General advice on a "wack" sailing idea

[franst8]

Your idea is not a bad one but please think twice before buying that Hunter or any other one. That size boat is too large for you and one other person to sail and the bigger the boat the bigger the problems and more expensive as well. It looks like you have time so take your time before committing to a particular boat. Read, Read, Read reviews of used boats and try to take lessons on as many different ones as possible. As someone else mentioned, get "Sailing a serious Ocean" by John Kretchmer. He teaches offshore sailing and has vast experience and his book gives thorough details about seaworthy boats of many types and sizes. He sailed around Cape Horn in a 32 footer and gives the boat high marks. Forget about the Hunter and take your time looking for the right blue water boat.
Don't go too big. Even if you plan on living aboard when you return to Denmark you can be happy on boats under 40 feet. If you are young and fit you can handle the average condition of a blue water passage. Take lessons, sail as much as possible, and take your time to find the right boat. Also learn celestial navigation...electronics can and often do fail especially at the worst time. Good luck and have a wonderful time.

 

[Pistonbroke]

Yes I agree with franst8 about the boat size 46 feet is a lot of boat to handle even for two experienced sailors. A 36 is plenty big enough for two people My wife and I sailed across to Trinidad in a 25' 6" Colvic Watson motor sailer and we lived on it for 12 years until we fetched up in Ft. Lauderdale where we got an offer we couldn't refuse. Sailing is a wonderful experience so go for it and the best of luck.

 

[Wind Rider]

Great plan! Do not postpone. Life is too short.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things to prepare yourselves and hope that includes time on the water. My thoughts are more about the mental abilities associated with learning new skills and embarking on new adventures: be flexible with your plans, practice patience, think safety first, and be humble.

 

[Coyote]

for some reason, I find it fascinating to see the complete polar opposite opinions on this issue.
I guess that is the beauty, and advantage of having a FORUM such as this to learn from experienced sailors, and make a more informed, educated decision,,
on all this - and all things sailing,

You are fortunate in life to be in a position to have to "struggle" with these options!

best and cheers,
Coyote

 

[baburns]

On second thought, sailing on the North Sea from Denmark should provide a wealth of experience in preparation for a crossing. Or buy the boat in Greece and sail the Adriatic - Mediteranian for a year. I'd trade the Carib for that experience any day! Of course, we have no VAT here in the US and there are boats a plenty at prices much lower than Europe. What will the PHD's be in? Just curious since we have Harvard & Yale here in America. Grab life by the horns and enjoy the ride!

 

[wufibugs]

You make it clear your sailing experience is very limited compared to the audacity of he plan. What is not clear is whether either you have any mechanical skills. This is not a new boat and even if it were, things go wrong. The basic physical principle that a body at rest remains at rest play out nautically as, "With rare exceptions, how come the really bad stuff never happens at anchor". I found the little book, A Sail of Two Idiots to be enlightening as to (1) the myriad things sailors need to be prepared to handle, and (2) how valuable complementary skills can be when sailing short-handed. And they had two engines and were never terribly far from land.

 

[Perusail]

Good luck Guys....... U young .. nothing's gonna stop U... Learn as much as U can b'4 departing..... U 2 deserve having a Dream time..together..after so much school time.

 

[pieyed]

This kinda tells it like it is. On a boat at sea you are completely insignificant. Think of the forces involved. The liquid that makes up over 75% of the earth’s surface and a fair amount of our atmosphere isn’t just an impossibly large thing compared to a boat, but it’s an impossibly large thing that is affected by even impossibly larger forces. The earth rotates all 5.97 x 10^24 kilograms of its mass through the gravity fields of the moon and sun every day. Beyond the forces of gravity the sun’s daily dose of 383 billion kilowatts of solar radiation heat the earth creating photosynthesis, vitamin D, and pressure differentials that the earth rotates through- all of which kick the atmosphere in the slats in the form of wind. Your boat vs all of this celestial scale energy? Your boat doesn’t stand a chance.
All of the quantum physics (or whatever) involved are too big for our pea brains to comprehend, we’re far more comfortable assigning human emotions to things. When you are in it, and it rages against you day after day, it’s easy to think it’s intentional. The truth is the sea doesn’t throw you gale after never ending gale like a wounded ex throws your clothes onto the lawn. The sea isn’t angry, the sea doesn’t give a damn.

 

[Jackdaw]

If you take the boat to Denmark, do yourself a big favor and do NOT sail around the Iberian peninsula. Take the Canal du Midi. Nobody likes sailing in the Biscay, not even the Vendee guys (and gals).

 

[capejt]

Speaking as someone who has made several deliveries to the Caribbean and other blue water cruises, bear one thing in mind....
IF something happens when you're out there, it's just you out there. Are you ready for that?

 

[Pistonbroke]

Look, you only pass this way once and all this caution about rough seas and inexperience is pure nonsense. Sailing a well found boat is no big deal, it's easy. Anybody can learn to sail in a couple of days and with todays technology the boat sails itself. Get a boat around the 35 foot on deck mark then make sure you have a good autopilot and a wind vane. The electronic autopilot may fail in very rough seas that is why you need both. Take the southerly route in early spring around 14 deg. N and when you fetch up in the Caribbean you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

 

[waternwaves]

What are the degrees in? No info
Experience repairing 20 year old diesels, sails, heads, wiring, electronics? No info
Experience making good decisions at 4:00 am in the dark alone on deck? No info
Experience as a pilot or navigator? No info.

Maybe an upgrade to basic skills set is in order.

Save your money a buy a boat in the Caribbean

 

[Architure]

Architure

Don't do it until you've had ten or twenty years experience! Xoix!
thx
d

 

[frankies56]

Dear sailors!

This is my first post on the forum, i hope that my questions are not too far out.

My girlfriend and i are currently taking our Ph.D.s and is set to finish in May 2017 and November 2017. We have just taken a general course in boating, but we do not have significantly experience in sailing besides me. I have been a deckhand on a sailboat for a week 10 years ago. That´s it.

We have a the following plan. When we finish our study in November 2017, we would like to sail to the Caribbean from Denmark and back. We have set between 6 to 12 months for that.

We have looked at a boat in Greece a Hunter 466, and plan to buy the boat next year and sail i to Denmark, for retrofitting and such. I know that it seems like an ambitious plan and we lack practical skills.

We are doing everything we can to gain experience, and are set for practical sailing courses here in Denmark. Is the overall plan to reckless? And should be postpone the idea some years, what are your thoughts?

what are you nuts??? you may have brains but sure are lacking in common sense learn to sail learn to navigate see if you can rely or even live with that person, take baby step before you can walk!!!!!!

 

[baburns]

Hey Gang! I think we've been duped! All these good comments and sincere advice and no response from PeterGade. Scamming on forums is verboten and an insult to all of us who truly love to sail, whether in a pram on a farm pond or a clipper ship on the bounding main. If Peter's body washes up on some distant shore, I guess I was wrong about the whole thing. For now, I'm outa' here

 

[Stu Jackson]

Hey Gang! I think we've been duped! All these good comments and sincere advice and no response from PeterGade.

He asked the same ? on cruisersforum...