youngbuck trying to start cruising

[redstripesailor]

I'm a young guy that's been dreaming of sailing off over the horizon on my own little boat as well. However I've done some SERIOUS investigation into the matter and I have realized that it's not really feasible with the meager resources of your average young man. 10-20k is tough to come up with when push really comes to shove. I went ahead and finished college and now I work full time and year round sailing professionally on a variety a wide variety of boats. I'm putting money in the bank as I gain experience (and I started with a fair bit) and one day I'll have my own boat. But it's going to be a boat I can really believe in, not the cheapest thing I could find that would float. And I've also scaled back my cruising ambitions from world voyaging to a more realistic amount of cruising. I'm getting my world voyaging done on other people's large, safe, offshore capable boats and budgets.

I know this probably isn't what you want to hear, I sure didn't. It's a hard when you realize you might have to compromise on dreams. But it's worked for me and I think it could work for you.

I know everyone is telling you to read books, I've read all the ones mentioned but one book really put things in perspective for me. It's called "The Purpose of Sailing" by Jerome Fitzgerald. It's short, and more of a rant than anything, but I think it will strike a chord with you.

[artbyjody]

Livin:

You'll find some VERY opinionated advice on this subject (all rightfully so). There is a majority that did it right and never tell the stories of how much wrong it took for them to get that way, there are others that defied tradition and somehow - managed, and then many others with varying experiences or accumulated from stories of others that put the fear of god in them so they somehow managed to make it ok...That aside...

I live by the mantra - if you can dream - it can be done. Worked well for for me, but I do due diligence in becoming as aware of as the many pitfalls as there are glory points... The Ferro Cement....Honestly - you are not going to find a deal there... for starters they are heavier than pigs with their families riding as cowboy. As another poster pointed out - it was a dream backyard Popular Science DIY trend - not many got it right and if you are paying less than 10K for one - I can assure you the reason why it less than 10K is that is the cost to hire someone to tow it and scrap it at your local garbage dump.... And before you go Reid's schooner Ann is ferro - it sat in the water for years - somehow still floating but he had everything donated to him to begin with...your budget is most likely not to include gifting...Furthermore - most ferros are in the 36 foot + range and rightfully so for the weight / displacement drawbacks of using that material for design...


NOW: You have a place to dock that is free and that saves on average anywhere between 1200 to 6K a year on moorage fees. Good start.

You haven't sailed solo on any boat of any decent size (I state 25-30 foot)...what you find is that sailing longer distances means having better tools to do it... Celestial navigation is great but last I checked the stars never warn you about a freighter barreling down on you at 20 + knots... and if your skies do that - you can supplement your income as actually being a real physic...At minimum you need GPS, a Charter (sure use paper but eh in todays world why?) and most certainly a radar system...preferably all integrated (2K to 5K)

So here is you rub... you didn't have 18 or 20 years to dream this up - your not that old and the boat you end up owning will be older than you (respect your elders as they say as they have different ideas for you)...

So here is something realistic:

Buy a 27 footer and get it out there... figure out your wants - likes - desires and dislikes... trade out - trade - up.. But 10K ...your a young man - you have time - work summer jobs and where you are at - there are plenty of crewing opportunities and marinas that you do side jobs or a real job to earn the mullah and get discounts on stuff...slow down - sailing is about getting somewhere as slow as possible but fast enough to get there before retirement...

However, you can make anything happen - but there is a fine line between insanity for the sake of pretending to be sane, and the line between sanity and common sense for you....

best of luck....

[thesnort]

"Also considering learning celestial navigation to cut down on costs of electronics"
I'd still want a GPS. Nothing wrong with having fairly reliable technology. There are also overcast nights for which sailing by the stars isn't all that feasible.
I think you want to give yourself the best chance in any eventuality, and a trip across oceans might give you the test of your life. Nevertheless, I think Hal Roth has put in hundreds of thousands of miles in ocean sailing and never had any serious weather problems. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong).
About the ferro-cement idea, I've read The Water In Between recently and the author did it on one of these. You're more prepared than he was, but I'd still go with a solid fiberglass boat with a large displacement.
If you're living at home, you can put away some seriously good money in a year or two. I'd vote for that and some messing around in local waters, testing yourself (with a good sailor with you) in ever more challenging situations. I think you can really prepare yourself well by staying within sight of shore and not risking your neck right off the bat with an inappropriate boat.
Save some cash, learn just a wee bit more, and buy yourself the essentials for a long cruise. That kind of plan you won't regret.

[PoorAnderson]

I wouldn't listen to any of these guys. You can totally do it. Check out these examples:
w w w.atomvoyages.com/voyaging/solocircum.htm[/url]
w w w.wetsand.com/page-feature.asp?locationid=5&tabid=1048&subtabid=1495&catid=1495[/url]

On top of those two, and there are many more, My grandfather at 24 sailed around the world in 1939 when the south pacific was still largley unknown by todays standards. Then he joined the navy and fought a war for 5 years, then came home and went to college and raised a family.......and his most rewarding experiance was the sail around the world. Do it well you're young and can enjoy it.......not in your 50's when you have a wife that won't go and kids who need tuition.

[gtod25]

but we are asking you to work for them.

Make a three year plan;

1. Get some marketable skills.
2. Get some money.
3. Get some more sailing/boating/boat maintenance experience.
4. Buy a suitable boat you can afford (you will know what it is by the time you have done 1,2 and 3.)

and go for it.

It only sounds boring because it works.

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by Livinondreams

Surprisingly my parents support my idea.....not with there money though!

You should ask them why...your parents advice is more important than a bunch of sailors drunken and froze in and on the hard... And most likely the only ones that will bail you out when you do make the leap...

[Danny33]

Living on .. You struck a cord !
Ask the people that have taken you you under thier wing.
They most likely know you better then you know your self>

I was 18 wanted to race DIRT in CNY ..lots of s ... heads just laughf ed at it .
I worked at a junk yard just trying to get away from the farms .
Put a car together and did real well for 3 seasons with the junk yard x- press .
Always wanted to drive big trucks at 22 I had started. 24 years accident free still lovining it as a twenty year Teamster.

Got started drag raceing bikes 2 seasons did all my own work on them. done pretty good ..sh.. heads all trying to be my freinds by now !
Married one son.. worked more on carreer .. divorced.

Worked like a fool ..bought land...dozer .dump truck...more land..track hoe ..
Doing lots of jobs now ! S ...heads wont even talk to me now ..sometimes I wonder if Im a gost now....more land almost 70 acers now .

Still working a full time job ... got climbing rock and Ice ...sh.. heads laughf
ten tears after ...what a resume aquired .

Just bought my first sail boat in the south east AK .. Should be on it real soon . some thing since I was your age or so ive wanted to do.

My son is 17 now and no wonder lust of the seas .
or big adventure. Just my thoughts for you If I had the chance to advance my education just get it done . its something you can take with you every where you go .
There is always time to follow your dreams ...follow your heart man , it will take you there !

[Danny33]

Art by ...Last two post are right on it !
THANKS.

[southerncross31]

I bought my Southern Cross 31 for 10k. I did all of the work myself for little $. You could sail this boat around the world. Spend lots of time on your rigging and thru-hulls. You have to know them instinctively. I wanted to do what you want to do when i was 18. I didn't, now i'm 33 (as of today) with a wife, 2 young kids and a house. I won't be heading out for quite a while at this point. There is no way you will ever have the mental or physical freedom again to do what you want. Lots of people will tell you not to go but that is because they are either jealous or confused. Almost every old cruiser I have met said they wished they had set sail when they were much younger. How many stories have you heard of people spending years to earn the money to buy the big boat... only to be to old, weak and sick to handle it. Go... cast of the lines and live life before reality sets in! Do it for a lot of reasons.... fun, adrenaline, adventure, whatever...but the most important reason is that you never get your time or youth back..do it so you won't some day be left wishing you had. That you can never change!

[PoorAnderson]

Originally Posted by southerncross31

I bought my Southern Cross 31 for 10k. I did all of the work myself for little $. You could sail this boat around the world. Spend lots of time on your rigging and thru-hulls. You have to know them instinctively. I wanted to do what you want to do when i was 18. I didn't, now i'm 33 (as of today) with a wife, 2 young kids and a house. I won't be heading out for quite a while at this point. There is no way you will ever have the mental or physical freedom again to do what you want. Lots of people will tell you not to go but that is because they are either jealous or confused. Almost every old cruiser I have met said they wished they had set sail when they were much younger. How many stories have you heard of people spending years to earn the money to buy the big boat... only to be to old, weak and sick to handle it. Go... cast of the lines and live life before reality sets in! Do it for a lot of reasons.... fun, adrenaline, adventure, whatever...but the most important reason is that you never get your time or youth back..do it so you won't some day be left wishing you had. That you can never change!

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Really says it all.