Hello I am new to this forum actually never posted to a forum before

[Cac64]

So please bare with me on learning how to use this forum and thanks in advance, MY question is this me and my husband bought a Jenneau 42ft last year but have not sailed it anywhere thus far we are currently at port Mansfield and are looking to try our first adventure but we are not sure how or where to start any suggestions are appreciated we are kind of of thinking the Caribbean but we do not want to get in over our heads was also thinking if we could find someone else cruising in the vicinity that we could possibly join up with just to so we could watch over each other but do not know where we could meet others heading in the same direction any suggestion please want this to be an adventure not a bad dream

[Mickeyrouse]

Welcome to the forum, a neat place with a lot of helpful and friendly advice and just a few dudes who are only too glad to remind you of your ignorance.
I applaud your ambition, but if you really aren’t pulling our leg about not sailing yet, I encourage you to start out with a few baby steps.
Port Mansfield is just about the 2nd worst place in the US to get to the Caribbean from, the worst being right down the road from you at Port Isabel. To get there from where you are you have to buck the Yucatan Current, which can hit 6 knots. A 42 ft sailboat will have a max cruising speed of just a bit more than that.
Cruising is an exercise in indepedence and self-reliance. Think hard about doing the Gulf Rim to Key West. Without pressing yourself you could be there in day-time legs in a couple months without touring any sights along the way- but don’t forget that’s part of cruising. The problem with that just now though, is it puts you in south Florida at the beginning of July- it gets warm there. Hurricane season starts June 1. Florida gets twice as many hurricanes as any other state, partly because of its long coastline, shape, and just where it happens to be. Those that can have already started leaving Florida to take their boats north.
We all had a lot to learn when we started the sailing game, and those who say they know it all are only lying to themselves. Don’t feel bad if you feel ignorant- we were all born that way. I encourage you to read any of the hundreds of books about the sailing life and cruising. Among my favorites are those by Lin and Larry Pardey. Those books and the approachable way they were written helped countless thousands see that sailing-cruising was an attainable dream.

[BillBux]

Welcome aboard!

Bill

[Cac64]

Originally Posted by Mickeyrouse

Welcome to the forum, a neat place with a lot of helpful and friendly advice and just a few dudes who are only too glad to remind you of your ignorance.
I applaud your ambition, but if you really aren’t pulling our leg about not sailing yet, I encourage you to start out with a few baby steps.
Port Mansfield is just about the 2nd worst place in the US to get to the Caribbean from, the worst being right down the road from you at Port Isabel. To get there from where you are you have to buck the Yucatan Current, which can hit 6 knots. A 42 ft sailboat will have a max cruising speed of just a bit more than that.
Cruising is an exercise in indepedence and self-reliance. Think hard about doing the Gulf Rim to Key West. Without pressing yourself you could be there in day-time legs in a couple months without touring any sights along the way- but don’t forget that’s part of cruising. The problem with that just now though, is it puts you in south Florida at the beginning of July- it gets warm there. Hurricane season starts June 1. Florida gets twice as many hurricanes as any other state, partly because of its long coastline, shape, and just where it happens to be. Those that can have already started leaving Florida to take their boats north.
We all had a lot to learn when we started the sailing game, and those who say they know it all are only lying to themselves. Don’t feel bad if you feel ignorant- we were all born that way. I encourage you to read any of the hundreds of books about the sailing life and cruising. Among my favorites are those by Lin and Larry Pardey. Those books and the approachable way they were written helped countless thousands see that sailing-cruising was an attainable dream.

Thank you for that so how would you recommend getting started thought sailing the down thru Mexico but with the cartel that kinda scary I’ve read about some encountering pirates and such does anyone know how safe Mexico coast is these days? Any help is so appreciated thanks in advance

[Mickeyrouse]

Originally Posted by Cac64

Thank you for that so how would you recommend getting started thought sailing the down thru Mexico but with the cartel that kinda scary I’ve read about some encountering pirates and such does anyone know how safe Mexico coast is these days? Any help is so appreciated thanks in advance

I don’t know of anyone who’s been recently but considering that the open Gulf of Mexico is a lot more isolated than land, and that what’s been happening on land is scary enough I’m afraid I wouldn’t touch anywhere on Mexico’s Gulf Coast.

I would encourage building confidence by sailing in the US for at least six months to a year. The sailor who says he’s never run aground just hadn’t been sailing long. Be sure you get towing insurance. Compared to what a tow can cost, towing insurance is almost free.
Sailing challenges just do not compare to land travel.

[Cac64]

Thank you I do believe you are right so I guess we had better work out a different plan thank you once again for your advice any suggestions of where we could sail to along the coastline as when we bought it last year in St Petersburg Florida we did sail it from there to Corpus Christy and to port Mansfield where we are now so not sure what's next but husband is very anxious to sail somewhere!

[JPA Cate]

Hello Cac 64. Welcome aboard CF. I am a long time cruiser, roughly 34 yrs since we left the States the 2nd time.

Jimmy Cornell's website, noonsite should have updates for you about possible illegal activities at different locations.

Another source of info is marine single side band radio nets, and as you approach harbors, VHF, as well.

One way to meet boats headed the way you are might be to post in one of the Destinations thread that you are interested in buddy boating. You will get some feedback that "looking after each other" often doesn't work out because when you need help is usually when there are bad conditions, and each skipper's duty is to the vessel and the crew. You still get to try it, but it is not really the comforter that you appear to be seeking.

Another way is to stop in marinas, walk the docks, and introduce yourself, and ask around. I usually identify myself as Ann from "Insatiable". You would use your first name and your boat name when you intro yourself. Your partner could do this too. Same for sailing clubs. Usually it is the more outgoing partner who takes on this job, or you can do it together. People "get it" when someone is just starting.

Finally, I would suggest you spend a year or so going out to the ocean and sailing in all weather before you take off to go foreign. Get more comfortable with the boat and handling it. Do some overnighters to other ports. Build on your experience. Make it fun for both of you.


Ann

[SeanPatrick]

Welcome to the forums!

[Adelie]

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.