My question is how much bluewater experience and how much heavy weather experience do you have??
If you've never sailed out of sight of land.. it might be worth doing before committing to a longer voyage. Some people wig out if they can't see land... others have no problem with it.
Have you sailed in bad weather? Do you have experience reefing the sails and sailing in heavy weather? If not, I would get practice in reefing your sails and then take the boat out in bad weather, to get some experience.
The New Jersey coast can be very unforgiving and dangerous, given any heavy weather. Most of the harbors are unapproachable in heavy weather, due to the dangerous conditions at their entrances.
How good are your navigation skills... what would you do if the
Chartplotter and backup
GPS both went belly up??? Do you have paper
charts for the areas you want to sail??
Fortunately, a Westsail 32 is a very seaworthy vessel and can take far more than most crew can. Being ready is more a mental game than a physical one... in many ways. If you have to ask, you probably aren't IMHO.
__________________
Sailingdog
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Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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