HELP for a soon to be brand new cruiser

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by GordMay

And not to forget the third option, that the glass is too large.

If the glass represents our expectations, and our expectations are only partially met, we may decide that our glass is half empty or half full. It be that that the problem is a mismatch between our expectations and reality. The cure for the mismatch may be to adjust our expectations to fit reality (put the water in a smaller glass).

Good advise Gord....

One thing that you may want to consider is getting a sea-sick patch. It has been my experience that most new cruisers experience sea-sickness the 1st, 3-days out.

However, the emotional state of sea-sickness at sea is a lot different than it is within reach of shore. When you are out on a day-sail and get sea-sick, the mentality is that the only thing that the effected person can think about is getting to shore. The mental effect of that is that the sea-sickness is far worse. When one gets sea-sick on an ocean passage, that option is not present and the person's attitude is completely different. I have only seen one person, in all my years, that was sick more than 3 days and the effect of the sea-sickness was much less. It usually just involved lethargy, loss of apetite and occasional vomiting. Sleeping usually helps.

There are some visual exersizes that can be done for sea-sickness too. I don't know if there has been a thread on this before but if anyone is interested in this, we could start a separate thread on it.

[Pura Vida]

Anne,
Good luck with your boat search. An observations and a thought. A number of people show up at the marina with dreams of their perfect boat. Generally a couple of boats and some sea miles later that dream changes. It did for me. So don't consider your first boat to be your last boat. You might consider living aboard in a marina for a year or two, sail OPB and find out what really excites you in terms of a boat. I think Suhaili was teak.

pv

[mickmul]

Best thread I've seen in ages, probably because Anne has the humility and vocabulary to present her eagerness and learning needs, and because most all the folks here are willing to put the shoulder to the wheel to push genuine dreams forward. Well done guys! I would agree with the detailed threads above (defjef - write a book - I'll buy it) I would forget the washing machine, install the wind vane and (perhaps from Med liveaboards I've met) suggest 36'-38' as max size for two with occasional visitors. (or a Tradewind 33 if you decide to go slightly smaller on the waterline length). Something tells me you two adaptable positive souls will leave many friends in your boat's wake!! I'd sail south to France to meet you. . . enjoy the research, always survey, and remember, even rented experience as suggested will zero you in on the right vessel. Freedom awaits. . . judge carefully and good luck!!

[annegibsonwaco]

GordMay - Well put. Interesting concept that I had not seriously contemplated. Due to the overwhelming consensus of many on the forum, we are now looking at 38 to 40' boats, rather than the 40 to 50' range. I do value these pearls of wisdom you are sending my way!
Pura Vida - I've been looking for the perfect boat to last a lifetime, much like you would buy a house. Maybe I need to consider the options more like newlyweds, first an apartment, then a small cottage, then the family home. This has opened up a whole new level of discussion with my husband.
Mikmul - Man! I can't thank you enough for the encouragement. I was so pumped after reading these messages tonight that I wanted to head for the Kemah Marina (even though it's almost 11 pm and it's pouring down rain!) We'll let you know when we reach France! Thanks, guys, this is an incredible portal to realizing our dream!

Anne

[annegibsonwaco]

Kanani - I had read that seasickness does affect many sailors for the first 2 to 3 days. I would like to know if others are interested in a new thread on this.
It has been a major problem for me in the past. While in the Navy, we had to move from San Diego to San Francisco aboard my husband's ship. I was the only person still hugging the head when we arrived 3 days later! I used to take Dramamine but it made me too sleepy. In recent years, I have found that the patch, Meclizine, and the wrist band really works for me. I'd be interested to hear about those visual exercises. I had read that you shouldn't look in a mirror while underway in the cabin because of the visual cues it can give you. I also understand that although it's "not in your head", your mindset can play a big role in overcoming it. And, this gal's mind is made up! Where ther's a will ther's a way!

Anne

[seakitty]

I have been sailing for a long time but I believe that it is never too late as long as you have your health. I am in my 50's... not so hard to say once you've said it a few times.

Others in this forum have recommended a ketch rigged boat, I would recommend a book written by a friend of mine... Andrew Gunson "The voyage of the Maiatla with the Naked Canadian". He has a Hardin 44' ketch and talks about why he chose it in his book.

Goodluck!

[mickmul]

Two seasicknes tips - Kneel (not stand) aft and keep your eyes fixed on the horizon straight behind you. And the one that will draw a few laughs , but works . . . eat bread and jam (jelly in the U.S.?) and cheese in a sandwich. It's like a sweet and savoury, two opposites which seem to get the stomach acid back on an even keel. .

[annegibsonwaco]

Others in this forum have recommended a ketch rigged boat, I would recommend a book written by a friend of mine... Andrew Gunson "The voyage of the Maiatla with the Naked Canadian". He has a Hardin 44' ketch and talks about why he chose it in his book.

Thanks Seakitty - I've ordered the book. It had some really good reviews.

Two seasicknes tips - Kneel (not stand) aft and keep your eyes fixed on the horizon straight behind you. And the one that will draw a few laughs , but works . . . eat bread and jam (jelly in the U.S.?) and cheese in a sandwich. It's like a sweet and savoury, two opposites which seem to get the stomach acid back on an even keel. .

mickmul - I have a question. Do I eat the sandwich while kneeling aft and keeping my eyes on the horizon? I wasn't sure if you do it at the same time or one right after the other or what.... Help me make sure I get this one right. Thanks for the tips.

Anne

[annegibsonwaco]

Hey, guys! I've found a boat I keep going back to because of the things I've read about them. It's a 1981 38' Cabo Rico. Any thoughts on these boats?

Anne

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by mickmul

Two seasicknes tips - Kneel (not stand) aft and keep your eyes fixed on the horizon straight behind you.

This is the best one. It works best if you lean out over the transom a bit. However, even if it doesn't work it has the advantage of keeping my cockpit floor clean when you hurl...

Oh, and the sandwich? Really just for color and texture variety. Grape jelly is interesting...

Seriously - We had a first timer this weekend. She wouldn't say anything but went below to watch a video with the kids. I noted the "thousand yard stare" and encouraged her to get back up on deck, drink some ginger ale and have a couple of ginger snaps. Eyes on the horizon and getting near the mast (center of the boat) helps in the pitching and rolling.

[mickmul]

Anne, do the sandwich first, then eyes on the horizon. There are some big selling seasickness bracelets that people over here swear by too. Scopolamine patches, worn behind the ear like a tiny band-aid, are among the most common prescription drugs for seasickness. Ginger, as Dan mentioned, is a popular non-prescription choice, but make sure ginger ale actually contains real ginger or you may make matters worse! Seasickness is the reaction of your body's inner ear balance system to the unfamiliar motion of the boat. The movement of the boat causes stress on the balancing portion of the brain. Your brain sees things on the ship such as doors and beds (even a pencil rolling across a table) and instinctively knows from past experience that they are supposed to be still. However, since these items are actually moving with the sea and the boat, the inner ear gets stressed and confused and nausea sets in. Seasickness often disappears within a few days, even without treatment. The brain finally adjusts to this new environment, and the sufferer gets his or her "sea legs." I see you are narrowing the boat search already! Good luck!

[mickmul]

Anne, While surfing threads I found the following info posted by Windgeist. The Hans Christian is at Kemah marina, and would be my personal favourite, but all are great boats. . . .

1980 Hans Christian 38 $99,900
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale=

1983 Corbin 39 $99,950
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale=

1991 Freedom 38' $99,900
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

1982 Bristol 40 $99,500
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

1983 Bayfeild 40 $99,000
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

1981 Passport 40 $99,000
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

[Janny]

Although I'm new here, this is some of the info I had given to Anne -- especially after listening to y'all and recently going thru the looking stage--(May I add that we need a sticky on 'best ways to shop for a boat?") perhaps this may help others:

"At first Ed wanted the 'perfect boat' lots of wood, lots of style and first class all the way. The longer we looked, the harder it got. We had to stop and rethink just what we were buying--someone else's mistakes or usless junk? As you know a lot of the boat builders are out of business and they don't make boats the way the used to. I'm sure you heard the term 'production boats', this applies to groups like Hunters, Irwins, Catalina's and more. (I don't mean to offend anyone) They didn't make the boat for the owners anymore, just for the money.

We came up with these rules:

-No bowsprit-why pay for space we aren't living in? (Did you know the cut off is about 36-45' LOA for slips, not just here but around the world?) In St. Aug we were lucky to find a marina @ $9/ft plus $50 electric --most are $15/ft mo plus.

-Engine Power-enough to get us out of a spot in bad seas or swift current to dock? It takes a lot of hp to turn a big boat around.

-Less Gadgets-Everything gets fixed on a boat, tech changes constantly and warranties seldom transfer. We saw so much shoddy workmanship, Ed would rather know about and do everything himself-some electrical was scary!

-Compromise-No wood on deck if over 39' there's enough work to do!

-Interior-Must have private master cabin with pullman or queen berth and room! (especially if you entertain alot) Kitchen out of traffic yet close to cockpit. Must at least have good bones. (You won't believe how much termite and rodent damage we saw--who knew?)

-Draft-5 ft min for Europe's canals and island hopping!

-The best thing we discovered-is that a lot of boats were in the same marina regardless of what they say in the ad, check out the broker sites and see what boats they show. Ask specifically where the boats are, ie: home, marina, yard. Also, most brokers have their offices at marinas, like 1 per!

-We started our list with at least 30 boats to see on Florida' east coast. We set up 3 major areas to shop with at least 6 different brokers! Then we kept in touch by cell and GPS--whew!

-On the hard--(before the snowbirds come down) we found an amazing storage yard in Indiantown, FL. there must have been 300 boats! (Actually there were 500+) We could not believe so many on our list were there instead of Miami or wherever the ad said! This place was not even near the water, but stored boats for $100/mo, boy if we had only known...

-No project boat-it must be ready to sail


In other words, there is NO PERFECT BOAT! "

[Janny]

BTW Anne, as you know, you can find darn near anything on the net these days... I found this review on the Cabo 38' Used Boat Review hope someone has some recent reviews!

[knguy1]

Wishing you all a beautiful holiday season.
I am very new to sailing. It is my first post.