where to go for a year of sailing?

[bdgWesternMass]

Originally Posted by APETE

Ok – thanks Tia Bu! In that case, US central/northern east coast might be another region to look for boat I guess, and then start moving south towards Caribbean during autumn? Or is the US east coast difficult waters if we prefer to go with around 32’ (have read a bit about the ICW being an alternative to the open ocean)?

And sorry guys that we probably seem slightly schizophrenic here asking in all different directions. Just trying to get as many facts and opinions before we close our eyes and jump in (or give up the dream)

This seems like my situation. I think I will start in the Chesapeake work my way south after hurricane season and then end up in New England for the Summer.

[APETE]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I said "for me the upgrades I suggested it needed would make it a boat capable of a comfortable Transat"
But then I am used to (enjoy) being far offshore.. I find it's more a mental failure that causes abandonments than a problem with the boat..
See the thread about the YouTubers rescue off Portugal following a disastrous crossing where it was more about" we can't" as opposed to "we can" bar a couple of bursts of ingenuity that fixed problems.
It takes a lot to stand being surrounded by nothing but water for weeks.. the Jeanneau for example would take 22-27days from St Martin to the Azores, rationing 36 gallons of water plus any extra jugs you carry..
My 47day solo non stop to the UK was with 210litres and I still had 30litres left when I arrived.
That's why I had a small watermaker on the list.

Ok. Thanks and sorry. Wasn’t sure if I understood correctly.

[captmikem]

Just a few thoughts here to add. The Bahamas and most of the Caribbean are supper saturated with cruisers. Where you go hundreds have been there lately. The charter industry inputs thousands of dollars into the local economy and the locals know this and price everything as such. Anchorages are crowded and marinas are expensive.

The South Pacific you have to sail to get places. Most cruisers like to motor sail for a few hours at the most. Sailing is something you have to learn and that takes a bit of time.

A suggestion, La Paz on the west coast of Mexico. It is getting crowded but is not to bad and most people stay in the marinas or the anchorage in La Paz. Lots of Americans there and the locals are friendly and speak English. Just a short distance away are many islands with good anchorages and nice beaches. The fishing and snorkeling are excellent. You can buy a boat there as they are always for sale. And the US is just a short distance away. If you change your mind you can easily put the boat up for sale and head home.

M

[thomm225]

For the boat Annapolis, MD on the upper Chesapeake Bay is a good place to find a boat.

Then after purchasing, you can spend months or years cruising the Chesapeake Bay while you improve your sailing skills.

The September/October issue of BoatsU.S. Magazine has an excellent article on cruising the Bay mentioning it being 200 miles long, fed by 150 rivers and creeks going all the way down to the Atlantic Ocean.

Chesapeake Bay shorelines are about 11,700 miles in length, and there are tons of good anchorages.

I was anchored on the Severn River which is up Mobjack Bay on the lower West Side of the Bay last weekend.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=mobjac...ANAB01&PC=LCTS

[bdgWesternMass]

I will be down there mid-september. I have sort of surprised myself the past couple of months and have decided to spend a year around boats in a big way. May have found a boat in Tracy's Landing.

[Tia Bu]

The U.S. East Coast is a bit more challenging than the Bahamas. Fog in the northeast can intimidate you at first, but then you get used to it pretty fast (and learn to avoid it if you can.) Radar is a plus.

The ICW is not difficult, and it does allow you to skip offshore legs. But running offshore in fair weather windows (which is how you do it) is easier, once you get used to running at night.

There is much bunkum written and discussed about "blue water boats." I suspect a lot of it comes from people who have little to no blue water experience. Boatman has lots of experience and gives good advice. Blue water sailing is primarily mental. Some people love it. Some people don't. Many people are too scared to try it. You can explore the U.S., Canada, Bahamas, and Caribbean with great blue water passages or none at all.

There are great deals on used sailboats all up and down that cruising range.

[APETE]

Thanks for all the above regarding US East coast – sounds (mostly) awesome! Likewise for the input regarding offshore or not.

Thanks to all you guys’ input, at least we’re starting to narrow ourselves down to the waters surrounding the N. American continent..

If we were to go for SOC as recommended by Captmikem and quiet a few others above, is it an option to go down to Central America for one of the hurricane season that we may spend there? Besides that there appears to be a few tricky parts on the way down there, incl. Golfo de Tehuantepec, is it known to be difficult sailing? We have heard good things about Costa Rica and Panama’s Pacific coast has been recommended above (we have spent more than a year in Latin America and speak some Spanish)

.

[nofacey]

Hands down the Caribbean. Buy a boat in Trinidad, get her ready, climb north. Easy sailing, mostly short hops, gorgeous areas.
Can finish season getting up to US (when you’re more familiar with boat & experienced sailing) or simply drop down to Trinidad again.

Wayyy easier than your other options, few language issues, decent parts access.

[JPA Cate]

APETE,

Traveling by sailboats you should think in terms of weeks, not days. You have to go a long way south to get out of hurricanes and into merely tropical storms: think near 6 deg. S latitude towards Ecuador, not the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Weather rules all. It's all about Aeolus and Neptune. Doing smaller areas in depth is a lot easier than doing long deliveries to get where you need to be. Twenty mile days in coral waters, is plenty--and you may not feel like moving every day. Jim and I once found a useable anchorage in the Sea of Cortez that was not in the cruising guide, and stayed 3 or 4 days. It was really nice. We were the only boat there, and we snorkeled twice a day, to hunt a lunch fish and to hunt a supper fish. If you're enjoying where you are, why move? Life's not necessarily a forced march.

I have not sailed Central America, but what you want to do is find out the availability of very protected anchorages. Start by trying to find cruising guides.

Part of what is plaguing you is due to lack of experience as sailors, and as cruisers, and insufficient depth of background information to make decisions. It is a reason to get the boat sooner and start addressing the first two. It will help you think about it all.

Good luck with it.

Ann

Ann

[APETE]

Thank you Ann. Got the impression from one of boatman61’s posts that we may want to consider what to do during the hurricane season(s) if we were to stay some 18 months at SOC. Was therefore curious if there is a “Trinidad” on the Pacific coast. We’ll follow your advice and start to look for answers in a cruising guide instead.

Thanks to all of you who tried to help out and we apologise for all the rookie questions and slightly chaotic entry to this forum.

[JPA Cate]

While I was off the boat, in California, Jim and some other cruisers underwent a hurricane in the Sea of Cortez. He left the "hurricane hole" of Puerto Escondido, a bay with a narrow entrance, when someone elected to put out 6 different anchors, and hence would lie in Jim's swinging circle. That skipper refused to do otherwise. Jim left to seek safe shelter with other cruising skippers who would honor the "rule" that you must anchor safely for the guys who arrived there first. Jim and the other "outsiders" did survive, but also did have to leave an seek shelter for the oncoming wind change when the eye went over. In the harbor, the steel fishing boats that anchored near the western shore rafted up together, using re-bar anchors, and dragged through the harbor, taking with them some other moored and anchored boats--this is a well known scenario. So Jim's actions reduced risk a lot, when you consider all that happened, although hundreds of miles away, I was quite concerned for his well-being.

Lesson 1) The eye coming over doesn't mean the storm's over, it means the wind shift is on it's way.

Lesson 2) Sometimes it is better to leave somewhere you were there first, while you can easily move the boat elsewhere--this does require that you have the charts to figure out where to go, relative to the directions from which the strong winds come.

Lesson 3) While there are folks who will assert that hurricanes do not go to the Golfo de California (SOC), in fact that is incorrect. There is historical record of one that went up the S o C, then proceded through California, going eastwards, and crossed the United States. It IS true that they are not common, not 8 a season, but they are a serious concern. That's one reason many cruisers simply leave areas where cyclones occur. On the subsiding East coast of the US, (and of Oz), there are plenty of mangrove creeks to hide in. The West coast of the US is uprising, the plate at the edge is also moving northwards at (iirc) roughly 1 cm per year. None of that kind of mangrove creek hidey hole which are so appreciated by cruisers.

Ann

[nofacey]

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/197...ateur-9497578/

Plenty of boat for Trinidad to Antigua, and in your stated price bracket. Less than 5 minutes of looking.

Grenada, just north of Trinidad, has interesting boats too.
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/200...mpson-9297126/

Dream On!

[captchetco]

Many good boats for sale in MX, at bargain prices, Particularily in Puerto Vallarta. $50k can get you a decent 40-45' (1970s-80s)needing only electronic upgrades and TLC Be sure and get a reliable survey from someone you pick, not the broker.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by APETE

Thanks a lot! It looks great from my rookie perspective and is definitely newer than any of the other boats I’ve been looking at so far.

Question: To sail a boat like around eastern Caribbean/coastal cruising, doing 95% day sailing, how much safety equipment would normally be the recommended minimum – AIS, EPIRB, radar, life raft (besides dinghy)? Or is some of it more for longer passages? Same with autopilot – is it a nice- or need to have for a case like ours?

You really want all of that.

I wouldn't personally go to sea without an autopilot. It frees up crew resources for other tasks, and crew resources are very scarce on a small shorthanded sailboat.

People live without radar but it's a key instrument for collision avoidance, navigation, weather.

AIS and EPIRB is cheap enough that it would be crazy to do without.

Life raft you really want -- what's your life worth if the boat catches fire or goes down? Not likely but catastrophic if it happens.


Don't forget ground tackle, which is a key safety item. A good anchor, appropriate rode, windlass, etc., a good kedge anchor, are fundamental, and won't come with a lot of used boats for sale.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

People live without radar but it's a key instrument for collision avoidance, navigation, weather.

As far as I know modern 3G & 4G (CW) marine radar and definitely with my 3G radar are not good for weather. They are very good at detecting objects within storm cells but not the cells themselves. Older style pulsed radar could detect weather cells but used much more power and cannot detect objects within storm cells with the definition of broadband radar systems and definition is generally poor compared to broadband radar.



The current broadband radar is excellent but as you say is really not essential. All radar also requires a level of experience to obtain the best outcome.