Non-Sailor Looking For Advice!!

[JensenJourney]

I guess I can see how you thought I was saying I only had a budget of $0-5k for a boat, but all I meant by that line was that I'd love to be able to buy something inexpensive and rebuild it... so that I'd know the boat/systems inside and out. My budget is thankfully considerably larger than that... though not enough to just run out and buy a huge cat (Like the Zatara crew did).

I really appreciate all the advice so far. This was my first ever post on this forum, and I wasn't sure if a newbie would even get any response. That so many of you have given encouragement an advice (and many private messages) tells me that making myself a member of the sailing community will introduce me to a wealth of wonderful people. Even you curmudgeons!

On the weight loss topic... great advice all. I was really down when I crossed the 300lbs plateau, but finally did something about it a year ago when I hit 320. Without changing my diet drastically I have been able to drop down to 290 simply by starting practicing Jiu Jitsu and adding the exercise that it provides (the whole family joined). The stretching and flexibility I've gained have helped my back out already and I feel great for it. It is still not uncommon for me to have periods of a day when I am incapacitated with pain, but I'm not a total invalid by any means. I actually competed in a tournament on Saturday and won a gold medal for it... so I think it's safe to say I can get into and out of a boat, pull myself into a dinghy from the water...

Re: Sailing community... will being a teetotaler make it hard to fit into sailing social groups?

[Ozzlawrence]

Hi,


My advice is - Just do it!. I had 2 sailing lessons over 3 years ago on a small trailer sailer. Last November I bought a 42 foot cruising yacht and promptly sailed it over 1,800 kilometres home. The first week and 400 kilometres, I sailed it alone before I was joined by an experienced sailor. Absolutely fantastic. Met another yachty about 600ks from home who was sailing with his grandson. All his kids (now grown up) and grandkids love going out and staying on his boat and sailing.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by JensenJourney

I guess I can see how you thought I was saying I only had a budget of $0-5k for a boat, but all I meant by that line was that I'd love to be able to buy something inexpensive and rebuild it... so that I'd know the boat/systems inside and out. My budget is thankfully considerably larger than that... though not enough to just run out and buy a huge cat (Like the Zatara crew did).

I really appreciate all the advice so far. This was my first ever post on this forum, and I wasn't sure if a newbie would even get any response. That so many of you have given encouragement an advice (and many private messages) tells me that making myself a member of the sailing community will introduce me to a wealth of wonderful people. Even you curmudgeons!

On the weight loss topic... great advice all. I was really down when I crossed the 300lbs plateau, but finally did something about it a year ago when I hit 320. Without changing my diet drastically I have been able to drop down to 290 simply by starting practicing Jiu Jitsu and adding the exercise that it provides (the whole family joined). The stretching and flexibility I've gained have helped my back out already and I feel great for it. It is still not uncommon for me to have periods of a day when I am incapacitated with pain, but I'm not a total invalid by any means. I actually competed in a tournament on Saturday and won a gold medal for it... so I think it's safe to say I can get into and out of a boat, pull myself into a dinghy from the water...

Re: Sailing community... will being a teetotaler make it hard to fit into sailing social groups?

How is it, that you can be considered 100% dissabled and on government compensation when it comes to working..... but at the same time compete in a tournament and win a gold medal in Jiu Jitsu?

Some inquiring minds might like to know...

[Go Wildcats]

Disabled doesn't necessarily mean a physical ailment.

[Fore and Aft]

Kenomac how about the Paralympics? Are you suggesting those athletes hand in any benefits they are entitled to?
Good on Jensen for having a go I am sure PTSD is not easy to overcome.
Cheers

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Kenomac how about the Paralympics? Are you suggesting those athletes hand in any benefits they are entitled to?
Good on Jensen for having a go I am sure PTSD is not easy to overcome.
Cheers

Please read post #12, I work with disabled people every day, many if not most of them have jobs. However, I can’t rememberr a single one of them having won a gold medal in Jiu Jitsu.

I do remember training a few years back on the indoor velodrome one day in Carson California with a woman who was training for the Paralympics who’s only injury/disability was a mild concussion suffered while attending the Naval Academy.... it didn’t seem fair to the other competitors. She was also on permanent disability, but had no trouble maintaining a bike speed of 25mph. ‘Seemed odd at the time.

[Fore and Aft]

Kenomac I think Jensen’s well on his way to becoming a sailor already. He did not specifically say what category he one the gold medal in......it could have been just for participating..... If he keeps the stories up in a few years he could be posting about 50 foot waves and Sailing singlehanded while the family are all sea sick.
I understand what you are saying about working the system. Getting a disability pension in Australia was almost a national sport for while. It seems to have got harder lately but I still know plenty of people with “bad backs etc” that are getting welfare but have no trouble leading a normal life.
Cheers

[Tillsbury]

If the OP has a free cash budget of at least US$1m and plenty left over to provide substantial continuing funds then I'd bet this was possible -- given absolutely determination by OP and (most importantly) his wife and buy-in from the kids. Doing it any other way looks close to impossible.

[Islenya]

YES! to take classes with ASA. Did you know they have veteran discounts? I am an ASA member and can't stress too strongly that they will help you in every way possible!!
As to weight: don't try to wing it on your own. Either get support from a medical/health/fitness center or go with Weight Watchers. You NEED support and experienced guidance. Weight issues are not physical (usually) only, but psychological and/or emotionals -based.
Do you have the funds to buya boat big enough for your family? Can you afford the [inevitable] repair costs, or are you able to do them yourself (fit into tight places in awkward positions)?
How committed is your wife to a live-aboard lifestyle?
Can you foot the bills for a slip, possibly garage space for a car, insurance, etc?

SO many things to think about! I wish you all the luck in the world, and pray wisdom and discernment for you and your wife!

[JensenJourney]

Jiu Jitsu tournaments are broken down by experience (I'm a white belt/beginner), age (I'm in the 40-49 bracket), and weight. So in my bracket of overweight 40 yr old beginners there was exactly 1 other competitor... also an aging overweight beginner.

After our first of two matches I couldn't stand for a bit and was asked by the official if I needed a medic. I told him I'd make it and struggled to my feet, and he declared me the winner, at which point I almost fell down and my son rushed me my cane so I could hobble over to the opposing coach and thank him (as is customary). This act brought a look or horrified shame upon my opponent who realized he had been beat by what appeared to be a near cripple.

But my back is only a small portion of my VA disability rating... by far the biggest is my PTSD, which all alone would give me a 100% disability rating. Is it easy to do Jiu Jitsu as me? No. Many, many training sessions see me sitting on the sides watching rather than actually practicing the techniques. It's hard... but as I tell my kids all the time, "You're a Jensen, that means you can do hard things!"

Same with making sailing happen. Yes, it will be hard, but we're Jensens, and Jensens can do hard things.

[Desertroseii]

Lose weight regardless if you go sailing or not. I was 200lb and went down to 150lb in four months. I used keto following dietdoctor.com and fasting to maintain weight following "snake diet" by Cole Robinson on Youtube. Warning: he swears.

Now I cannot pull my dinghy onto the deck by simply hanging onto the halyard but with my wife we get into planing effortlesly.

Good lack

Peter

[lucseawalker]

Congratulations for your choice of changing lifestyle!

And congratulations for having thought well and established very good objectives to get there already! You are on the good path!


I recommend joining the SSCA when you have a chance .. they will provide a lot of support ... both in the US and online with tons of excellent reading materials for cruisers doing exactly you want to do!


Your dream is quite realistic and not foolish at all so keep going one step a a time! Get your kids involved in the project if they are keen on it ... but I suspect that you won't need a huge boats as generally adolescent tend to be attracted by the 8to5 rat race instead of freedom on the 7 seas ... but might rethink that many years later ...


We left our respective shore lives in 1984 and still enjoy the adventures!



Best of luck to all of you! From us in SE Asia

Originally Posted by JensenJourney

I have never once set foot on a sail boat. No one in my family has. That should be enough to tell me that the rest of this post foolishness, but damn it, if I don’t make any bad decisions then I won’t have any good stories to tell later in life! So…

We’ve decided to move our family onto a sailboat and escape the stresses and “hoops” of modern US culture. I’m trying to come up with a list of basic steps that my wife and I need to take to get us there. Any and all advice on the topic is welcome.

About us: I’m a 6 foot tall disabled Army veteran with PTSD issues, a bad back, and am way overweight. My wife is perfectly healthy and capable. We have 9 (yes, NINE) children at home now ranging in ages from 6 months up to 16 years old, all healthy, athletic, and willing. I suspect a couple might be moved out by the time we move through this list and make the move.

Here are the steps we came up with as a START so far:
• Drop weight down to 270 (minimum, 250 or less ideally)
• Be able to walk at least 2 miles non-stop
• Visit friend’s 40’ sailboat on nearby lake
• Reorganize spending/savings habits to make sailing the priority
(ie no major purchases that can’t come with us on a boat)

After my weight and health get to be less of an issue we’d then start moving through some other steps:
• Charter a boat for a week or so (make sure this isn’t something we’ll hate)
• Take a sailing course (ASA?) near us
• Find some crew opportunities for me (and maybe one of the teenagers) to gain hours and experience

At some point along here (2-3 years from now??) we’d expect to have an idea of boat types, sizes, features, that we could work with and might start looking at boats to buy. I’ve been looking at them now anyway, but only so that I have some idea of what good and bad deals might look like (and some daydreaming of course ) . I figure with a family this size that a Catamaran is going to be a must. We anticipate a few years around the States/Carib/Bahamas to learn/teach/refine our skills, establish routines, get our sea legs, play, etc… before we would like to try circumnavigating.

Enough though… what advice do you have for non-sailors looking to learn? Do these steps and timeframes seem reasonable? What have we overlooked? What are we too ignorant about to even question? Fill us in and help us out! Thanks!!

[CptCrunchie]

JJ, those who aim at nothing ....will hit it every time. This sounds like the perfect motivation, and you have a plan. You go!

I also believe that a motor boat is a bad idea when you have kids that need something to do - other than play on their iPhones - to give them a sense of belonging and accomplishment.

Once you get everything else completed and are looking for a boat, I would get something big, with lots of sails, tons of lines, a manual windlass, and quiet place for those who want it.

BTW, the USCG Aux has excellent boating courses.

[Jari]

To have a boat is good therapy for stress and physical health. That said, blue water or even open sea cruising might not be the starting point. My advice would that you get asap the smallest (whatever that is for your family) and simplest possible well maintained monohull, perhaps a motorsailor, and start at the local waters and when you can reasonable handle the crew/family, berthing, maintenance issues (actual sailing is not on this list) you can take longer trips. US Intercoastal Waterway with would be good training trip for a year or two. Boats equipped för coastal and inland waters need far less money and work than blue water cruisers. That is a lot of less stressors. Sleep deprivation is an issue on longer trips, on a fast and light boat it might be almost impossible to sleep, especially when sea is rough.

Remember, well kept vintage yachts keep their value. Further they are more heavily build than modern boats. You should even considere motor boats of trawler type as your first boat. Small boats, small problems - big boats, big problems. Get the right size for you, I have seen 8 happy persons + 2 dogs in a 38 footer and 2 unhappy persons in a 68 footer. Happiness is not direct dependent of boat size.

Btw, my walking capacity is more 200 yards than 2 miles. But I have to walk/crawl only 40 feet to the bow to drop the anchor.

[Pascal Guimond]

My advice is : keep going, don’t let anyone between you and your dream, when you face a problem overcome it so it doesn’t become a reason not to do it. It’s a great idea and at the end it’s gonna be a great accomplishment. I started with nothing and now I own a boat that is dead in the water but I am working hard at making it happen. You gonna be slim and won’t need medication anymore because you are accomplishing something great. Keep the moral high even when it’s tough. You got this brother, become a sailor, a captain of your life