I'll try posting this here though it might cross a few places. I've got a "decade" plan that ends in early retirement and clear blue water of the islands. My wife is "into" the plan with a few reservations. At present we're midwestern lake folks. She's not been out of sight of land outside of a cruise ship. We'll be doing the courses and charter work in personal "sea trial" trips while waiting for the big plunge. The immediate need is a desire to read about folks who are actually "doing this." She's read "Maiden Voyage" and said it seemed more of a struggle than a happy retirement plan. While I realize that what sells is struggle and adversity, what favorite "happy" stories of Caribbean cruising life would be your recommendations? Anybody want to chime in?
Favorite "happy" sailing accounts???
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Check out the magazine Cruising World. It has both happy and struggle stories from people out making long distance cruises. Good reading.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo
Sounds Like a Plan
Try the magazine Latitudes and Attitudes, it really shows what the cruising life is like
Try the magazine Latitudes and Attitudes, it really shows what the cruising life is like
http://www.leascotia.com/
One of our own, cruising for the first time, out of Seattle down through Mexico, with an infant!
One of our own, cruising for the first time, out of Seattle down through Mexico, with an infant!
Minnesota to Nova Scotia...via Bahamas
Welll, this was a couple of years ago: its the log of a family of four (mine) who lived in Minnesota and who spent a year and a half sailing from Duluth to Nova Scotia via the Bahamas...I'm told its not terrible reading, although I make no such claim! It does have lots of pics, though...
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/symphony
The entries are in reverse chronological order so click on the "all posts" link and go to the end (which is the first entry) and read in order. The writing improves as you go on but it does give a glimpse into the daily challeneges and rewards of this life.
Welll, this was a couple of years ago: its the log of a family of four (mine) who lived in Minnesota and who spent a year and a half sailing from Duluth to Nova Scotia via the Bahamas...I'm told its not terrible reading, although I make no such claim! It does have lots of pics, though...
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/symphony
The entries are in reverse chronological order so click on the "all posts" link and go to the end (which is the first entry) and read in order. The writing improves as you go on but it does give a glimpse into the daily challeneges and rewards of this life.
You can do a search on google using "crusing' as a key word but here are some sites to get you started.
http://www.livingaboard.com/
http://www.libertysails.com/index.html
http://radonic.wordpress.com/
http://www.cruisersnet.net/
http://www.bethandevans.com/index.htm
http://www.livingaboard.com/
http://www.libertysails.com/index.html
http://radonic.wordpress.com/
http://www.cruisersnet.net/
http://www.bethandevans.com/index.htm
Happy times and rough times
As you read various sailing stories and blogs you will probably find lots of stories of adversity and problems. This makes for book sales and good reading. In real life I think you will find that if you have a properly maintained boat, decent sailing skills, and watch the weather you will find that the white knuckle times are very few and far between. But have no doubts that you will have some. From my experience I would suggest that the good happy times are between 80 and 90% of the total.
As you read various sailing stories and blogs you will probably find lots of stories of adversity and problems. This makes for book sales and good reading. In real life I think you will find that if you have a properly maintained boat, decent sailing skills, and watch the weather you will find that the white knuckle times are very few and far between. But have no doubts that you will have some. From my experience I would suggest that the good happy times are between 80 and 90% of the total.
http://www.latitude38.com/changes/Changes02-09.html this is the latest online monthly update. You can spend days (weeks?) reading each month back to 2001.
Thanks for the input...
It all looks good. Already subscribing to Good Old Boat and Cruising World. Pick up Lats and Atts at the news stand. I'll send the links to Lisa's e-mail. I was really looking for books, but, alas, as Nice n Easy notes and I also suspected all along, easy days, fair winds and quiet sunsets don't sell books. I would also agree with the assessment that it is the "10-percent or less" that holds all the white knuckle moments. We'll be reading blogs while getting ready to get the Mac back in the water for spring.
It all looks good. Already subscribing to Good Old Boat and Cruising World. Pick up Lats and Atts at the news stand. I'll send the links to Lisa's e-mail. I was really looking for books, but, alas, as Nice n Easy notes and I also suspected all along, easy days, fair winds and quiet sunsets don't sell books. I would also agree with the assessment that it is the "10-percent or less" that holds all the white knuckle moments. We'll be reading blogs while getting ready to get the Mac back in the water for spring.
Sometimes "Bad" isn't all that bad. We were heading up the St Claire river one time heading to leaxington from Detroit. It makes for a long day when you have to motor up the river against a strong current. On this trip it was early may and we had seen a little bit of everything as far as weather goes. when we woke up there was a thin layer of frost on everything and it was cold. We put on our foalies anf headed out as we got about half way across Lake St Claire a very heavey fog set in so one of us was glued to the chart plotter the other up on the bow as look out. This was the bame for three hours...we entered the river and kept heading north. The fog was so thick that we could hear the freighters but you couldn't see them until the were right next to us. We hugged the shore best we could and eventually the fog lifted. After nines hours of slowing moving up stream we popped out into Lake huron. We only had 20 miles to go and it was only 4 in the afternoon so off went the engine and out came the sails. The wind was light but the C&C 27 was moving alone at 4 - 5 knots and it was nice to not hear the rumble of the motor for a while. After a couple hours we decided that we should fire up the motor so we could get in before dark. 15 minutes later the motor stops running. I go down below and check the normal problems and nothing seems to be wrong. I check the carb its fine. Fuel pumps is good. Try stating the engine and it fire right up so we are off again....for 15 minutes then it stalls again. Come to find out the electronic ignition I put on was bad. We pop the sails again so we can sail in and all is well we will just get there a little later. No it is around 730 and the wind just dies. Lake Huron is a sheet of glass and we are dead in the water. We drop anchor since we are only a half mile off shore. The water is maybe 20 feet deep. Luckily I have a brother with a power boat. I call him and tell him where I left the old points (I thought I put them on the boat but didn't) and ask him if he could bring them to me. Of course I get a yes...any reasons to get out on the boat. So we had to wait a few hours for the parts. I got a couple steaks out and fired up the grill. We made dinner opened a bottle of homemade wine and sat on the cabin top and watched the sun set. I in my favorite place next to my favorite person watching a beautiful sunset. Life doesn't get much better than that. We finally made it into out slip at about 1 am. To this day we look back on that night and think about how nice it was.
In Latts and Atts they say "Attitude..it is the difference between and ordeal and an adventure" I believe it!! Life is what you make it and that is never more true than when sailing and cruising. Have fun and have an adventure.
In Latts and Atts they say "Attitude..it is the difference between and ordeal and an adventure" I believe it!! Life is what you make it and that is never more true than when sailing and cruising. Have fun and have an adventure.
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