Come with Me if You Want to Live

[Moonriser]

Oh and Thomm, your son's band sounds great!

[Freedom45]

Hey..."Don't dream your life, live your dream"

Does your girl friend have a sister?

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Well, for once I will not argue with you. You can probably guess what he went through dealing with me on this. And I'm not upset at all. Plus, he's a real musician, not just a guitar player. I couldn't become that if I tried. I'm an engineer/tech type.

But we did have a tough week at work, and I socked away a few more dollars. I also went and looked at several boats this past weekend. Funny thing was none were built as strong as my old Bristol. So, I may load up all my books (or a Kindle) one day and head out too to a different lifestyle.

I have friends who went through this. They despaired of what would become of their son. He's an MD and she's an opera singer with a master's degree. I won't go through all the issues but there were plenty. College was kind of the final straw. He did one semester but it just wasn't for him.

He's an established musician -- in Nashville. He's doing really, really well. All that time he spent playing his guitar instead of doing his English homework? Turns out it was time well spent.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Teknav

Fred Flintstones told Wilma that he can be a commercial airline pilot in just three days...the last time I watched him, he was still carving out rocks from Mr. Sleight's quarry! It never hurts to dream!

Mauritz
Laugh and the world will laugh with you...

the hem of your skrit is showing,Its Slate as in slate quarry, Mr Slate..Of course he could have been german and in that case Sleight could have been excepted,but I never heard Fred say one way or the other...

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Tim R.

Moon, many would say that your boat may not be up to the task you have planned. In reality it is usually the people who are not up to the task. Many boats go on floating after the people have been picked from them. That being said, you should sail that o'day in some challenging conditions before you set off. It is not the ideal boat and certainly not a boat I and many others would consider for this endeavor. An o'day 28 was not designed or built to sail in open ocean conditions. Many here will argue that it can be done which is true but you will not have a safe vessel if the weather ***** hits the fan when you are in the middle of an ocean. This is in no way a criticism of your choice but more of a warning for your safety.

Good ,sound advice...

[Teknav]

Hiya Tropics! What a good catch! I stand corrected; slate it is! You just won a gallon of Pina Collada.

Mauritz
Knows All and Sees All...ONLY a Dullah (Fries Included)

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Moonriser

Oh and Thomm, your son's band sounds great!

Thanks. That's one of many. His first was at age 9. His dream........

Btw, he also sails and seemed to grasp it better than I ever did but when you start sailing at 10 years old it helps I think. He was skipper at 13-14 and sailing across open water at 15. (Hobie 16s)

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I have friends who went through this. They despaired of what would become of their son. He's an MD and she's an opera singer with a master's degree. I won't go through all the issues but there were plenty. College was kind of the final straw. He did one semester but it just wasn't for him.

He's an established musician -- in Nashville. He's doing really, really well. All that time he spent playing his guitar instead of doing his English homework? Turns out it was time well spent.

He's probably good at English (writing) too. Those type folks usually are.......

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by thomm225

He's probably good at English (writing) too. Those type folks usually are.......

I don't know. He is strictly an instrumentalist. Doesn't sing, doesn't write songs. Gets through life well, so his speaking English is good enough. But his path for life was so different than that of his parents' -- and he did do some really bone-headed things when he was younger. It all worked out in the end, though.

[Kache Walk]

I agree with Ryon. You have alot already going for you, including a fair amount of experience and the time to gain more. It sounds like the choice of the Oday has folks concerned about that part of your plan, but as others have said, you can use it for now, maintain it well, and upgrade as needed. In my very limited experience, I can see that a big part of success (and often overlooked) is the character of the sailors. Composure under difficulty, being resourceful, flexibility in dealing with what you are dealt, taking pleasure in the simple things...these are key and can't be purchased at any price.

[robwilk37]

the voice of experience here...

sailing around the world on a small (SMALL!) boat - tough, double tough, but fun and worthwhile and you should try it. despite all the perils, statistically the most dangerous part will be driving to the marina before you leave. you will get the crap scared out of you with uncommon frequency so just accept that going in. you will be, at times, miserable. you will be, at times, challenged to your breaking point, frustrated as hell and want desperately to be anywhere else. thats just part of it. you will also, at times, be wildly ecstatic, beaming with pride, joyous beyond measure and vibrantly alive, and doing it with someone you love will more than compensate for all the hardships. the day-to-day experience of your lives will just be amplified...

a few tips to ease your trip. go tent camping now in bad weather, as much as you can. move aboard now and every couple of weeks lock yourselves on the boat and unplug the shore cord. this will expose many many many problems/shortcomings/deficiencies in your boat, supplies, compatibility etc. better to work on those now then when youre shipping green water to the cockpit in the agulhas straight. also, and this point can not be over-emphasized, to cruise on your budget, you must be capable and confident enough to do ALL of your own boat work. everything. take abundant spares and just accept the fact that your cruise on that boat will largely be 'boat maintenance in exotic ports'. stuff is going to break and its not necessarily a reflection of your skills or your boat its just the reality of crossing oceans. if you cant fix things yourselves then youre budget is toast.

also i would say dont get too hung-up on going all the way around. deadlines and goals are usually dream killers. theres a lot of adventure to be had between you and OZ, and a lot bad water between OZ and the second half of the trip.

so go, fair winds to you both, and take pictures or it didnt really happen.

[Normanby]

Originally Posted by atoll

sounds like a love nest in the making!
better make sure the gf doesnt get preggy,
otherwise your plan is a non starter

+1
I've got me boat, but still trying to chisel the teen out of the nest.
I'll abandon her in a few months, I've put off the dream long enough...

[laika]

You might find this site useful: Atom Voyages - Planning

Geared towards the small boat. Maybe your ODay isn't the ideal boat for the job, but there are certainly modifications you can make to improve on what you've got.

[Ocean Girl]

Oday looks good to me :-). With vessels like that you will want to have extra stuff for when it breaks( like rudder), beef up the weak areas, have good weather prediction. The up side to having to do this is you will get to know your vessel intimately before departure.

Sounds like you two know what you a about but still will give more advice
Low budget means doing the work yourself. Lean to sew, take diesel mechanics course, and any course you can about understanding weather patterns and such.
Go to boat swaps, it is amazing the stuff you can get cheap..let me show off the booty I got for $81.00 US
the snatch blocks were my fav
two seat cushions too!

I forgot to take pics of the engine sound proofing for 15 buck!!

Don't get too caught up in gadgets, make your vessel sound, set up back ups system for when things break ( critical systems need even a third back plan), another big one is to not be too tied to a schedule unless it is weather .

Anyways, good luck, you can do it. Keep us up to date when you can. Yes, I'm one of the cheerleaders here, get a lot of eye rolling. But I have sailing offshore experience, over 25+ thousand ocean miles. My parents circumnavigated, the very route you are choosing, so not just an armchair sailor.
Cheers, Godspeed to your adventures.


PS
Oh and my parents averaged $30,000 a year, comfortably cruising, this included upgrades, maintenance, everything. They sailed RTW in 5 years.

PPS
Great blog Beth and Evans Home Page

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by robwilk37

also i would say dont get too hung-up on going all the way around. deadlines and goals are usually dream killers. theres a lot of adventure to be had between you and OZ, and a lot bad water between OZ and the second half of the trip.

So true. The main thing is to go, it's not about where but just that you have an adventure. Don't forget what it was like to be a kid and get lost in your back yard. That's what adventure is all about: recreating the sense of wonder we all once had as children.

Originally Posted by laika

You might find this site useful: Atom Voyages - Planning

I second this. Just order the book. It is available on Kindle and one hell of a read.