade in 1985-86. We planned to get back to cruising after finishing our work obligations, but got sidetracked into whitewater and wilderness canoeing and then van camping throughout Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. Now we're in the process of buying a boat and preparing to go cruising again. We turned 41 and 50 the last time around (you do the math!) Luckily, we're both in vigorous and in good health. The main difference between then and now is the change in navigation equipment. Then we depended on LORAN, a compass, and a depth sounder. Now we have to learn about about GPS, chart plotters and what at this point seems a bewildering amount of electronic equipment. We'll be starting out in the Chesapeake in the spring, and so we'll have plenty of time for getting to know our new (to us) boat and all her equipment before heading for the islands. BTW we are also photographers. If you are interested you can see the kind of work we do at Fotogypsies Cheers!

WOW! You had a 16 year old bride (and you managed to hang onto her LOL).
Congratulations on the silver wedding anniversary .

Welcome to CF.
Hope the purchase and preparation go smoothly and you are back on the water soon.

[Coops]

Welcome, my partner is also a photographer so i put her onto your site. Some great shots on there, you both have the eye.

Coops.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Bijimini.

[steamgoat]

Welcome,we also got married in '85 while on a cruise !!Out of boating since then until last year we purchased a Tartan 37. You aren't kidding about the electronics !! Compass RDF and sextant was just fine ! Have fun, buy another Tartan ! Bruce.

[Bijimini]

Thanks to all for your welcomes. We considered the Tartan 37, but didn't find one readily available. We are in the process of buying a Tayana 42, contingent on the survey, which takes place next week.

[Snore]

Welcome aboard.


Since you appear to be Michigan based, I have to ask....did you paddle a Kruger?

Bill

[Bijimini]

No, I paddled a Mohawk Probe whitewater, and, most recently, we paddled a Bell Northstar flatwater canoe. Before that, we explored Algonquin and the Boren Lakes of British Columbia in a Mad River Malecite.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to hear you're coming back.
You don't need the new electronics but they certainly are a lot easier than the "dark art" of celestial. I did my cruising liveaboard stuff before GPS too. My advice is to start comparing electronic systems on other people's boats to see what you like. I haven't bought the good stuff yet but just use an old handheld Garmin to get me started.
Tayana have teak decks, aarghh?
kind regards,

[Bijimini]

Hi John,
No, no teak decks on this one. In our search for boats we did learn what a headache these could be.

Still debating the electronics issue. The boat we have a contract on has some, but not very up to date. In our search we sailed on a Westsail 42 with a GPS chart plotter at the helm, and I saw how nice that could be, especially in the ICW on the east coast, where there are miles of narrow channels to navigate. They would have been very helpful in the Bahamas, too, although my wife/first mate got very good at eyeballing the water.

[captain58sailin]

Welcome to the forum, compared to some of the older Lorans, these new fangled GPSs are easy, and plotters make it even easier, just don't forget to look out the window.

[Bijimini]

Thanks. Most definitely will do!

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by Bijimini

Hi John,
No, no teak decks on this one. In our search for boats we did learn what a headache these could be.

Still debating the electronics issue. The boat we have a contract on has some, but not very up to date. In our search we sailed on a Westsail 42 with a GPS chart plotter at the helm, and I saw how nice that could be, especially in the ICW on the east coast, where there are miles of narrow channels to navigate. They would have been very helpful in the Bahamas, too, although my wife/first mate got very good at eyeballing the water.

I helped a friend on his Cheoy Lee Sigma 38 sail down the Columbia (motored mostly) and down the coast of Oregon. Those GPS Chart plotters are very nice in narrow and possibly shallow waters.

kind regards,

[Kettlewell]

Use whatever electronics and plotter the boat comes with until you get more time back on the water and can talk to folks and see what they are using. It is very easy to spend a lot of money and end up with something that isn't right for you. Personally, I still like having a lot of paper charts, chartbooks, and regular old plotting tools around. I still haven't seen a chart plotter aboard any boat that can provide me with a 3 x 4 foot view of an area at a high resolution that is also sunlight viewable, which a paper chart can do. On a plotter you either get a small area at decent resolution, or a large area at worthless resolution. YMMV.