Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

If the country has implemented, and requires, a ship tracking system to help avoid collisions in a congested area, then yes, the people who don't use it are morons IMO. I'm not calling people without electronics morons, just the same as I wouldn't call people with/without motors morons....seriously, do we have to play the pedantic game every time something is posted in this thread?

Cat Man Do has a catamaran - and posts accordingly......me too is building a Multihull - so reality and civility doesn't apply to me either .

FWIW, whilst I agree with you (despite you being an ignorant peasant monohuller ) that being on a budget does not require a beans and lentils style existence - I don't really see the AIS as being so important (especially as (over?) relying on a 3rd party for information and transmission) unless in certain areas with heavy commercial traffic (who do carry and use AIS). Say like Singapore, the English Channel and possibly a few other places.

The easy answer to that is either not to go there, or only in good conditions (esp. for viz).....the one thing a budget cruiser usually has in abundance is - time.......no need to rush back, for either work on a Monday or because the wife is getting withdrawal symptoms from not talking to her mother for 1/2 a day too long .

Personally I would go for the fridge - but we've been down that road before (see pages 87 - 88 ).

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Great stuff... so head out and buy one.. be happy...
But why's folk insisting the rest of us should go out and buy one...
Is it...... . .

+1 on that - This being the "internet" we are all free to report, infer, make up, imagine, whatever - what a "Cruising on $500 per Month" budget for extended full time cruising includes or doesn't include.

- - I have expressed many times that what seems to be unreasonable to me might be very reasonable to somebody else and vice versa. That's what makes life and the internet interesting and sometimes frustrating, but always entertaining if you have the proper attitude about anything involving totally anonymous identities.

[atoll]

people want to regulate the world so they can control it..

an engineless sailor has as much right to free passage as a super tanker.

will the powers that be outlaw walking now we have the automobile?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by atoll

will the powers that be outlaw walking now we have the automobile?

well yes they already do this, cars get access to the best routes while walkers have to take the long way

same for bikes

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Cat Man Do has a catamaran - and posts accordingly......me too is building a Multihull - so reality and civility doesn't apply to me either .

FWIW, whilst I agree with you (despite you being an ignorant peasant monohuller ) that being on a budget does not require a beans and lentils style existence - I don't really see the AIS as being so important (especially as (over?) relying on a 3rd party for information and transmission) unless in certain areas with heavy commercial traffic (who do carry and use AIS). Say like Singapore, the English Channel and possibly a few other places.

The easy answer to that is either not to go there, or only in good conditions (esp. for viz).....the one thing a budget cruiser usually has in abundance is - time.......no need to rush back, for either work on a Monday or because the wife is getting withdrawal symptoms from not talking to her mother for 1/2 a day too long .

Personally I would go for the fridge - but we've been down that road before (see pages 87 - 88 ).

It really wasn't a dig at multihulls, it was a dig at rich powerboaters

[atoll]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

It really wasn't a dig at multihulls, it was a dig at rich powerboaters

you anti-elitist you!!!!hope cat man do put chain plates on his boat for when the fuel runs out

[MacG]

We are deviating from the topic - or not?

I remember very well a stubborn Dutch magazine editor who wanted to proof that he could sail a small boat (Waarschip 7.20) through the Channel to the Azores.

He beached his boat and got fined 10.000 Pstg for not crossing the channel on the right course. His boat was chained and for a short time it was the talk of the day. No engine, no VHF.

Our engine blew up in front of Hastings. No wind. I barely managed to get away from the coast. Dover Coastguard and Dover Port Control offered assistence, but I was not sure if my friends boat was that good insured. I asked them if they would allow me to bring the boat to Dover Port under sail.
The reply was: "Can you manage?"
Late in the evening when a heavy wind was blowing and raining cats & dogs I brought the boat till after the breakwater, where a pilot was awaiting me.

Cordially, and with no problem at all our communication developed over the hours.
The Pilotboat brought us to the Wellington Dock and the very next day (Sunday) the engine was lifted out of the boat. Cracked cylinderhead.

Communication and coordination is what Port authorities like. I expected to get a bill for the assistance but later on they came on board and told me that they (the pilots) waved any reimbursement.

I warned the Coastguard in good time and each hour they called me asking position and situation.
It shows that it is not always bad to do the things by the book.

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Great stuff... so head out and buy one.. be happy...
But why's folk insisting the rest of us should go out and buy one...
Is it.....
Just so's you can see if yours is working...????
The main engine of Commercialism.. 'The Brag Factor'... if no one buys one they're just another useless tool... but chuck one in front of a 'Mr Jone's'...
Hotcakes....

The only thing I've ever insisted is that's a realistic option for those people who choose it, even on a budget... I'm not the one here telling people what they can and can't do.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by MacG

We are deviating from the topic - or not?

I remember very well a stubborn Dutch magazine editor who wanted to proof that he could sail a small boat (Waarschip 7.20) through the Channel to the Azores.

He beached his boat and got fined 10.000 Pstg for not crossing the channel on the right course. His boat was chained and for a short time it was the talk of the day. No engine, no VHF.

Our engine blew up in front of Hastings. No wind. I barely managed to get away from the coast. Dover Coastguard and Dover Port Control offered assistence, but I was not sure if my friends boat was that good insured. I asked them if they would allow me to bring the boat to Dover Port under sail.
The reply was: "Can you manage?"
Late in the evening when a heavy wind was blowing and raining cats & dogs I brought the boat till after the breakwater, where a pilot was awaiting me.

Cordially, and with no problem at all our communication developed over the hours.
The Pilotboat brought us to the Wellington Dock and the very next day (Sunday) the engine was lifted out of the boat. Cracked cylinderhead.

Communication and coordination is what Port authorities like. I expected to get a bill for the assistance but later on they came on board and told me that they (the pilots) waved any reimbursement.

I warned the Coastguard in good time and each hour they called me asking position and situation.
It shows that it is not always bad to do the things by the book.

you will be pleased to know the RNLI or uk life boats is one of the richest charities in the world,so doesn,t need to rely on government funding,and also does not charge for rescue,but will accept donations though not obligatory.

which brings me to the other hot thread "uninsured",it seems there is somthing to be learned from institutions that dont make money of other peoples misery,,,i think the arab world calls it "usery",think it's in the bible and koran as well for those that read it

[MacG]

Atoll - We were definitely not in a distress situation. I communicated with Dover Coastguard and later on with Dover Port Control.
No RNLI.

In doubt? Communicate. Most people however are reluctant to pick up the VHF.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by MacG

Atoll - We were definitely not in a distress situation. I communicated with Dover Coastguard and later on with Dover Port Control.
No RNLI.

In doubt? Communicate. Most people however are reluctant to pick up the VHF.

in most cases it will be a RNLI vessel that tows you in at the request of the coastguard,since the coastguard in the uk only has currently 4 ocean going vessels for our 12000 mile coastline!

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by frank_f

Aah! I see. So AIS is the same sort of thing they use for identifying and tracking aircraft.

Sounds great and it would probably be great to have one on board but personally, I'd be more worried about hitting one of the many containers floating around the oceans rather than the ship carrying them.

Just me

Just wanted to close the loop on this one. AIS is not like how they track aircraft.

Aircraft now use what is called an alltitude encoding transponder. The main difference is that the transponder is "interrogated" by a source and automatically responds. Altitude encoding is "relatively" new and as you can guess the response includes includes altitude information. The transponder sends no identification information and once altitude encoding transponders were made mandatory in terminal areas, controllers could pass on traffic information to pilots that were under positive control.

As this technology has evolved to the small cockpit, small aircraft can buy more sophisticated units that not only report but interogate. Now the small airplane pilot can plot traffic information, including altitude, in the cockpit.

A transponder receiver antenna triangulates the received response to plot the target. It is not interfaced with gps.

AIS is different in that AIS broadcasts gps position over vhf along with identifying information.

[MacG]

Ok, I didn' t know that. We were picked up by the pilotboat just after the breakwater. We did come through the ferry-exit on the west side.

But it is a fact that things are changing fast. I haven' t been in a long time on the interior waterways. When I picked up Neala from Heusden, I noticed that all locks are operated from a distance. A few years ago that was not the case.

I lack a good autopilot. Will be the very next issue on my to buy list.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

And speaking of Singapore and budget cruisers... (and hopefully to get this back on topic)

Here's a nice little video of a guy sailing the Malacca Straights, engineless on an Allied 32, and having a bit of communications difficulties with authorities.

Interesting video. He tees this episode up with the "dangers" of piracy in the Mallaca Straits then spends 90% of the video dorking around unprofessionally trying to transit Singapore waters. He gets on the comm several times trying to tell all the authorites how limited his capabilites are and how he has to break all the local anchoring restrictions.

Bottom line is he would have had a completely different experience if he went between November and March when the wind blows 20knots from the northeast every day. Go around without an engine, sure. But part of that responsibility is planning for times when you have wind! At Raffles light the current can run in excess of 5 knots.

The inshore route he talked about takes him across some of the busiest fairways in the world with ships, ferries, work boats and private yachts all coming and going. Take a look at the internet ais site to get an idea of what this guy was drifting through.

In trasiting the <20 miles of singapore water IN SIX FREAKIN' DAYS! He had three separate authorites involved - harbor police for anchoring in a restricted military base (did he not notice the 20mm cannon on that boat? - the MPA were drug in so he could explain to them how complicated it was transiting singapore waters and to get a tow from them! - and finally the immigration boat where it looked like he was still sorting out what papers to hand over, something he could have and should have done before arriving.

BTW - that restricted zone is immediately outside my yacht club. US carriers make port calls there. If a carrier had been in port he may have been in much bigger trouble. There is no "free" anchorage but even with no wind he could have come into or adjacent to SAF YC and not anchored in a restricted zone.

I am very surprised they didn't fine him. They should have...

Nice video, dumb sailor. Oh, and that Bob Marley looking crewman? There's a drug dog magnet, eh?

[atoll]

what you mean "black sparrow",i think he,s way cool man..............
though don't think he was crew on skipfreedoms boat,mind you the gf looks like she could be fun on a long passage..........