Hello from Hudson Force 50 - San Francisco, CA

[firstm8]

Good morning! I thought I would take a moment and introduce myself. My name is Joe and my partner and I just recently (in the last 3 weeks) purchased a 1981 Hudson Force 50 Ketch. Overall length 58'. We are currently liveaboards in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are refitting the boat for our journey South. Our plan is to sail the coast of California to Mexico and cross over to the East Coast and sail the Caribbean and Florida Keys.

We are extremely limited in our sailing experience but have been working on our boat and learning to maneuver her. We are planning on taking sailing and safety courses and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We have met a few people that have offered to take us out sailing on our boat to show us the ropes, so to speak.

I am also trying to locate design plans and schematics for our systems because the boat has some incorrect system settings. Overall, the boat is in fantastic shape. Just some cosmetic and instrument updating.

[imagine2frolic]

Being from S.F. myself. I would get some lessons in quick if you plan to sail south, and then east after the canal. The summer winds on the bay are starting to die down, and it's time to take advantage of that.

You have a lot boat there with no experience, and this mix can be trouble. I would take lessons from a professional on my own boat. The expense maybe well worth it. You have a lot to accomplish in 2-3 months. You leave much later, and it can be frightening on that coastline. I am not wanting to rain on your parade, and what you suggest is not impossible, but may very well be improbable........i2f

[David M]

This is great advice from imagine2. I agree that you need to take more baby steps. Perhaps take a year to do some SF Bay sailing, take a trip around the Farallons, sail to Santa Cruz, sail to Catalina and then perhaps Mexico. Then consider taking off on the big adventure after about a year. By doing this you will be far more educated and also know much better how your boat must be equipped to suit your needs. You will also be much more safe.

Hiring a professional instructor is also a great idea. They know how to teach sailing as opposed to a friend of a friend who knows how to sail but does not know how to teach sailing...there is a huge difference.

[firstm8]

Thanks for the information, I think I missed a few things along the way.

We are definitely taking our time. We are not planning to do this trip in the next few months. We are going to be sailing Mexico AFTER a year of learning, living and fixing the boat. Our long term goal is to sail through Panama and end up over by Florida.

Believe me, we are taking baby steps. We are learning the systems of the entire boat first. It is a motor sailer so we have 225 gallons of diesel and a decent motor so we are using the motor to get a feel for it. We have yet to raise any sails because of our lack of experience but will be doing that once we begin classes.

Thanks for the advise.

[imagine2frolic]

That sounds much more reasonable, and safe too. BEST WISHES in making a successful trip.There's tons of free knowledge here, so take advantage.........i2f

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and Welcome aboard!
I agree with I2F about taking some sailing lessons. First a basic sailing course and see what you want to do from there. The CG Auxiliary has a good classroom course but doesn't provide on the water which is pretty much necessary so find a club that teaches basic sailing and do the CG Aux course in addition. Friends who have been instructors in the past are a good resource but you don't want to learn someone else's bad habits so be careful about who you invite aboard to teach you.
regards,

[firstm8]

Thanks SkiprJohn,

We are looking into joining a club and the ones we are looking at do offer sailing classes. I have already looked into the CG Auxiliary (my Uncle is an inspector) but the classes began before we arrived by 2 weeks and we would have missed another 3 weeks due to prior commitments. One of the draw backs that I noticed was the classes were just that, classes with no water time.

We do have a neighbor that is 2nd in command with an outfit that rescues boats at sea, i.e. Dangerous Catch and so on. He is willing to show us the ropes, so to speak...

Thanks,

[swagman]

G;Day Guys,

And welcome. Good to read of the plans and hope you enjoy the adventure in front of you. Be sure to keep the site posted, lots here would love to hear of your experiences on the way.

Cheers
JOHN

[firstm8]

Thanks John, We are excited and have been enjoying learning as much as we can. I have been reading about other families and following their website. It is amazing! I will definitely keep everyone posted.

[lorenzo b]

Hi guys
We just left SF after 30 yrs in the Noe Valley to fix up a boat we got in La.
Just wanted to mention that the Sea of Cortez and Baja should not be passed over, and also the Pacific side of Panama is fabulous.
Best of luck and hope to meet you out there.

[firstm8]

It is beginning to sound like we will have to take a more extensive look at the Sea of Cortez...We did have plans to sail the Pacific Coastline prior to heading towards the Bahamas...

Thanks!

[lorenzo b]

If you google Baja Expeditions you'll get a good idea of all the beautiful stuff to see and do around Baja and the Sea of Cortez. We took some trips with them a few years back and fell in love with the Sea of Cortez, but having your own boat you will not be needing someone packing you a lunch.
Save you're trip to Indonesia for last because once you see it you'll never leave, unless maybe you're headed to Brazil.

[anjou]

If you need specific boat advice, might I suggest joining the group, if your not already members.

www.force50.org/

[firstm8]

Thanks Lorenzo. We have been researching the Sea of Cortez due to the amount of recommendations we were getting.

Thanks Anjou for your recommendation, we do already belong to the force50.org group.

[rbrucet]

Hi Joe and DJ:
I owned a Force 50 pilothouse ketch for many years; mostly sailed and motored with it around Puget Sound and Vancouver areas. While you are in the fixing up period, you might give serious thought to installing bow thrusters. The Force 50 is a 37 ton vessel if I recall correctly, and it can be very difficult to slide into a slip, especially with a crosswind catching that very high sidewall. If I had been able to keep my Force 50, bow thrusters would have been top of my list.
Best wishes,
Bruce