Doubts about ocean sailing?
By Cal YachtsI am currently only fourteen years old, but I have taken a ridiculous like to boats ever since I was ten, and I decidedd that I was ggoing to live on one after some really hard thought. I had particular talents in the technology department and thought "Great, now all I need is internet to work, this is perfect for when im not on land!" and I decided that I was going to go to a technology-based university or college.
I was thinking of getting a 40 to 45 footer cutter (or sloop if I really cannot find a suitable cutter) with spinnaker, storm sails (and storm jib), and staysails. I AM very adamant in my choice to get a keel of ATLEAST 3/4, if not 100% keel. Also, the rig will be a fore-and aft rig.
I think that my boat is reasonably stable, and I so far have a sailing level of Bronze IV, I plan to get ATLEAST Silver before I suceed my sailing school. (My sailing school is PCYC; Port Credit Yacht Club) and after that, I would like to take a "How to Cruise" course.
So, I thought i had the skill, but now I am reading stories online of storms, and I personally have no idea what to do during storms, I thought I’d just take down all the sails, and hoist the storm jib (and/or storm mainsail if the storm was unsevere) and get out to calm water as soon as possible.
I dont know what to do when I’m sleeping… I dont know if I lower the sails completely, or keep the jib up, or whatever :/
I dont know what to do if my water purifier fails me, I know that I will have many other methods of purifying my water (else I’d be an idiot not to) but what if I run out of methods?
What if I run out of fishing rods? Lures? (I know I would carry some non-parishable food with me, but what if I run out??)
I read about a whale jumping onto a yacht somewhere near Europe, when I read that article, I just thought "Oh. What if that happens to me? Im totally screwed…"
What if I capsize? Even with my keel the size of a elephant? I’d go insane before anyone finds me…
Can someone with blue water sailing experience please enlighten me on what to do in my situations and perhaps give me some re assurance to persue my goal?
Oh yeah, forgot to mention.
Monohull is for me :3
I was thinking of a yacht that allowed it to be in Carribean and Atlantic, not so much Pacific (I dont have the balls now, and most likely wontt have the balls later to cross the biggest ocean, no thanks mister.) can you reccomend a draft?
3 Comments
January 17th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Andre,
Go to the link below, and read between the lines (all of them). Sailing is less then 1% of the dangers you face every day commuting to work or school.
If "you" are a safe, common sense individual, then you will be safe sailing around the world. People that get in trouble at sea, are for the most part racing against an unreasonable schedule. In addition, if you check with any boat insurance company, they will tell you that 99% of all vessels that sink… Guess what? They sink at the dock. The other 1% (according to the insurance companies) could have been avoided with proper preventive maintenance.
If you learn your "stuff", pay attention to the details, use good common sense, follow the rules… it is most likely you can sail around the world in 95% perfect or near perfect weather – and with a good offshore vessel, you can safely weather anything you can’t avoid.
You will find many naysayers every where about anything – once you mention the subject. In addition, you need to remember that most of everything you read is "dramatized". News is certainly and always about the bad and the worst, and they even do their best in making it even worse then it is.
I know you know that "teenagers" are sailing solo around the world. But did you know that there are also Senior Citizens and even solo sailors out there now that are in their 70′s? One in fact, just completed a solo circumnavigation and celebrated his 89th birthday. So, does that change your opinion about the dangers?
It can be dangerous, don’t get me wrong… but seriously, honestly, it is really only as dangerous (or safe) as you are. But I will tell you this… you will never, no not ever, do anything that requires a greater act of faith.
Most "boating dreamers" will never go. They will make the excuse it is the "money", or they want to take more offshore lessons, or hitch a ride and go with someone first. Their excuses can out number the hairs on your head. Most I have met, have had better boats then mine, more money then I do, and in fact, much more experience then I did. But they will never go.
Fact is, when it comes time and you are standing on your boat ready to cast those lines and sail away across the ocean – it requires more faith then you have ever had to have in your entire life. It simply requires much-much greater faith then finance or experience.
You have to have a gargantuan amount of faith in yourself, and in your vessel. It all boils down to that, and it really is that simple.
Check out the link…
Here is hoping you have what it takes.
John
“The person who goes farthest is the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boater never gets far from shore.” Dale Carnegie
January 17th, 2011 at 9:38 am
All depends on your area of sailing. Pacific deep water high seas deep draft yacht. Caribbean shoal waters shoal draft Yacht. I sailed a Endeavor 40 for yrs Florida to the Granada Watch the weather with the new and improved weather gear U can plan better crossings. Sloop rig is easy to handle not so much rigging to deal with.Have a good Yacht and reduce the sail before the winds hit. Don’t play Captain Ron and be wise. Experience is the best teacher don’t take chances.
January 17th, 2011 at 9:38 am
andre, living aboard and sailing is a great lifestyle, and you are well on your way to reaching it. there are a lot of great web sites available to help you. the first is Capt john’s site. he discusses how to afford to go cruising as well as many other topics.
http://boatwrights.org/
a 40 to 45′ cutter is a good sized sailboat but you may want to start with a smaller one and work your way up. many cruiser have successfully crossed oceans in smaller sailboats. Atoms voyage web site has details on 70 ocean proven sailboat designs from 20′ to 32′ there are also many cruising articles and his one line book about sailing around the world
http://atomvoyages.com/articles/boatlist.htm
more great ocean sailing designs
http://www.mahina.com/boats.html
recently there have been several teenagers that have or are sailing around the world. you can go to their web sites for more info
http://www.lauradekker.nl/Basis.aspx?Tid=2&Lid=12&Lit=VIEW&STARTPOS=5
http://jessicawatson.com.au/_blog/Official_Jessica_Watson_Blog
another good reference is "the circumnavigates by Don Holm
http://www.stexboat.com/books/circumnav/ci_table.htm
while there is a cost involved, today’s sailboats can be equipped with GPS, computers with sat. links, global weather reports, sat phones, even sat tv’s. you can also have solar, wind and even water generating electrical systems. your boat can be equipped with radar as well as radar proximity alarms that will sound when other ships are close. solo sailors at sea also learn to sleep by taking short naps (20 to 30 minutes) and then getting up to scan the horizon and check on the boat.
there are good books on heavy weather sailing that will help you gain knowledge of how to shorten sail, use sea anchors, heave to etc in a storm.
while it is possible to hit a whale, the recent news report of the whale broaching onto the sailboat occurred because the sailboat was whale watching.
hope this helps