New Member...Pipe Dream?

[jkirstein]

Thanks for all your input. Look for us on the seas before 2009!

[Ed Steele]

Couple of points:

The most important “thing” a woman can do for you on a boat is to go with you. Don’t worry if she cannot tie a bowline or remember the name for the pointy end. If she can keep watch you are home free. If she doesn’t cook, take a microwave and a big freezer.

(BTW, apologies for sexist gender specific statements. For “he” also read “she” and vice versa and similar adjustments for same sex couples)

Cash does help you begin with a solid seaworthy vessel. If you haven’t got cash, there is always the traditional American approach. My boat mortgage company believes our blue water yacht is still safely docked on an inland lake in Texas.

My last piece of advice is to start this feast with “dessert”. Take your significant other someplace that has coconut palms, white sand beaches, balmy breezes and gift shops - and do this soon! All this “go get some offshore experience off Cape Hatteras in January” is great for making you an experienced single-hander.

Ed

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Jeff,
Welcome aboard!!
Good to have you here. Hope you enjoy all the feedback.
Looks like you've gotten lots of good advice and encouragement. Did anyone suggest a short charter on the open ocean yet? Sometimes it will tell you whether or not you are cut out for a long cruise before you invest a lot of time and effort in the "right" boat.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[slomotion]

In addition to the excellent advice you've received about sailing/training, remember that something like 75% to 90% of the time a cruising boat isn't sailing anywhere - it's anchored.

All full time or extended time cruisers share a common bond. Nevertheless, there is an amazing variety of life styles and comfort levels. Not everyone is just like you; and one of the most common reasons that cruises get cut short is that it turned out not to be fun living on that particular boat. You can wind up hating your bombproof bluewater boat if it doesn't serve your life style expectations: refrigerator and water tank too small - have to go shopping every other day, can't keep batteries charged without running the engine, cockpit great for sailing, but not for lounging at anchor, have to crawl over your partner to get out of bed, inadequate storage, etc. Too many people buy and equip the right boat for sailing, but not for living. I highly recommend that in addition to sailing a boat, you spend some time living on a sailboat. A week or two will give you a much better idea of what you really want/need in a long term cruising boat.

[michael201]

We are leaving next fall after our boat is shown in the SS show in MD. 3 to 4 years. We are going to take lessons via ASA and hire a full time captain for the first 3 to 6 months. I've been told over and over if you live onboard and sail full time, you should be ready to go after 3 or 4 months of intense sailing and training. That is what we are doing.

[mickmul]

Go! Here are some inspirational words from Sterling Hayden, actor, and last Master Mariner to qualify under sail - they keep me on track to one day soon casting off the lines . . . some may find them a little reckless mind . . . "To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea - "cruising," it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about."I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.
What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense. And we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade.
The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it the tomb is sealed.
Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"

[Kuapa'a]

Aloha,

I like the saying, "You won't know if you don't go." It is true that God watches out for fools, sailors, and drunks... something some of us have been perhaps rightfully accused of. But somewhere between Joshua Slocum, Taenia Aeibi and the blind sailor (sorry, I forgot his name) who made a solo trans-Atlantic crossing there really is a 'time for every purpose under heaven.'

It would seem like a good idea to decide whether your goal is to simply complete a circumnavigation, (like saying you ran the Boston Marathon) or to dwaddle along, soaking up as much of the local sights, scenery, and culture as you can along the way, and meeting new friends, etc. If the latter is your intention, you could gain an astounding wealth of cruising knowledge just sailing from the E. coast down through the Bahamas, across thru Cuba, the Caymans or Dutch Antilles and then on to the Yucatan peninsula, south to Central America and thru the Pnanma canal. Tahiti here we come!

Hope this is of a little help, but whatever tack you're on, I truly wish you guys all the very best. Fair winds and a following sea to you.

Aloha Nui Loa,
John

[dunroven]

Lori and I are super new to all of this and like others wanted to check in to say.
We just closed today on our 2006 Hunter 45cc and plan to live aboard and take lessons in Charleston on our new boat. From there, who knows. We are a bit overwhelmed at the moment.
We learn a ton looking through this forum and appreciate the knowledge shared in this forum.
Wish us luck...
john and lori

[Jack Tar]

Go or you will regret it the rest of your life.

[anjou]

Originally Posted by mickmul

"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea - "cruising," it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about."I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.
What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense. And we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade.
The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it the tomb is sealed.
Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"

Were truer words ever spoken, yet Im still trying to find the strength and guts to cast off metaphorically. Ive had a life of social conditioning to knuckle down, work hard, tick societies boxes and perpare to be in a box at the end of it.
F**k that.........Ive changed, ive come too far and seen too much to settle for a life less ordinary. I cant go back, ......that would surely kill my very soul and I would hate myself and regret forever not having the balls to live the dream.

I need to feel the wind, spray, sun and sand, and escape the petty politics of a miserable 9-5 life anongst people who dont dare to want anything more from this once in a lifetime gift of life.

[jdoe71]

Ah, this thread is kinda old, like April of '07. I think the encouragement to "go" is prolly a bit late. If OP "went", he hasn't seen fit to tell us about it.

These threads are a dime a dozen and it would really be interesting to now and then hear what these folks decided to do. And why.

[slomotion]

Originally Posted by anjou

I cant go back, ......that would surely kill my very soul and I would hate myself and regret forever not having the balls to live the dream.

I need to feel the wind, spray, sun and sand, and escape the petty politics of a miserable 9-5 life anongst people who dont dare to want anything more from this once in a lifetime gift of life.

Definitely time for a Bahamas/Caribbean vacation - it’s something you can do now. Don’t spend your time in the major ports and resorts - go for the smaller or out of the way places where cruisers go. But be careful - you may never come back.

Check out some boats while you're there. And remember, you do not need a super bluewater boat or years of experience to cruise those waters. Go here:

BoatUS Cruising Logs

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by jdoe71

... These threads are a dime a dozen and it would really be interesting to now and then hear what these folks decided to do. And why.

That may be so, but it's nonetheless (sometimes) interesting to read what the thread has inspired others to write.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by anjou

Were truer words ever spoken, yet Im still trying to find the strength and guts to cast off metaphorically. Ive had a life of social conditioning to knuckle down, work hard, tick societies boxes and perpare to be in a box at the end of it.
F**k that.........Ive changed, ive come too far and seen too much to settle for a life less ordinary. I cant go back, ......that would surely kill my very soul and I would hate myself and regret forever not having the balls to live the dream.

I need to feel the wind, spray, sun and sand, and escape the petty politics of a miserable 9-5 life anongst people who dont dare to want anything more from this once in a lifetime gift of life.

Many people are happy on land and love their life, their jobs, even politics. You obviously don't. So go. Its that simple, just go. Tell all the "Buts" and "what ifs" to bugger off and just go for it. You may fall flat on your face but so what. Get back up, dust yourself off, and GO. There are thousands of people right here on this forum who, at one point or another in their quest for their dream, had to just jump. I remember my leap like it was yesterday and I relish it still. Looks like its your turn to jump. You are such a remarkable woman, I know you can do it. Godspeed and go.
Erika


PS
"These threads are a dime a dozen" I couldn't disagree with you more, I love watching someone reach for their dreams? Too cool!

[James S]

I like these type of old threads...I like to see who followed through and how the adventure is going.
Granted a high percentage seem to have disappeared....I like to think they're out there having a blast some where!