new boat in the oven

[soleilsailor46]

I just ordered a new boat to sail from the chesapeake to England and around the E.U. I have never done a sail like this. When I get there I plan to do some very competitive racing. Should I see what she can do on a coastal to Maine or just a straight shot to England or a little testing on the bay as well?

 

[woodster]

I just ordered a new boat to sail from the chesapeake to England and around the E.U. I have never done a sail like this. When I get there I plan to do some very competitive racing. Should I see what she can do on a coastal to Maine or just a straight shot to England or a little testing on the bay as well?

sounds like you are already commited...i would think it all depends on your expertise.....i dont even know how to sail ....but i would prolly like to go across with some one that has done it a few times before i struck out on my own in a brand new boat...haveing said that i think i would do the main thing first and get all the bugs out of the new boat and use it till it felt like wareing and old shoe to me....you can take what i say with a grain of salt....because the only thing i know about sailing at this point is that i slepped in a Holiday in one time...any way congrats on your new venture...

regards

woody

 

[Ed Schenck]

Very funny Woodster. Personally I would use some bay time and offshore time to shake her down. Then I would join a group like this one for my first crossing: http://www.worldcruising.com/arc/event_info.aspx .

 

[jimmyb]

Dude! If it was me, and its not, I would have those answers and expertise not to mention confidence in ability long before I purchased the new boat. That said have a great adventure and safe voyage.:dance:

 

[Ross]

Before I ever sail across an ocean I am going to sail along the edge of one for a few hundred miles and I am going to sail away from land for 24 hours and then sail back. Then I will sail away from land for two days and then sail back. My boat might sail a hundred miles in 24 hours and it might sail more than that or less depending upon the wind. I will certainly have many sea miles under my keel before I commit to a 3000 miles voyage.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Ross, good plans well said.

 

[soleilsailor46]

thanks

Well first thanks to everyone who answered. But I have done a few Rolex races on my friends boat and the cowes race in England. I have also helped a friend sail his bristol 45 from Newport back to the bay. I have made the very long sail to Oregon on my C&C 40, although that is very different than a sail to England.

 

[higgs]

I would want to do a shakedown cruise before I left to get to learn the boat's characteristics in a wide variety of conditions and to give you an idea how living on board will be.

 

[Ed Schenck]

I guess you might have received better advice if we had seen your resume' in the original post. But my first answer still works for me.

 

[Ross]

I guess I would ask how your navigational sklls are and how good a cook you are. You have extensive sailing experience but as crew or in command? I have flown from the east coast of the US to the Philippine Islands and back but only as a passenger. I couldn't fly a paper airplane across my front yard.

 

[Dan Johnson]

46...

A good friend had numerous problems with a brand new 52 footer that didn't show up until he was off-shore heading for the Bahamas after an uneventful trip down the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk.

Suggest that you get as much shake-down time on the Bay before heading off to EUR. Dealers don't make house calls that far off-shore!

 

[Merlin Clark]

Well first thanks to everyone who answered. But I have done a few Rolex races on my friends boat and the cowes race in England. I have also helped a friend sail his bristol 45 from Newport back to the bay. I have made the very long sail to Oregon on my C&C 40, although that is very different than a sail to England.

Just curious, when you sailed to Oregon did you take the Northern passage, Southern ocean, head East, the canal or the Great Lakes route?

 

[soleilsailor46]

Just curious, when you sailed to Oregon did you take the Northern passage, Southern ocean, head East, the canal or the Great Lakes route?

I went around to Victoria bc stopt there, visited some family and the carried on to Oregon.

 

[Ross]

From where did you start? how many crew did you have ? how long did it take?

 

[soleilsailor46]

I guess I would ask how your navigational sklls are and how good a cook you are. You have extensive sailing experience but as crew or in command? I have flown from the east coast of the US to the Philippine Islands and back but only as a passenger. I couldn't fly a paper airplane across my front yard.

Well a little bit of both. When I helped my friend sail back from Newport we hot bunked with only single person shifts. I am pretty efficient with paper charts. Unfortunately I am not a very good cook nor are the people I will be sailing with...but I guess all the more incentive to get there faster right? On the bay I have done lots of sailing alone but thats much different than oceanic sailing.I have been sailing all my life and are confident in my knowledge of it.

 

[soleilsailor46]

From where did you start? how many crew did you have ? how long did it take?

I started in galesville md with a 8 person crew and we hot bunked on a 1980 C&C 40 centerboard. It took about 2 months with the family visit included.

 

[sailaway78]

Regardless of your own abilities

You need to shake a new boat down before any long distance work. Shake her down hard. Find any and all flaws, and there will be some. Then shake her down some more. Then go for it.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Of course sail around Maine. If you were in a rush to get there you wouldn't be taking a sailboat...

 

[Hermit Scott]

Dude! If it was me, and its not, I would have those answers and expertise not to mention confidence in ability long before I purchased the new boat. That said have a great adventure and safe voyage.:dance:

Expert enough to know he doesn't know everything? A true Zen master.

 

[soleilsailor46]

Of course sail around Maine. If you were in a rush to get there you wouldn't be taking a sailboat...

Ha to true to true.