Decisions Decisions.. A newby's quandry

[Heath68]

Hi All,

Very new to sailing and to writing on forums!

Recently completed a day skipper course.. am hoping to do some mile-builders (suggestions?) over the coming year or two... then its asta-la-vista as we set off on our circumnavigation.

Our plan is to slowly sail round the world tasting the food, seeing the sights of as many places as possible on the way. My route was mapped out some time ago starting in the US and travelling anti-clockwise finishing in the UK.

My fears at the moment are around Piracy particularly near the suez (my route takes me neither round the cape or the bottom of South America).. and at the moment my time is taken up choosing an appropriate Cat to do it on.

My faves so far in this regard are the Antares 44i, The Helia 44 or Saba 50 or an Xquisite X50.. the main reason is that I'd like to do this with just me and the wife.. possibly with one other but probably just the two of us.

Regards

Heath

[Suijin]

Volunteer as crew for cruisers making passages. There are numerous resources for that, such as the one here. I'm sure the World ARC provides that service to it's subscribers as well, perhaps in the form of a forum section.

You'll gain a good bit of experience doing this on everything from boat outfitting, provisioning, life at sea, as well as general seamanship. Nothing beats direct experience for learning.

Then start chartering when you're comfortable with it to build your base of experience and knowledge.

Both routes will also give you some direct experience on different boats that will allow you to better evaluate your own needs and preferences leading up to buying a boat. While it's fun to contemplate different boats, thinking about what boat you're going to buy now is a bit like deciding on what car you're going to purchase when you don't even have your learner's permit.

Don't worry about piracy. There are ways to remain safe, or at least decrease your chances of it being an issue for you to where it's less than the risk of being hit by lightening. Put another way, there are many, many more risks to life and limb when circumnavigating that are of greater concern as far as preparations and planning go than piracy.

[Heath68]

I had read in another forum here about the perils of piracy and having to put razor wire round the boat and think about carrying guns! .. not quite what I had in mind when passing Yemen!

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Heath68

I had read in another forum here about the perils of piracy and having to put razor wire round the boat and think about carrying guns! .. not quite what I had in mind when passing Yemen!

Ah yes....... you will also learn the end of the world is nigh and Cardiff is the worst place for piracy.

Er Ok.. the bit about Cardiff is correct but you get my drift.
Come to think of it, maybe the end of the world bit is right as well.