Hello from storm ravaged Florida!

[Steve4NJ]

Hi!
I am Stephen. 53 years old and retired (long story).
Used to sail all around NJ when I was young in a battered old Hunter 27 with no motor or nav equipment. Haven't sailed since I was 25.

In 2 years (2023) I plan to move onto the final leg of my life by outfitting a catamaran and knock around the Caribbean for a while learning about the boat and building my catamaran sailing confidence.
Then I plan to cross over to the Med and spend time mostly in Greece.

I don't have a boat yet, and I have never sailed a catamaran before, so this will all be new to me. That is why I am here, to feast upon all of your brains for knowledge! Mmm brainnzzzzz

So be prepared for millions of questions!

Stephen
currently riding out Tropical Storm Elsa

[Pete7]

Welcome to the forum . That's a nasty bit of wind you have at the moment, stay safe.

Pete

England

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Welcome to the forum . That's a nasty bit of wind you have at the moment, stay safe.

Pete

England

Indeed, I sit in a Hilton Head, SC marina watching it bear down on me.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Stephen.

[Nauticus]

Hi and welcome from Ontario Canada
Stay safe. I've a lot of family down there. Apparently it's a bit windy, as my sister describes it.

[belizesailor]

Learn to sail and build some experience first, it will make the rest of your journey more enjoyable and safer.

Its interesting how many focus on acquiring a boat in the future, but do not use the intervening time to build sailing skills. That always reads to me like the real objective is material acquisition (maybe buying a dream?) not sailing per se.

[nolakennedys]

Welcome! From another Floridian!

[Steve4NJ]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Learn to sail and build some experience first, it will make the rest of your journey more enjoyable and safer.

Its interesting how many focus on acquiring a boat in the future, but do not use the intervening time to build sailing skills. That always reads to me like the real objective is material acquisition (maybe buying a dream?) not sailing per se.

I already CAN sail, I had a Hunter 27 growing up. I just need to sail a CAT instead of a monohull.

Oh and the hurricane didn't hit where I live, it sorta moved out of the area and all we got was rain for a few days.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Steve4NJ

I already CAN sail, I had a Hunter 27 growing up. I just need to sail a CAT instead of a monohull.



Oh and the hurricane didn't hit where I live, it sorta moved out of the area and all we got was rain for a few days.

Good, I didnt catch that originally. The basic sailing theory is of course the same on a cat but they do differ in a few ways.

Tacking. A cats requires a different technique than a mono in order to tack successfully, but they can be tacked just fine. Those who espouse otherwise, just dont know how to sail a cat.

Boat Handling Under power. Twin engine boat handling has a learning curve, but is hugely convenient in close quarters. Also there is a lot more boat area to keep track of than with a similar LOA mono.

Anchoring. Usually a bridle is rigged on cats, otherwise its the same.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Good, I didnt catch that originally. The basic sailing theory is of course the same on a cat but they do differ in a few ways.

Tacking. A cats requires a different technique than a mono in order to tack successfully, but they can be tacked just fine. Those who espouse otherwise, just dont know how to sail a cat.

Boat Handling Under power. Twin engine boat handling has a learning curve, but is hugely convenient in close quarters. Also there is a lot more boat area to keep track of than with a similar LOA mono.

Anchoring. Usually a bridle is rigged on cats, otherwise its the same.

Plus often significantly larger freeboard/windage so can be tricky in crosswinds, although the differential thrust helps counteract that.

I don't remember ever backing a large cat, I'd be interested in hearing others experience with that.

[gonesail]

not to mention dockage is significantly higher for cats and haul outs are not always available. but hey they stay level so you won't spill your drinks

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

Plus often significantly larger freeboard/windage so can be tricky in crosswinds, although the differential thrust helps counteract that.



I don't remember ever backing a large cat, I'd be interested in hearing others experience with that.

Ive worked as a charter captain for many years on cats, backing is a breeze. The control of twin engines with none of the prop walk common on shaft drive single engines. Most cats have sail drives and the angle of the prop shaft being parallel to the water surface effectively eliminates prop walk (at least to the degree is not a practical issue).