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Best way to go?

6K views 41 replies 14 participants last post by  MarkofSeaLife 
#1 ·
Hello every one,

My name is Neil, and yes I'm a newbe.. Never been on a sailboat, but would love to get one.. But I'm suck in Alberta, I want to see the world and I plan on it..

So heres the plan:

Me and some of my family members want to drive from Edmonton Alberta to Miami, where I plan on having a sailboat ready for this trip..

Then jump on boat(witch I don't have) and sail to brazil to watch a world cup soccer game in 2014..
I need to know what's the best way to go and any info for this newbe would awaome, what would you guys do if you wanted to go what would you must haves..


Thanks
 
#4 ·
Thanks captbringdown,

1- have no problom dropping 100k in to something that I would enjoy for the rest of my life.
2- I have 2 years to perpar and all the time in the world..

Plz keep your nagative thoughts or rude comments to your self..

What I'm asking what is the best route to take and what would be the things you may need..
 
#5 ·
Hello every one,

My name is Neil, and yes I'm a newbe.. Never been on a sailboat, but would love to get one.. But I'm suck in Alberta, I want to see the world and I plan on it..

So heres the plan:

Me and some of my family members want to drive from Edmonton Alberta to Miami, where I plan on having a sailboat ready for this trip..

Then jump on boat(witch I don't have) and sail to brazil to watch a world cup soccer game in 2014..
I need to know what's the best way to go and any info for this newbe would awaome, what would you guys do if you wanted to go what would you must haves..

Thanks
Before you put a whole lot of money, blood, sweat and tears into this I suggest you "test the waters" to see if you even like sailing, especially for long rough conditions. Don't know if there are any sailing opportunities near you? If not it might be a good investment to visit the coast and try to go out with an experienced skipper or a crewed charter. Even a sportsfishing charter boat to get a feel for rough ocean conditions. It is a long way on a cramped boat to get
there. A trial run or two may be a big eye opener. I am not trying to rain on your parade but that is a very serious undertaking with your and other lives at risk.

Paul T
 
#7 · (Edited)
there's alot of ambiguity still..as far as "coming down to Miami"..now if that means spending a few months there while finding a boat and doing some coastal sailing in preparation while reading everything you can get your hands on about sailing..and sailing every minute you arent...and your generally a quick study then in a few months...if you have brass balls.. you might be able to launch for points south...the eastern tradewinds are your friend if you are headed to Brazil...fastest way but roughest is maybe just skirt Cuba and then maybe head for jamaica..then on down...next stop maybe Trinidad...I really don't know..but I doubt it that simple in terms of routing...should be mostly a beam reach south and back though there will be some rough areas of beating to windward at times for sure as theeastern trades don't hardly come from straight 90 degrees....the hardest beat will likely be heading east/southeast from trinidad down around to Brazil...There's alot to learn before such an adventure if you want to be reasonably safe...though..I have been sailing for about 7-8 years and have lprobaby only a 1000 sea-miles under my belt and i am just getting to the point where I would go more than 100 miles offshore in a boat under my own command...the sea is a harsh teacher to the uninitiated...good luck though and think it through..maybe chartering a yacht from trinidad/tobago might be a better plan..That way you have less big ocean passages...but coastal sailing demands perhaps as much knowledge as blue-water if not more...there's just more help available near coastlines..Not trying to put a damper on your idea..but that's a fairly tall order..will require alot of "work"...might be a grand adventure..who knows...might also be a pipedream...sometimes those are good to have too..
 
#21 · (Edited)
the eastern tradewinds are your friend if you are headed to Brazil...fastest way but roughest is maybe just skirt Cuba and then maybe head for jamaica..then on down...next stop maybe Trinidad...
Geez, what do you have against this guy, that you would put him through such misery? (grin)

I would certainly not recommend a transit of the Old Bahama Channel, especially to a newb... Very little margin for error there, tons of shipping, that's a pretty nerve-wracking passage, although as a Canadian, he does have the advantage of being able to stop in Cuba if need be... Still, I consider that to be a very hazardous route, against the trades...

Then, why head to Jamaica? Not only would you be giving up easting, but you'd further degrade the very tight sailing angle to the east... Looking at a chart of the entire Caribbean basin, I'm hard pressed to select a more arduous passage than the beat into the trades from Jamaica to Trinidad...

Only 2 real choices, IMHO... Either the Thorny path to the Lesser Antilles, or the offshore route described by Don Street and others, out the NE Providence Channel in advance of a cold front, riding it as far east as possible, then tacking south and hoping you fetch up in the Virgins, or thereabouts...

I'm not sure those who are encouraging him to "Just Do It" have any real appreciation for how difficult a voyage this might be, especially for someone with minimal sailing experience... It's one thing for a newbie to start out with a downwind voyage like the one from SoCal to Baja, but it's another thing entirely to suggest that their first ever offshore sailing be the bash back north, instead... Hell, every year many cruisers with considerable experience attempt to sail from S Florida to the Eastern Caribbean, and never make it beyond Georgetown, or Luperon... In a season where the trades are really kicking, that can be a pretty brutal trip...

If this guy is really determined to do this, I think a far more sensible approach would be to find a boat in a place like Annapolis, then get his feet wet sailing down the east coast... If he's a quick study, then perhaps by the time he's reached Florida, he could attempt the route offshore from the Abacos/NE Providence...

Or, should he choose the Throny Path route, perhaps by the time he gets into the SE Bahamas, he starts to wonder if it's worth it to beat a couple of more thousand miles into headwinds and adverse current just to attend a couple of soccer matches, and comes to the realization that it probably doesn't get all that much better than right where he is, right then... (grin)

 
#9 ·
I understand that this maybe a hard task to take, and I plan on getting a boat once I find one that I like and will fit my needs to take on whatever we want it to do. I'm going to Vancouver for a company meeting and plan on looking at some boats next month if I find one I was thinking of haveing it shipped to Miami and leaving it there for a getaway, iv been on boats but never sailboats, we also plan on heading to Cuba for diving trip in October, I know what the sea can do and won't let risking my family's safety, thanks for the info and I will plan on getting on the water for some experience, but for locally all I have are lakes, but plan whenever I can to get on the big blue..
 
#11 ·
OK, we'll keep the negative thoughts to ourselves, at least temporlarily, tell us your plan on how you are going to get the knowledge and experience nessasary to make such a trip. What about your crew? Are they going to follow the same training?
What kind of boat are you planning on buying?
This is a trip that demands lots of experience, both of captain and crew, knowledge of the sea and sailing, a well thought out sailing plan, and especially, a boat built for the task. There are a lot of $100k boats out there that are nice boats, but weren't built for serious, out in the middle of the ocean sailing.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Last year a dude showed up in Key West and wanted to do the same thing, but he wanted to sail to Columbia, where he was the Dep. Director of the U.N Columbia, I helped him buy a little Bennetau and we sailed it down. no big whoop. It took me 12 day's sail time, I think 18 all together. The last 500 miles with no engine because it broke in Jamaica. Brazil is harder because of the Devils Throat, very strong opposing currents around Trindad and Tabago. You really need to get some Easting in up North of the Bahamas by catching the southern most westerly's and then sail south to Brazil with the trades, a long Passage but a fun one. If you look on the Chart, or Globe, you see it's almost further east than south from Miami, I did it years ago on a sailing school ship that I was first mate on. You'll need help, please don't let people talk you out of it, It's totally do-able. I'm in Miami right now. PM if you have any specific questions on available boat's etc.
 
#14 ·
Lol, I'm not in the oil biz. We're into building houses and renos on the high end. We do apartment buildings aswell, we are in the works right now of building a molding line, kitchen line, and hardwood flooring line.. So, maybe, can build our own boat.. If this trip is way to hard even with 2 year of sailing then maybe I might have to really think about it.. But I will keep reading.. And you never know.. We have to see when the time comes..

What do you guys think would be a good sailboat to take wherever,
Size?
Make?
Year?

And what would take with you??
 
#16 ·
Something like a westsail in the 40 foot range, Good safety stuff., Life raft etc. People are going to try and talk you out of it, don't listen, stay focused. Come down to Miami and charter a boat from fla. Yacht charters and sail around on it with a blue water captain for a long weekend and get your feet wet. Then go from there.
 
#17 ·
I agree with Capt. Aaron to not give up on this. Just be aware it is a trip that takes a lot of planning and preparation.
Chartering a boat for 3-4 days with an experienced captain is a good idea and a good start, just make sure those 3-4 days includes some ugly weather so you have some idea of what to expect when you are in the middle of the ocean and it turns ugly on you...and it will.
I've got a couple of friends who crewed on a boat at our marina bringing it back from the Caribbean to the Chesapeake Bay via Bermuda. The first leg was fairly quiet and uneventful. The leg from Bermuda to VA was not. They had to heave to and ride out a storm for 36 hours. It was not fun.
 
#18 ·
when you get to miami, come over to the gulfstream sailing club. they can hook you up with some sailing lessons on a sunfish.

learning on a small boat is the fastest way to learn your mistakes.

you might even want to crew on some races.

but sailing to brazil, is crossing a few oceans.
nature is unforgiving.
low percentage odds for inexperience newbies.

but come on down and sail, there are many clubs to offer lessons, and crew opportunities.
 
#19 ·
Being stuck in Alberta is not an issue. You are 75 minutes (by air) from some of the best sailing in the world. There are lots of Alberta sailors; I know, I taught many of them. I can point you to instructors in Edmonton if you wish. I can also point you to schools in Vancouver or on Vancouver Island.

Jack
 
#20 · (Edited)
Sailing to Brazil from the Caribbean is pretty tough as you are going against current and tradewinds. It can be done by hugging the coast of Brazil looking for the counter currents or at least a weaker contrary current. It is much easier to head to Africa and then cut back to Brazil.

Read here for the route and logic:

Atom Voyages - The Long Way Back to Brazil (Part 1)

Where you intend to cruise in Brazil will determine where you make landfall on the coast of Brazil. Sailing south from Recife is best done in the summer. North from Rio (or points further south) is best done in the winter, taking advantage of the cold fronts and slightly weaker contrary current. BTW, the World Cup will be played in stadiums all over the country, so perhaps arriving and getting around by plane makes more sense. Leave any Spanish football jerseys back home as you are bound to end up in trouble wearing one here! :) :)
 
#22 ·
Why not buy a boat in Europe and sail it across the atlantic on a much more favourable angle. Sailing wise it would be a much more favourable route (with the wind), and probably a similar distance.

I wouldn't recommend sailing that far into the trades, the moment I was able to start sailing with the trades was a very happy day.

Unless you have another 30k sitting around, buy a cheaper boat.

Trying to mash two separate dreams/goals together is a bit ridiculous. Sail with the wind and fly to Brazil. What happens if the game is a dud, 1-0 and all defensive. Or you get seasick the whole way.

Sailing wise I'm sure you could do it, but it would be a real pain and make both events less enjoyable.

Good luck.
 
#23 ·
#25 ·
He need's help. Nothing wrong with buying a good blue water boat and hiring a captain for such a trip. It's just like sailing from Miami to Puerto Rico, you ride the westeryly's out to I 65 and head south, Except in this case you ride them out for another 4 or 5 day's and then head south. The Carribean route is out of the question, doing it with out an experirenced captain is out of the question as well. He should still do it.
 
#26 ·
Lol, thanks everyone for the info that I have got, iv been getting all of your posts via e-mail and been reading... Like I said I have no clue how the wind blows and wanted to hit all the islands in the carabben and head south of the northeast coast of brazil to head to Reo.. But because of the wind it will be hard to do.. The best way south seems is to head northeast then run south thru open water.. Witch I don't think I'm ready for even in 2years time would rather stay close to the coast line ( just in case ).. And I don't want a power boat to do so.. The only reson to head there is for a soccer game and would rather just fly there and spend some time with family I have down there.. May be pick up a boat there and head north.. Would that be a better idea?? I still win, I can stop at all the places I would like to see just backwards.. Lol..
 
#29 · (Edited)
Argentina then. I have no personal desire to go to back Brazil but I LOVE Argentina. (the girls any way.... and the Matte'...and the tango....not that I can do it, but I like to watch, and the beef and the... mountains....and the wine.....and the night life......and their spanish........
 
#31 ·
Wow. that's cool. Lucky, I plan on flying down there with my wife and spending enough time to get a real feel for the place..... Staying on task, the op might seriously consider that as an option, I'm no expert on Argentinian boat sales or the route to brazil. but from what i understand it's pretty straight forward.
 
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