Possible circ. in 2 yrs. I'd like to speak with exp. cruisers at the Miami Boat show

[Kenton]

I'm looking at an opportunity to a (partially) sponsored circumnavigation, departing about two years from now, so I'm starting to do my due diligence.

I'm 65 yrs. old and in excellent physical condition.
My sailing experience is limited to sailing a Westsail 32 and a 32' Alden Choy Lee in the 70's and early 80's in southern CA. Mid 80s through 90s I owned a Pacific City dory and spent quite a bit of time around the Channel Islands. It also includes a lot of reading due to a lifelong interest in sailing (starting with Voyage of the Dove), so I think have a pretty good general idea of what's required to make this happen successfully.

But... I don't know anyone who has cruised, and am faced with planning everything alone (I will not be single-handing) at this point, "this point" being early in the process.

To develop sailing skills and in learning how to select a boat, everything I read suggests sailing on as many boats as possible in all kinds of weather. Since I don't know anyone who owns a cruising cat, and am not now connected to the cruising community, this is my opening attempt at doing that.

I'm in Weston FL, right between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, and there are cats all over the place, but the vast majority are docked at broker's, at closed marinas, or behind someone's house on a canal.

The boat show">Miami Boat Show starts in a week, and I'm signed up for all 5 days, but by posting here, I'm trying to improve my chances of meeting and talking with people with cat cruising experience who might be able to answer some of the many questions I have about planning this type of endeavor.

The internet has a lot of information, but a lot of it is old or biased and I don't think internet research is a good substitute for talking with people who know what they're talking about through direct experience.

Please feel free to email or call me. -Kenton

kentonatinternachidotorg

[JPA Cate]

Hello, Kenton,

Check out the Seven Seas Cruising Association Booth, if they have one, otherwise, just check them out. Some of the people are quite forthcoming, and dedicated to helping others get a start.

Ann

[Kenton]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hello, Kenton,

Check out the Seven Seas Cruising Association Booth, if they have one, otherwise, just check them out. Some of the people are quite forthcoming, and dedicated to helping others get a start.

Ann

Turns out they meet every Sunday a half hour away, thank you Ann!

[sailjumanji]

There also a lot of cruising seminars at the show. We are attending as well. Planning to upsize our Seawind, and have a test sail scheduled

[Sid at SailAway]

Hey Kenton,
Sid here, come on over to the Seawind Catamaran booth and give me a shout. Five years cruising aboard a Lagoon 410, I may be able to answer some questions!

Cheers

[Kenton]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

There also a lot of cruising seminars at the show. We are attending as well. Planning to upsize our Seawind, and have a test sail scheduled

Your post spurred me to look at the schedule closely for the first time. Oooops! I'm signed up for 19 seminars! This information is hard to come by in Colorado.

Originally Posted by Sid at SailAway

Hey Kenton,
Sid here, come on over to the Seawind Catamaran booth and give me a shout. Five years cruising aboard a Lagoon 410, I may be able to answer some questions!

Cheers

I'll stop by Sid, thanks for replying!

[bjymd]

Do some reading: Lin Pardey and Fatty Goodlander have both written extensively on the subject. It would be easier to start a discussion with those books under you belt.
Fair winds and following seas. Goodlanders are starting out on circle number three in the near future.

[Kenton]

Originally Posted by bjymd

Do some reading: Lin Pardey and Fatty Goodlander have both written extensively on the subject. It would be easier to start a discussion with those books under you belt.
Fair winds and following seas. Goodlanders are starting out on circle number three in the near future.

I finished Fatty's "Buy, Outfit" and Sail..." last week and enjoyed it.

I'm forcing my way through Nigel Calder's "Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual" now (only 51 hours and 58 minutes left, according to my iPad!). I tend to stop and look up a lot of stuff online as I go through this book.

I'm afraid that if I buy another one of Fatty's books now, I'll lose all control and go read that instead of keeping my nose to the grindstone.

I'm also watching You Tube videos, but find most of them don't dwell on the kinds of things I need to learn, like how do you avoid severe damage by a nighttime squall that you can't see coming (I assume one takes in a reef or two at night depending on conditions).

[SVNeko]

Just Catamarans in Ft Lauderdale will have a bunch of cats for a mini-boat show at their docks during the Miami boat show, allowing viewing of a number of new and used cats at one time.

[Olorin]

Hi Kenton,
I was in your position in 2008.
I'd sailed since the age of 7 on lakes and rivers in Canada but wanted to cross oceans in a sailing catamaran.
I took a week-long sailing course from water sailing">Blue Water Sailing School based in Ft. Lauderdale which got me on a 43' cat and gave me the credentials and skills to charter. The next year I chartered a 47' cat in the Abacos with three couples who knew nothing about sailing.
I read everything I could on cruising and voyaging, from Slocum, the Pardeys, Eric Hiscock, Jimmy Cornell, Hal Roth, etc. and discovered the cruisers forum. (I disregarded all the non-fact based objections concerning sailing catamarans "Against all the laws of God and nature to set to sea in a catamaran.")
I bought a 40' Island Spirit catamaran in the Bahamas and refurbished/replaced every system on board to enable us to cross oceans.
We are now in Australia and loving the cruising life.
I would encourage you to do your research and go for it.
Maybe we'll see you out here some day.

Ross
S/V One White Tree

[Kenton]

Originally Posted by Olorin

Hi Kenton,
I was in your position in 2008.
I'd sailed since the age of 7 on lakes and rivers in Canada but wanted to cross oceans in a sailing catamaran.
I took a week-long sailing course from Blue Water Sailing School based in Ft. Lauderdale which got me on a 43' cat and gave me the credentials and skills to charter. The next year I chartered a 47' cat in the Abacos with three couples who knew nothing about sailing.
I read everything I could on cruising and voyaging, from Slocum, the Pardeys, Eric Hiscock, Jimmy Cornell, Hal Roth, etc. and discovered the cruisers forum. (I disregarded all the non-fact based objections concerning sailing catamarans "Against all the laws of God and nature to set to sea in a catamaran.")
I bought a 40' Island Spirit catamaran in the Bahamas and refurbished/replaced every system on board to enable us to cross oceans.
We are now in Australia and loving the cruising life.
I would encourage you to do your research and go for it.
Maybe we'll see you out here some day.

Ross
S/V One White Tree

That's encouraging Ross, thanks for writing!
I would be visiting various ports to promote the (pre-purchase) home inspection industry, and Australia would definitely be on the list; probably Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth, then on to New Zealand, since there is an existing fledgling inspection industry in those countries. Also in South Africa. Possibly the Med, although I'm not sure where.
I haven't really spent much time on destinations yet since I don't know where to find information on seasonal sailing routes. I know that sailing directions for different parts of the world exist, but I'm not sure where to find them.

Well... Google. Got 'em. Which publisher? There's National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, they seem to have the most volumes available.

[Olorin]

"I haven't really spent much time on destinations yet since I don't know where to find information on seasonal sailing routes. I know that sailing directions for different parts of the world exist, but I'm not sure where to find them."

Here's where to look:
https://www.amazon.com/World-Cruisin.../dp/0957262647

[Kenton]

Originally Posted by Olorin

"I haven't really spent much time on destinations yet since I don't know where to find information on seasonal sailing routes. I know that sailing directions for different parts of the world exist, but I'm not sure where to find them."

Here's where to look:
https://www.amazon.com/World-Cruisin.../dp/0957262647

Got it, thanks!