These boats sailed to Marquesas Islands...

[Sailing Fan]

Those are some nice little boats, and they give me hope that my teensie H27 (a vessel that will likely become of questionable pedigree to the purist due to the modifications I am making) can be used to do more than explore the long, wide, and slow St. John's River and nearby coast (which is actually still an adventure in itself, and the core reason I took possession of her in the first place). Still, it is nice to see there are options when the vessel is sufficiently strong for the typical trip and a weather eye is maintained.

 

[Richard Gresham]

The one without a mast looks like a J-33 or J-35.

 

[Franklin]

I hired a good agent who took care of all the paperwork for me and made all arrangements so it was easy for me. The hardest part for me being a single handler was having to cook for the line handlers. I am not used to cooking for 6 people while also on the move.

The locks itself can be tricky. The people who run it are not the brightest so it is poorly ran so expect changes in orders at the last second just when you think you can't do what they want. You need to be very good at motoring your boat both forward and backwards. There are strong currents that you will have to deal with both then the handlers are holding the boat and also when you are motoring the boat to get into position.

The one thing I found amazing was I was better at positioning my boat than the catamarans were with their two engines. All in all, it can be a nightmare or just exciting all depending on your skills and the skills of the other captains around you.

 

[Cats_Paw1]

rgranger,

drop me a line if you ever end up in New Orleans (my home port). would be glad to help out with information (nautical and otherwise).

 

[Ferina]

Brit Shane Acton sailed his 19 foot plywood Caprice 'Shrimpy' around the world in the 1970's so anything is possible. I read his book and the two things to stick in my memory from the book were when he cooked chips (french fries) and being hoisted into someone's swimming pool to emphasize how small 'Shrimpy' was.

 

[rgranger]

rgranger,

drop me a line if you ever end up in New Orleans (my home port). would be glad to help out with information (nautical and otherwise).

Thanks Cat Paw: Actually I pass through New Orleans fairly often so I might hit you up for a good place to launch or a laid back marina suggestion. My "people" are from Abbeville and Jenerette and when I'm in LA I do most of my boating in the Vermillion. BTW: my last name is NOT supposed to be pronounced 'Grain-jer' and people here in Virginia give it a try but so far... it is mostly a mess

 

[rgranger]

I hired a good agent who took care of all the paperwork for me and made all arrangements so it was easy for me. The hardest part for me being a single handler was having to cook for the line handlers. I am not used to cooking for 6 people while also on the move.

The locks itself can be tricky. The people who run it are not the brightest so it is poorly ran so expect changes in orders at the last second just when you think you can't do what they want. You need to be very good at motoring your boat both forward and backwards. There are strong currents that you will have to deal with both then the handlers are holding the boat and also when you are motoring the boat to get into position.

The one thing I found amazing was I was better at positioning my boat than the catamarans were with their two engines. All in all, it can be a nightmare or just exciting all depending on your skills and the skills of the other captains around you.

Sounds like an adventure... how long does it take to transit?

 

[Franklin]

Sounds like an adventure... how long does it take to transit?

Going east (north) to west (south) you start in the afternoon, go through the first set of locks and then anchor and the guide leaves. In the morning a new guide shows up and then you motor south and get to the other locks at the end of the day. Times are always different but basically a two day process. Going the otherway I can't answer that for sure but I think you start in the morning and cross to the other side and then anchor for the night and then go through the last locks in the day time.

 

[sailnewbie]

One surprisingly thing to me is that some of my local sail boats are no mistakenly covered in solar panels and hardly ever travel more than a few miles and i believe only one of those had a panel on the stern unless i missed them.

 

[Franklin]

One surprisingly thing to me is that some of my local sail boats are no mistakenly covered in solar panels and hardly ever travel more than a few miles and i believe only one of those had a panel on the stern unless i missed them.

True...but you also noticed they have been left. The sailor sails them to a destination and then leaves the boat. If you plan on doing that then running an engine to charge the batteries is not a bad idea. If you plan on 'cruising' then I highly suggest you load up with panels. It is no fun having to listen to an engine every day and the cost in fuel, engine wear and tear will be higher than the cost of the panels.

 

[Daveinet]

Never forget Tinkerbelle. 13.5 feet sailed across the Atlantic. Here is the some video of his arrival. Second and third video is an interview which is very interesting.

Sometime ago I read the log book. Its is a little hog-pog but still an interesting read. I know at some point it will be refined into a book for publishing.

 

[sailnewbie]

What kind of sailor sails their boat to a destination and just leaves it, thats ridiculous.....
Neat video's and i feel cramped in my little 24ft boat over the weekend, wow!

 

[Franklin]

Different types of cruisers.

1) those who cruise part time - fly home to work x number of months a year and leave their boat during that time. They do this each year for a very long time.
2) those who sell it all and cut all ties and go cruising for 1-x years
3) those who keep their house and cruise the winter time to the tropics and go back home for the summer months.
4) those who just sail to a destination and spend a little time there and then fly home leaving the boat there in hopes to return and continue their travels another year but many times do not return.
5 those who went 'cruising' but found a spot they liked and stay permanently. Governments are starting to crack down on these requiring the boat to leave after a year.
6) those retired but keep their house and only cruise for 6 months at a time and fly home for the other 6 months.
7) those who work and cruise at the same time - cruising is their life. This is my category.

Sailors for the most part are cheap. Many are on a retirement fund that has limits. They try to stay out of marinas as much as possible and some places there just are not any marinas like here. Leaving a boat on anchor is rare but leaving it on a mooring is common. Leaving it on the hard is more common but some places that is not an option. Here we have about 20 boats on the hard for Cyclone season and another 10+ boats on personal moorings which I have no seen anybody on the boats in 6 months. I've been told some of them have been here years so I wonder if they have paid the import duties yet or if customs doesn't know about it.

Everybody leaves a boat for some time like flying home for a parts run. In my 5 years I have only left her up to 2 weeks at a time.

 

[sailnewbie]

So to buy a good blue water boat, probaly on the cheap, one should fly off shore to a remote area and buy the pick of the litter of the abandoned.

 

[PeterBld]

My daughter owned a Southerly 23, fibreglass. Which had sailed to Tonga and back from NZ.
We regularly sail NZ to New Caledonia in a Chico 355. Last trip back we were in gale and storm for 6 of the 8 days. Slept thru most of it. LOL

 

[Leeward Rail]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Testa

11 feet 10 inches.
Sailed through 2 successive typhoons.

That stuff impresses me. His book is great.

People sailing around the world now, in relative comfort, with a GPS, good charts, cell phones, internet etc.... not really.

 

[rgranger]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Testa

11 feet 10 inches.
Sailed through 2 successive typhoons.

That stuff impresses me. His book is great.

People sailing around the world now, in relative comfort, with a GPS, good charts, cell phones, internet etc.... not really.

The guys name was Serge Testa!!!!! ???????

Seriously, with a name like that, seems like you would have no choice but to do something ballsy like sail around the world in a bathtub.

 

[Leeward Rail]

He's a very cool guy. My wife's co-worker/friend married him, and she gave us an unbound copy of his book back in the day. Not sure where I put it, but this thread makes me want to read it again.

Imagine sitting on saltwater soaked bedding, while sailing in hot weather, through 2 successive typhoons, in a tiny boat. All while you have sores on your body.
Ballsy ? Yeah he is that.
Tough ? Who knows. Some people just have no choice, but to keep on going.
Pursuing dreams has a way of getting you out of your comfort zone, and into unexpected situations.

 

[CloudDiver]

For potential passage making I would say my low (LOA) limit would be 30 ft, plus or minus 3 feet. In choosing a boat that size to do serious ocean transits I'd be considering the overall design and scantlings first. If it wasn't built to heavy standards, like Lloyd's, I'm not sailing it out of coastal waters. Then I'm looking at the design in terms of stability, sea kindliness, efficient sail plan, etc... Then at the interior in terms of internal stowage, tankage, standing headroom etc. Last, but not in order of precedence, deck layout, rigging, cockpit set up, heavy weather protection.
It's tough to find a design in that LOA range that gets high marks in all those areas, but like everything compromise is always a part of boat design. I'm not really into single-handing (because I like to sleep) so something in the 30 ft range that roomy enough for 2 plus gear & supplies is where I would land.

 

[Gene Neill]

He's a very cool guy. My wife's co-worker/friend married him, and she gave us an unbound copy of his book back in the day. Not sure where I put it, but this thread makes me want to read it again.

Imagine sitting on saltwater soaked bedding, while sailing in hot weather, through 2 successive typhoons, in a tiny boat. All while you have sores on your body.
Ballsy ? Yeah he is that.
Tough ? Who knows. Some people just have no choice, but to keep on going.
Pursuing dreams has a way of getting you out of your comfort zone, and into unexpected situations.

I'd call that "tougher than a two-dollar steak!"