Absolute necessities for sailing in the Bahamas?

Hermit Scott · Nov 25, 2009

Flo, I have a dog that I plan on taking to the Bahamas with me. From what I found out you can get a "passport" for your dog to Brittish controlled terratories. It takes 3 or 6 months, or maybe a year(I can't remember) and you have to take your dog to vets inthe states during that time for wahtever it is they need to do. It is possible. Some people are simply anti-pet when it comes to having them aboard a sailboat. Your dogs are big! It won't be fun for them being cramped in that boat. Hauling them up on deck won't be fun for you either. I am actually going to cut a doggie door in my cockpit and construct a ramp so my dog can at least go up on deck when he wants. But he is a 17 lb. Schnauzzer not a big person sized dog. I put netting around the deck so he can't fall over, that was one of the best things I did to my boat so far. It takes a lot of worry out of sailing.
I had the same affliction come upon me a little over a year ago. I wanted to go to the Bahamas on my own boat. I found this forum and started asking questions. Then I found my first boat. I had a lot of work to do on my boat before I could even move it. The condition of the boat that you are buying is very important. It could be a lot of work and money before it's ready.
I am not ready myself to make the journey but I am sailing from Texas. You'll be in the bahamas the same day you leave if all goes well. It will take me a month to get there. One thing that I found is essential is an autopilot. Steering a sailboat is fun for about 15 minutes, then it gets tedious.
One other thing you absolutely need is a Bimini top for the cockpit.

Sailm8 · Nov 25, 2009

You are gonna love sailing in the Keys. Great decision since you have the experience and local knowledge of parents to draw from. Good for the dogs to be able to go ashore. (Think 2 wet dogs stuffed into a small space) I envy your enthusiasm. Just be safe.

Oh don't forget you will need a dingy that is dog claw resistant.

sailingdog · Nov 25, 2009

Flo said:
I'm new to this, so bear with me please!

My boyfriend of 5 years has recently come across a very random thought in his head, to get a sailboat. Right now, he is on his way to Atlanta to sell his dream truck (a Ford Lightning) so that he can fly to Miami and buy a 28' Morgan sailboat. Going along with him are his brother and dog. In about 2 weeks when my semester is over, my dog and I will be joining them in Miami, and we're going to head for the Bahamas. The guy that's selling them the boat is going to let them stay at his house and is going to teach them to sail until I get there. We're all pretty young; my boyfriend is 21, his brother is 25, and I am 20. Our dogs that we're bringing along are both pitbulls, my boyfriend's is a male and 75 lbs and mine is a female and about 50 lbs, both about a year and a half, they are both fixed, and leaving them isn't an option. They're our substitution for kids, so we're very close to them, sleep with them, take them with us everywhere.

Now that you know all about my situation, I have a few questions about what it's like to live on a sailboat:
- What are the things that you HAVE to have on the boat and would die if you didn't have them?
- How do you clean clothes?
- Are there any areas in the bahamas that we should avoid? and is it okay to bring a gun?
- Is it going to be hell having two fairly large dogs?
- Is it possible to catch enough fish to use for food, or will we have to buy meat on the islands? (I know we'll have to atleast buy rice and other things like it)

These are all the questions I can think of right now, but any additional advice would be greatly appreciated!!

First, a 28' boat is a tight fit for three people, much less three people and two large dogs.

Second, taking two large dogs that aren't used to sailboats on such a voyage is probably cruel. When you're at sea, the dogs will be confined to down below in the cabin. Also, have you considered the problems of trying to recover a 75 lb. dog if it falls overboard. Then there are the quarantine issues, which are avoidable if you get the animals the pet passport, but that may not be an option, given your timeframe.

Third, yes it is possible to catch enough fish, the problem is avoiding some issues related to fish. Ciguatera poisoning is fairly common with reef-based fish and pelagic fish are better. Smaller fish are better to eat than larger ones, since the larger ones generally have higher levels of things like mercury—especially if they are apex predators like bluefin tuna.

Fourth, you really all need to get more sailing experience before heading off. You can get into a lot of trouble very easily on such a trip.

kloudie1 · Nov 25, 2009

Yeah, not being negative here because sailing is a great thing to enjoy!.. To mirror what other folks have said, best to get some sailing and shorter trips and weekenders under your belts (and collars) and learn the boat and systems along the way.. It is fun and entertaining and educational.. Get on board and enjoy !!! Sounds like you and yours are doing a bunch of reading and are on a steep learning curve now.. all part of the fun! Enjoy and Welcome Aboard, Flo.

Warren Milberg · Nov 25, 2009

What you need? Buy a LOT of life and personal liability insurance before you leave.

SeaRanch · Nov 25, 2009

If your boy friend has "stunted motorcycles" and "does back flips off walls" he is a "risk taker".

If he crashes his stunt bike he kills himself.
If he embarks on a sailing trip with a 40 yr old vessel that he has no past experience as to its condition and no real sailing experience, he could kill you and others!

Please, listen to what many very experienced sailors have said in this forum about getting near shore experience before heading "off shore".
If YOU do not know what an EPIRB is, find out NOW! It may needed to save your life.

Bill

Roger Long · Nov 25, 2009

SeaRanch said:
If he embarks on a sailing trip with a 40 yr old vessel that he has no past experience as to its condition and no real sailing experience, he could kill you and others!

Amen. Exactly that happened to a former girlfriend of mine. She and her next boyfriend disappeared on a trip to the Bahamas.

Bad Obsession · Nov 25, 2009

There is so much knowledge on here from coastal and blue water sailors it is head splitting. That being said, I have met a guy who goes down to the Bahamas every year in an O'day 28. This is one person in a 28 foot boat. He sleeps in the salon because the V-berth is full of can goods and other storage items. This guy doesn't have refrigeration and he is cruising bare bones and spending VERY little money. He drinks warm water and soda, eats only canned food, and rarely does any activities that require money.

The thing is that the guy knows his boat. He travels with a small dog and it says that the dog sails well, but the dog hates being out in bad weather (on a small light coastal sailor it is pretty rough when you hit a bad weather front).

Have you had a survey for this boat? What type of engine does it have? How much water does it carry? How much fuel do you carry? What kind of battery bank do you have? Do you have a way of charging this bank? How much storage to do you have? Where are you going to store extra gear? Do you have spare engine and boat parts in case you break down at sea? What kind of ground tackle do you have? What type of stove do you have on board? If you have an ice box and no refrigeration how will you keep things cold while out at sea? If you have refrigeration do you have a big enough house bank to run the refrigeration for a few days without charging with the engine? Do you have adequate charts on the boat? What kind of budget do you want to cruise on? Are you carrying any spare sails, if so where will you store them?

That is just a few of the hundreds of questions to ask. Think about it, you are talking about your life, your boyfriend's life, and your boyfriend's brother's life.

Oh, it will also be very cramped on a 28 foot boat if everyone is hunkered down below in bad weather. If it was just you and your boyfriend then you would be testing your relationship to the max by doing this trip as you will depend a lot on each other and it can strain things quite a bit.

Not to be negative, but I suggest spending some time doing some coastal cruising.

seadaddler · Nov 25, 2009

First things first

Before making any trip to Keys or Bahamas or overnight know your boat,don't go very far from land until you do a shake down cruise and learn
what the boat will do with you living on it and find out real fast it's short comings and any problems you and crew will have sailing away from land.
I sailed my 2007 H-36 for two years before sailing down to Florida from NY and the list of necessities blew me away and my crew that had plenty of off shore experience got so seasick a few hours into the trip that we had to stop off in Montauk for a day before heading out to Florida.
We had done two shake down trips to Block Island before leaving,the boat was almost flawless of problems and stopped in NC where one crew got off
before heading to Florida.
So see what you and the boat will do out in the ocean and have fun and a safe trip.
Nick

Phil Herring · Nov 25, 2009

Assuming this is a real post and not a troll, Brian and Steph's articles can be found in Boat Info -> Hunter -> 25.5.

OTOH, if it is a troll, ignore this reply.

Scott T-Bird · Nov 25, 2009

Think about the negative aspects of bringing dogs.

Dogs require a lot of attention and care. Obviously, they are not as self-sufficient as most adult people. Our dog is a 40 pound sweetheart and we frequently take her sailing with us but we are sailing for only a few hours at a time. For one thing, in the heat, she is panting all the time. It may not be such a big deal for her, but I am always obsessed with finding a way to reduce the panting because it drives me crazy with all the slober. Two pit bulls slobering all over the cockpit would make me insane. So I put a considerable amount of energy into trying to make her comfortable in the shade, but she wants to pace all over, too, so that also makes me nuts. 2 large dogs pacing all over a 28 foot boat with 3 adults would make me absolutely nuts and I would never survive a trip because I would probably jump overboard. I could be wrong but the people I know who have pit bulls are required to spend an incredible amount of time keeping them occupied otherwise they bark incessantly if somebody isn't paying attention to them. That is another thing that would make me insane. For some reason, this breed of dog seems to require constant attention, and if they don't get it they demand it. It seems like when we visit our friends house, the dog is in my face constantly. It is annoying. I would expect that the dogs need a lot of exercise as that is the only activity that keeps them occupied and worn out so that they aren't seeking constant attention. On a boat for several weeks, they will get no exercise. You may find yourself in close confinement with 2 large, nutso dogs. And think about all the space you will need to devote to large bags of dogfood and water just for the dogs. You will have the equivalent of 5 people on board a 28 foot boat ... nuts. Our dog won't stay below when anybody is in the cockpit, and she is always in the way when ever any task related to sailing has to take place. 2 large dogs? Again another royal PIA when actually trying to sail.

I would also bet that your dogs would be exceptionally unpopular in any anchorage you encounter, particularly if they bark even a little bit. My experience with pit bulls is that they bark loudly and incessantly for attention and that will annoy the hell out of everybody in the anchorage. You will discourage visitors because of their presence. People generally like small, cute dogs ... but 2 large pit bulls? It doesn't matter if they are friendly ... other people won't like them. Maybe that is what you are counting on, who knows?

I may sound jaded against pit bulls, and I admit that I am, but cruising with 2 large, energy intensive dogs in a tiny boat with 3 adults sounds like insanity to me. In my mind, it goes WAY beyond what others may consider the insanity of setting out across the gulf stream without much experience!

SeacretSailor · Nov 25, 2009

I think you'd have so much gear and stuff packed and piled on all the bunks, that you'd spend hours trying to find anything and everything. Maybe a bigger boat or less pets?

jackhartjr · Nov 25, 2009

Let's see now...a gurl, a boy and his brother...two pit bulls...no sailing experience...an unknown boat...looks like a Darwin Award winner coming up! Or three of them!
Jack

Bad Obsession · Nov 26, 2009

Jackhartjr.....the beginning of your post sounded like an add for that show that use to be on MTV called the Real World! LOL

What happens when you take a Girl, a Boy, and his brother and put them with two pitbulls onto a boat in the ocean? Find out when sailors stop talking nice and start talking real!

That is funny.

In all seriousness, don't let all of these comments deter you from your dreams. The thing everyone is trying to preach is for you all to do all the necessary homework and be safe about the journey. It could be a fun one, or it could be one that ends tragically if proper preps aren't done. Spend some time learning yourselves, your boat, and your limitations!

Hermit Scott · Nov 26, 2009

I kind of wondered this myself and I think Flo and her boyfriend Evil Knievel could benefit from the answer also; When cruising in the Bahamas how much time do you spend on the boat and how much time on land?

ggrizzard · Nov 26, 2009

Having cruised the Bahamas and the Virgins throughout the past 30 years, my mental log tells me that we spent 75% of the time onboard. Cruising and sleep time accounting for most most of it, but cleaning, maintenence, cooking, eating and rigging gear accounted for some as well.

Hermit Scott · Nov 27, 2009

There's nothing wrong with being a risk taker. That is who I am by my nature. Some people feel comfotable in safety and security. Some people are more concerned about being or at least feeling free.
Personally, I'd rather be cramped in a boat with two other people cruising the islands than in a cubicle.
Everyone here has or has had the same dream as you. We all just want you to be as safe as one can be while taking a fiberglass tub out into the ocean. With the proper equipment it doesn't seem that dangerous to me. Think about the worst case scenario and then prepare for it. What else can you do? Everyone here wants to help you prepare for it and know what to expect.
I came here for the same reasons you did. I have been messing around on here over a year now. It has been well worth my time.

Hermit Scott · Nov 27, 2009

I love this video. This is a couple of guys that take off on a journey from Tampa to Miami. They were not very well prepared. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrHl3UywZg8&feature=related It is hilarious.

RAD · Nov 27, 2009

A classic

Great video Hermit

I knew at part one how it was going to end and I wonder what ever did happen?

Absolute necessities for sailing in the Bahamas?

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