Should I or shouldn't I?

[Tony E]

Hello all. I am about 5 years away from retiring and I am trying to figure out what exactly would be fun to do and I think I have come up with a pretty good idea. I live up in Canada where the winters are 6 months of the year and lately its been like minus 40 for a few weeks now. My plan consists of staying up here in the summer and going to somewhere warm in the winter but the twist for me is I want to buy a Hunter 340 and sail around the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, etc for months while its freezing cold up here. Last year I just got into sailing and I am loving it. I bought a Mac Gregor 26X and used it all last summer up north in the large lakes but now I have the sailing bug and I don't want to just sit around while there is 4 feet of ice on the water for 6 months. Heres where I need some advice as I am new to sailing. 1.) Is a 1999 Hunter 340 a good vessel and Ocean ready for such a voyage? 2.) I have 5 years to get ready to go and sail a 340 for months down south. What do I have to learn by then and I am thinking tides, weather patterns, RF radios , etc just to begin with. 3.) Where does one get all of that information from ?
If you guys could help me out I'd be very grateful

 

[Delezynski]

Tony,

From my own life, the cruising (full OR part time) is a GREAT idea for retirement!!!!! WE DID IT!!!

BUT, I am not sure why you are hard over on one particular boat?

I would suggest that you shop around for a boat that fits your budget, and requirements. Then decide. If you are in luck, you will find it in or close to the area you want to start from. We were lucky that we moved aboard our boat years before we "cut the dock lines" and headed out. So, we knew our boat and all systems aboard very well before we hit open ocean.

Good luck, have FUN!
From our point of view, it's BETTER than we thought it would be!

Greg

 

[MrBill_FLL]

Charter in the bahamas, and BVI's now, to get the feel for it. you can get a captain to teach you all you need in a fun setting.

also check out seven seas cruising assoc. and their message board

 

[Rich Stidger]

Check out the Canadian Power Squadron for great courses and learning experiences. Search to find the squadron nearest you.

Have you thought about iceboat sailing?

 

[Perfect Excuse]

We are in the position that you anticipate 5years in your future. This will be our third attempt to head to Mexico from Vancouver Island. The first was aborted the night before departure by a medical situation. Last year we had the boat re-rigged which took longer than scheduled. We spent five days in Victoria waiting for fog to clear and a developing nasty looking weather chart convinced me to wait until this August for departure. We are enjoying our additional time sailing Canada's beautiful West Coast, but with the number of boats for sale in southern latitude we could have realized our dream several years ago by purchasing a boat already there. Just a thought, but you might consider buying a boat already in your dream location. With five to retirement, you have great opportunity to search for the right boat.

 

[Sumner]

We are in the position that you anticipate 5years in your future. This will be our third attempt to head to Mexico from Vancouver Island. The first was aborted the night before departure by a medical situation. Last year we had the boat re-rigged which took longer than scheduled. We spent five days in Victoria waiting for fog to clear and a developing nasty looking weather chart convinced me to wait until this August for departure. We are enjoying our additional time sailing Canada's beautiful West Coast, but with the number of boats for sale in southern latitude we could have realized our dream several years ago by purchasing a boat already there. Just a thought, but you might consider buying a boat already in your dream location. With five to retirement, you have great opportunity to search for the right boat.

Except for the expense if going and checking the boats out the above could work out very well. I've seen a number of boats in that area that have already been well outfitted for continuous cruising but for one reason or another end up on the market. You have some time to continue sailing before then and plenty of time to look.

Haul the Mac to Florida for the winter and see how that works for starters. We did and a number of other Mac owners have. We haven't gone over but a number of other Mac owners have spent months in the Bahamas. If that isn't for you then find a relatively cheap place to rent for the winter in southern Florida on the Gulf side and day or weekend or stay out a couple weeks on the Mac. Florida with the skinny waters is a great place for your boat.

Sum

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[centerline]

haul the mac west to the gulf islands/san juan islands... get a taste of the salt water and the tides and current... you might not like it. sea sickness just might not be your thing
but with the nicer and more pleasent enviromental conditions, im sure you would get used to it very quickly.....

it can all be read about in a book, but you can never learn all you are going to need to know from the book....

I can tell you this for a fact,... jumping from a landlocked mac 26 to an ocean cruising 340(or whatever you decide on), without having any prior tide and current experience is a HUGE leap..

and its an even bigger financial leap to jump in and make a big expenditure and then find out what all you dont know about it, but wished you would have before hand....

 

[alpha100]

You're a lucky man. 5 years to retirement and a lot of sailing dreams. The boat isn't really the issue, you just need to get your head around some serious passage making.

I've sailed to the Caribbean several times from the US, from the UK and from France. It's quite a long way, there are some serious distances to be covered, there's a lot of bloody water out there and it can be very beautiful and on occasions, very frightening. Take it steady, do your homework, learn as much as you can, let your confidence grow, and then make decisions about boat size. I've sailed larger and smaller boats but always thought that 38 feet was about right. Big enough to look after you but small enough to handle.

And eventually when you go South and get used to seeing flying fish on the deck each morning, get used to seeing turtles swimming alongside, coconuts floating many miles offshore or palm fringed islands, you'll know that you have arrived. Not by airplane or by
holiday cruise ship but by your own guts, ability and hard work.

I sincerely hope that you sail down the Islands, it really is something special.

 

[Tony E]

Wow lots of great advice you guys and thanks for that. First when you are sitting in a part of Canada where it is so cold then after a few months of that you start to dream about sailing and warmth and....so as I was on some sailing websites I saw some pictures of a sailboat. I went through all of them and then goggled some more information about that kind of vessel. From there I went to approx prices and what I could afford and then I compared prices in Florida to what the same vessel would be worth say in Victoria B.C. Canada. That's how I came up with a 1999 ' ish Hunter 340. They look spectacular and are suppose to be very easy to sail and trust worthy. For approx $50,000 I could buy one in Florida and then sail it to the Bahamas and then Cuba, and so on ... Whether I keep it and store it down there and fly home or sail it all the way back up to B.C. Canada I haven't figured out yet. If you bought the same Hunter 340 in B.C. Canada the price would be at least an additional 10 to 30 thousand dollars so maybe I just buy one in Florida, use it for a season and sail it north and sell it which would pay for the entire season? Either way I'd need a trusty and dependable vessel so I am starting my search with the Hunter 340. Nothing against my 98 Mac Gregor 26x ( I love it and its portability) but its like going from a stock Chevy Cobalt to a Cadillac and I think I could quite easily spend a winter on there in the Bahamas. So that's how I came up with a hunter 340. So I like the idea of chartering a sailboat in the Bahamas just to make sure that's what we like and want to do. I'll research that a bit more and price that option out. So in my "I have to learn some things first" part, where does one find out about tides and how they work, times, strengths, etc. I know the power of the tides as I grew up In Nova Scotia that's has the Bay of Fundy with the greatest tides in the world. To see that going in and out was amazing. Its just like a dam broke apart somewhere out in the ocean and a rush of water like I have never seen before comes rushing in. I know there is tide clocks on boats and stuff so you can figure out the best time to go where you want to go so you can go with the tides. Is there maps? Thanks again for your help. I'll make you a deal, who ever helps me out I'll meet you in the Bahamas in in the winter of 2020 for an ice cold one...your choice...my treat

 

[hewebb]

I retired 6 years ago. My life long thought was I would buy a sailboat and hit the water. Wife had other plans. We bought an RV and go north in the summer. Fall, Winter & Spring I use the boat but only in local lakes and gulf. I envy those that can live and travel on their sailboat. Currently the Admirals health is not always good enough to go on the boat with me. Do it now while you can. You will know when you find the right boat for you.

 

[Sumner]

....... For approx $50,000 I could buy one in Florida and then sail it to the Bahamas and then Cuba, and so on ... Whether I keep it and store it down there and fly home or sail it all the way back up to B.C. Canada I haven't figured out yet. If you bought the same Hunter 340 in B.C. Canada the price would be at least an additional 10 to 30 thousand dollars so maybe I just buy one in Florida, use it for a season and sail it north and sell it which would pay for the entire season? Either way I'd need a trusty and dependable vessel so I am starting my search with the Hunter 340....

Not knocking Florida boats, we have one, but Florida is brutal on boats and some of the 10K-30K difference is in condition one place vs. the other for the same boat. Another is that I'm not sure how it works taking a boat you buy into the states into Canada but that might add expense also.

Not to discourage you but finding a boat in Florida that is rigged and ready for some serious off-shore work which would be needed to sail her from there to B.C. Canada is going to add to the typical expense vs. a boat in Florida that sails there and over say to the Bahamas. I once, early in this sailboat deal, thought we'd do something similar and buy a boat sail the east coast, down to the Caribbean over through Panama and up the west coast to the NW. After some reading I found out the last part of that journey isn't a piece of cake and that getting through the canal can be a pain in the butt at times.

You have a good plan. Go the charter route if that works. Sail the Mac and I still say haul her down to Florida, only about 300 miles further than we did, and see how you like it down there. Keep reading on these boards and also broaden your search for a boat that might work well if you execute your plan. I still find other boats out there other than what we bought that would make very good alternatives,

Sum

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[gettinthere]

The trip north up the Pacific coast is relatively difficult. I would skip that part.
Fl boats are typically well worn so that is why there is a price diff vs the pnw.

Half the cruisers we meet in the Bahamas are from Ontario. They do 6 months so they can be back in province to retain healthcare. In May they find a place to store the boat in Fl.

I would suggest you get plenty of experience sailing your boat and add in a charter or two in the bahamas. Then in 5 years plan on driving to Fl and shopping hard for a month and buy a solid cruise ready boat here. There is a lot of junk to sort thru but good boats can be found.

 

[Sumner]

... There is a lot of junk to sort thru but good boats can be found.

We might even be ready to sell about then ,

Sum

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[py26129]

Importing a boat into Canada is pretty straight forward, though not cheap.

We showed up at customs with a bill of sale and a signed over title in hand and had no issues. The customs guys will charge you GST. In our case Quebec charged us the provincial sales tax which is sue as soon as the boat hits provincial waters.

Cheers

Matt

 

[Winkfish]

My wife and I had both sailed for years before we met, and we continued after. We've done bareboat charters quite a bit. One year, about 14 years ago, we took an ASA sailing course in the Grenadines. We both got the Basic Keelboat certification, and I also got the Coastal Cruising one on the same trip.

It was great. The instructor was very knowledgeable about sailing, but also about the area. We had a great time and learned a lot.

I would suggest taking such a course down in the Caribbean and also doing as many bareboat charters as you can.

Also, I know at one time, Sunsail had a deal, kinda like a timeshare, where you'd buy a boat in their fleet and pick out whatever times you wanted to charter, and the boat would be ready for you. Or you could pick a different place and they'd have a boat for you. When you're not using it, they charter it out. They maintain it as well. I don't know if they still do that, or if it would be a good deal. Maybe someone on the forum has experience and would pipe in??

 

[seadaddler]

Learning

I would start off while waiting for your retiring and sailing off into the Ocean,it's like a baby 1 year old and starting out in a Marathon.
Go take as many boating courses like navigation thats what I did as you can and you will learn every thing that you are asking and maybe first take your 26 down to Florida and try some local sailing in our skinny water and practice what you have learned or just charter the first few times
Good idea buying a boat in Florida and will save a lot of other problems,try sailing down around Fl Keys Biscayne bay is great sailing and so to speak get your feet wet and learn and learn and get some experience before jumping into Blue Water.
Bahama's sound great have not been yet but love sailing and cruising around Florida with my H-36 and been sailing since 2001 and like you dream of sailing to far away destinations like the Panhandle, the chesapeake and even the Bahama's,I did sail from NY to Florida with very experienced help and never
would have done it with out that help.
But we do get to cruise all over Florida every year and Good Luck.
Nick

 

[David in Sandusky]

Tides and stuff

Navionics app has good tide info for each location. Tides are much less pronounced nearer to the equator. We lived and sailed in Key West, where there is only a foot or two of change in depth, but a couple of knots of current. In the Virgins, tides are simply not an issue. Having a good chart plotter that showed tides with arrows was a good help in the San Juans.

I highly recommend chartering as a way to learn about new locations. Hiring a captain for a day or two to show you the ropes is usually quite reasonable.

We chartered a 340 from Canadian Yacht Charters in Gore Bay, and agree it's a good coastal cruising boat, fine for your plans.

Much of the joy of sailing is the dreaming and planning! You are already well on your way.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

no affiliation, but for charters this is a great place.

moorings also has a place in marsh harbor.

http://www.cruiseabaco.com/



I would use the Mac x for trips in Florida, keys and west coast. this will give you some experience.

ps: you may change your boat choice as you get more experience...
(ie, what's important now, vs an experienced sailor).


-here's a quote I liked.
if you want to be a juggler, don't start with chainsaws...

 

[2sticks]

I know several Canadian cruisers who sail their boats during the winter and return home every summer. I had the priveledge of getting to know many of them at a yard called Charlotte Harbor boat storage in Placida, Fl. Such fun loving folks with a wide range of experience and knowledge levels. Seems most particularly enjoyed Cuba for their main destination. The boat market in Florida is not much different than anywhere else except for the number of vessels available. It is certainly a buyers market and some truly spectacular values are available if you look in the right places. You should be prepared to haunt marinas and boatyards to find the right boat for you. I have found and purchased 3 cruisers here in S. Florida and my best advice to you is forego the brokers and do the legwork yourself. Certainly have a competent surveyor available to check them out. All boats have different circumstances attached to them and many times these will affect the seller's motivation to sell. My most recent discovery is the Oday 32 we live aboard here in the FT. Myers area. The owner was a recently widowed German national whose need to return to Germany created a near fire sale situation with the sale of the boat. After many tire kickers and requests to donate the boat to various charities she accepted my offer to purchase the boat for about 20% of it's original listing price. Certainly be prepared to look at boats with obvious lack of proper maintenance but there are gems amongst the gravel. Get your bottom wet and the boat will help you learn about the actual conditions you face. Books are helpful but no replacement for real world exposure. The best advice I ever received was "Maintain sea room and keep sound ground tackle ready for immediate use." A boat that's firmly anchored will give you time to sort out most issues.

Good luck and Fairwinds, Darrell

 

[Sumner]

I know several Canadian cruisers who sail their boats during the winter and return home every summer. I had the priveledge of getting to know many of them at a yard called Charlotte Harbor boat storage in Placida, Fl. Such fun loving folks with a wide range of experience and knowledge levels. Seems most particularly enjoyed Cuba for their main destination....

That is where our boat is for sale and like you said lots of Canadians there. It makes it easier there if you speak "Canadian" .

There are a lot of boats in these yards that don't have listings through brokers as you mentioned and some are good boats. Find out where these yards are and go in and walk them and look for for sale signs. Our yard likes visitors to check in with the office so that might be a good idea. Also a boat up on stands doesn't have much that isn't visible and if you like it and the initial survey goes well it can go in the water for a sea trial,

Sum

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Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

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