Crew Wanted: All or any part of sail from Maryland to San Diego CA

[designsailor]

Aloha all eager sailors!
I will be departing Maryland in September and would welcome competent crew, singles or couples, for all or part of a long and slow journey from the East coast to the West coast of the US. There will be no rush but I want to be in Panama by March when the rain/lighting season ends.
Here is my plan:
1. Maryland to Charleston---Sept 2014- SE across Gulf Stream to open ocean and right turn back to Charleston, SC.
2. Down cost of Florida after Hurricane season officially over.
3. November-Feb- cruising the Bahamas, Abacos. My family will be with me for a week or three at Christmas.
4. Turks to Jamaica
5. Jamaica to Cartagena Columbia
6. Cartagena to San Blass Islands
7. San Blass to Colon and through Canal. ARRIVING CANAL MARCH 2015
8. West end Canal to Cost Rica-El Salvador-Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, San Diego, CA.

If you are interested:
1. You must have sailing experience, preferably some off shore. (Our longest time offshore is only a few days on each leg. We may make longer stretches when off Mexico headed North.)
2. All will share expenses, but all will have a say in those expenditures.
3. Everyone is a deck hand and stands a watch. Everyone has a job to do. Lots to do and learn and maybe teach.
4. You can see the boat and meet me in Maryland starting in June when I arrive to work on the boat and put it back in the water. It's is 50' and a proven blue water cutter with an impressive pedigree. Sea kindly and a dream to sail.
5. If you are a couple and one of you is the sailor and the other good at something boat-wise(cooking, maintenance,etc., then there is a place for you both.
6. No egos or high maintenance people on board! You know who you are so please do not take up my time with an application if you know you have trouble getting along or are prone to panic.

I am a young-old guy, recently retired, with many years of sailing experience, but I need younger minds and bodies for this long voyage. If you respond, please send a brief bio and your sailing experience long with your expectations and desires.

Warm regards and good luck on your sailing adventures.
Doug

[robmo]

Hello:

Sounds like quite an undertaking (oops wrong choice of words there). I think you will want to plan for more than a couple of days offshore when you head north from Mexico. I've known people who have sailed halfway to HI to get to CA. Also, some detail of your vessel and your preparations might be worth providing. Just for grins, I'm 67 and did 2600 miles offshore in three different boats last year. Don't count out the old guys, most have lots of experience and can get things done with a minimum of effort.

[designsailor]

Yes California is a bit West of Panama! Stay in touch. Love to have your experience on board. I am 66 myself.

The boat is an FD-12 (Flying Dutchman 50'). Only 25 were built by the Tanyana yard in the early 80's. Lloyds hull, flush teak deck, canoe stern, cutter rig. You can look up the details at Sailboat Data under FD-12. There are also a few on the market in the world.

Stay in touch! Time flies and you may wish to join me early on. The East coast is a bit of a worry to me and the weather windows are short. My course will take me a long ways out to se from North Carolina and then back into Charleston, about a 4-5 day jaunt under good conditions.

Before that in August I plan to sail up to New York and see the city from the water. That is open too as we shake down the vessel and plan our supplies.
Regards
Doug

[robmo]

Hi Doug,

Yeah, I'll check to see how you're doing. You can PM me if you wish and we can establish contact that way. So, you'll do the reverse of what I did in Nov on a 76' sloop. We stahted in Newpoht the first week of Nov and chose to let discretion be the better paht of valoah and headed down LI Sound at around 16:00. Spent the night steaming down the Sound then down the East Rivah in the AM. Tied up in NJ to attend to a persnickety alternator and then headed back to sea at 19:00. Sailed down the Jersey coast in 25+ kts of wind and then up the Delaware to the C&D. We made Norfolk the next day and my "boss" (aka wife) said enough was enough so I jumped ship. I froze my ass off on that trip, but the boat waited for a weather window (14 hours later) and slipped by Hatteras with no wind and wahm weathah. The rest of their trip to Savannah was wahm and fine. If you don't have it, get the free wind prediction program from GRIB.US > Home. It's quite accurate and well worth the trouble. I'll have a peak at your boat and keep checking the forum heah.

Cheers,

Scott

[annapolis.sail]

Hi Doug,
Thanks for making your post so useful. Often timelines, experience, boat or all are missing from these posts. I'm also young-old, early retired, teach sailing on the Potomac and race out of Annapolis on a J105. Raced to Newport last Spring on a J120 and was watch capt on an Outbound44 racing to Bermuda in 2011.
I have a capable gf who is likely to be interested if I decide to do a major portion with you. I've hiked from GA to ME, chartered in Bay of Islands and Milford Sounds, NZ as well as on the Bay and done a number of transports including a TP52 from Newport to Annapolis and a Jeanneau43 from NYC to the Chesapeake.
Personal interaction is as critical as abilities. I'd like to meet you when you are in the area and see if this might be a win-win.
Regards,
John

[designsailor]

Thanks for your reply. That sounds like a possible fit. I would certainly welcome your experience. You can reach out to me after May 15th when I arrive in Maryland. Please e-mail me at designbuilder@hotmail.com and I will send along all my contact details.
Regards.
Doug

[designsailor]

Hello again.
Here's a approximate course fro the first leg(see attachment), and frankly, the one that concerns me the most. In reading a lot on this it seems the consensus is to get out to sea and across the stream with a lot of sea between you and all of North Carolina, and then cross the Stream at right angles or such heading west to Georgia. Your thoughts? I need some help here.

My thinking was to leave Sept 1st with an eye on potential Hurricane formations, and seeking the best window on these, head south to a southern hurricane hole well up stream like Charleston, Savannah, and wait out the remainder of the Hurricane season there. Leaving Maryland later is problematic for many reasons as well. Your sage advice or thoughts would be appreciated.
Doug

[Time2Go]

An option is to duck into the ICW at Norfolk Va. and exit at Beaufort Nc.
It's about 250 nm or so and some absolutely beautiful scenery.
It also takes Cape Hatteras out of the equation as well as eliminating
Two Gulf Stream crossings. September is still Huricane season
Two years ago Irene hit NJ in September
Did Riverside NJ to Fla two weeks after Irene.
Too much debris in the water to leave sooner
I'd be interested in doing a part of this trip
With you.
What's your draft and stick height?

[designsailor]

Good idea but my mast is too high and I draw 6.5' and many areas in North Carolina are not dredged or filled in by the tide. No we goota go the long way and we have to have the right window, which should not be difficult in early September, that is, baring hurricanes from out east.

[Time2Go]

Originally Posted by designsailor

Good idea but my mast is too high and I draw 6.5' and many areas in North Carolina are not dredged or filled in by the tide. No we goota go the long way and we have to have the right window, which should not be difficult in early September, that is, baring hurricanes from out east.

Understand 100%
We drew 5'6" and worried like crazy
Hit bottom more than a few times
We where in an ad hoc group of boats kind of traveling
Together and kept each other advised of shoals
This was a big plus and we avoided many spots where
For sure we would have run aground
I guess your going to have a fairly long layover in Charleston?

[robmo]

Hi Doug,

As I mentioned, if you duck into Norfolk and wait for your window, you may be able to sneak by Hatteras in and avoid the stream all together. My friends did just that in Nov, I would think there would be a better opportunity for a window in Sept. Another thing to bear in mind is the proximity of the stream to Hatteras. If it's further offshore, you have more room to maneuver to keep off the shoals east of the cape. I would seriously consider leaving earlier or later than Sept. As yo know the 2nd week of Sept is the historic peak of hurricane season. Also, bear in mind that the most dangerous thing on a sailboat is a schedule.