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Old 14-10-2012, 16:54   #1
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New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

Hi All,
I am new to the forum. I am studying up on all I can while still employed but near retirement. I am a professional pilot with no experience sailing boats, but with lots of enthusiasm, energy and interest. Having read a book recently, "Ten years behind the Mast" about a local guy who spent his younger years sailing the world I am inspired. My wife has owned two sail boats and is the practical one at this point. In any case I'm keen to learn and this looks like a good starting point.

Thanks, Skagway Jack
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Old 14-10-2012, 18:36   #2
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Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

Hi Jack and welcome to the forum.

I have met lots of pilots over the years that were sailors. I think the skill set of one transfers very well to the other. As a pilot you at least have a head start on how to read a chart, compass and such.

Nice thing about a boat, if you're lost you can usually stop for a while to figure out where you are. Flying you better figure out where you are pretty fast, before you become a glider.
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Old 14-10-2012, 18:41   #3
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Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

Actually, retired airline pilots make the worst navigators when sailing...8 hours into a Pacific crossing..."are we there yet?"
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Old 14-10-2012, 19:02   #4
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Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

Quote:
Originally Posted by skipmac View Post
Hi Jack and welcome to the forum.

I have met lots of pilots over the years that were sailors. I think the skill set of one transfers very well to the other. As a pilot you at least have a head start on how to read a chart, compass and such.

Nice thing about a boat, if you're lost you can usually stop for a while to figure out where you are. Flying you better figure out where you are pretty fast, before you become a glider.
Nothing wrong with being a glider pilot in the right glider...

Once again welcome Jack.

Besides navigational skills pilots should have a solid understanding of aerodynamics which is very useful in understanding sail shaping (trimming an airfoil), stalling the sail, the keel's lift and how it affects the boat.

Drift and set are parallel concepts to wind correction angles on x/c planning.

The effect of the ground on wind angles is a loose parallel with ground effect in a plane and explains why taller rigs are affected by differently than shorter ones.

High aspect ratio main sails and jibs should mean the same things as high aspect ratio wings.

You should have a blast transferring these skills.
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Old 14-10-2012, 19:08   #5
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pirate Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

Hi Jack... Welcome to CF mate..
Come to a great place to chinwag over just about anything nautical.. with a variety of types from the techno geek, sail trimmer all the way down to 'Silly Buga's' like me...
Get stuck in and have a ball doing it.. cya out there
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Old 15-10-2012, 07:16   #6
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Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

All, Thanks for the warm welcome! I was hoping there would be some transfer of skill sets. I learned to fly before GPS so I still know dead reckoning. I spent 8 years in the Navy so I have a lot of respect for the ocean when she gets ugly. I have one sailboat story from my Navy days that would be of interest to this group. It has to do with an Oiler, anAircraft Carrier, and a sailboat in the middle of the Atlantic at night. Is there a thread that this might already be germane too?
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Old 15-10-2012, 07:43   #7
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Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

jack -- welcome to the forum - like you we quit and went sailing with no real experience except some asa lessons and a lot of time in key biscayne sailing our new jeanneau ds40 that we bought before we quit so we could get a mortgage - we paid the boat off when we sold the house - we have been out - i don't remember - 3-5 yrs - we have up and down the east coast and around the carib -
one of the big questions is cost - we just posted our last 4 yrs or so cost on a seperate posting -
any questions please let us know

just our opinion
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Old 15-10-2012, 07:57   #8
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jack -- welcome to the forum - like you we quit and went sailing with no real experience except some asa lessons and a lot of time in key biscayne sailing our new jeanneau ds40 that we bought before we quit so we could get a mortgage - we paid the boat off when we sold the house - we have been out - i don't remember - 3-5 yrs - we have up and down the east coast and around the carib -
one of the big questions is cost - we just posted our last 4 yrs or so cost on a seperate posting -
any questions please let us know

just our opinion
chuck patty and svsoulmates
in trinidad for hurricane season
Chukar, thanks, I read that thread with great interest. I was most amused at the sudden appearance of the alcohol total. I have so many questions about everything that it is hard to decide where to start. My wife and I think a good first step might be to crew for someone on our next vacation. We need to be sure it's what we really want before we make the investment.
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Old 16-10-2012, 05:02   #9
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Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

instead of crewing why not charter - say bvis where the water is generally calm the wind is good - but you generally can not anchor and have to take moorings if on a charter boat - there are a few anchorages that you can anchor in -
the other option is to do a charter with a capt and admiral with the understanding that the admiral will take your wife shopping to provision for the boat, you work with capt on routing, wx ect - if fact if you did a 2 wk one you can even get an overnight run to st martins and back -- then you can begin to understand cruising a bit

just our thoughts and opinions
chuck patty and svsoulmates
in trinidad for hurricane season
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Old 16-10-2012, 14:19   #10
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instead of crewing why not charter - say bvis where the water is generally calm the wind is good - but you generally can not anchor and have to take moorings if on a charter boat - there are a few anchorages that you can anchor in -
the other option is to do a charter with a capt and admiral with the understanding that the admiral will take your wife shopping to provision for the boat, you work with capt on routing, wx ect - if fact if you did a 2 wk one you can even get an overnight run to st martins and back -- then you can begin to understand cruising a bit

just our thoughts and opinions
chuck patty and svsoulmates
in trinidad for hurricane season
Chuckr,
The charter idea would work well. Where is a good source for charters that are available?
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Old 17-10-2012, 06:40   #11
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Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

skagway - in the bvis there are a lot of charter companies - a bit of research will help here -- you may want to do your own shopping for food as some charterers we talked to the charter company overstocks the boat, charges you and when you return the boat they take the items you have not used and then resells them - we have been the recipent of a couple of charterers who understood the game and gave us a lot of stuff they did not use -

as for a crewed charter - we can recommend one south african couple on a 47' cat that we sailed with for 18 months - they are very experienced having sailed out of cape town and their boat is first class as they are as we have been on the boat several times - she by the way is gourmet cook - but i would take another couple along as it is a bit expensive - but if you want to learn to shop, wx routing, sailing, setting and pulling anchors, overnight sails, selecting anchoring locations ect ect - these folks are great at it and will teach you - they will also teach you how they work as a 2 person crew on anchoring, picking up mooring balls ect -

private message me for their details -- and i get nothing out of it -

just my opinion and thoughts
chuck patty and svsoulmates
in trinidad for hurricane season
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Old 09-11-2012, 21:02   #12
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Re: New to the Forum....Wanna Cruise!

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. Thanks for your service and I hope you'll share the story with us. If it doesn't fit any of the other forums there is always a catch all there somewhere.
The sailboat didn't get caught ahead of a carrier refueling did it? Emergency breakaway?
kind regards,
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Old 13-11-2012, 12:34   #13
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. Thanks for your service and I hope you'll share the story with us. If it doesn't fit any of the other forums there is always a catch all there somewhere.
The sailboat didn't get caught ahead of a carrier refueling did it? Emergency breakaway?
kind regards,
Check out the Sailors confessional Mid Atlantic Emergency Breakaway.
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