Prepairing to cruise long term.

[Michael201]

My wife and I are in the final stages of purchasing a new (61.5) Passport. It will be complete in the spring of 2008. I have some experience sailing (enough to know I love it) and my wife has very little. We are both well traveled and have had a dream to sail the world. Our boat will be equipped with all the latest comforts and systems to make it short handed capable. We are lucky in the fact that money to purchase and sail for a few years will not impact us. We are preparing our holdings to be managed while we are away and if choose to, sail beyond the 3 we are planning if so desired. All transactions to be handled on-line.

Over the next two years we are going through all the classes and training that would allow us to bare boat a 50ft. on our own to be as prepared as we can. We are also going to crew the boat with at least a certified captain to learn the boat and gather experience.

We have a 2 year old that will be 4 when we leave. All I have read seems to confirm that is a good age. He's a water baby and loves to swim.

We have never been more excited about an adventure as this. Understand, we have friends that have done this before and are aware of the pitfalls that are present. We know there will be highs and lows but know we are willing to accept these as part of the experience. We also have been working together (in each others face) for years and won't have a problem doing the same onboard.

We have been reading as many books as we can about the experience. We are looking for recommendations from sailing to cooking books. Also, any thoughts or suggestions about the next two years as we prepare.

[astraeus]

Congratulations, that has long been a dream of mine, but have not gotten the finances in order to make it a reality. Don't have any advice, but I look forward to hearing what the more experienced members have to offer.

[cardiacpaul]

adopt me!
I play well with others, color inside the lines and don't often run with scissors. I'm not very smart but I can lift heavy things.

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by cardiacpaul

adopt me!
I play well with others, color inside the lines and don't often run with scissors. I'm not very smart but I can lift heavy things.

I'll vouch that he's not very smart, and add he's not completely housebroken either...

Sorry paul, couldn't resist.

[Surfesq]

Great, just what they need. The first time you lift something Paul, you drop and clutch your chest. Can you say Burial at sea?
Preparation: We worked on making room on the boat for various food stores and then prioritising how we would store things. For example, you don't want to unpack all of your food to get at the Snickers Bars or diapers.
While the weather is warm practice some man over board drills. Sounds nutty but you will feel more comfortable knowing your wife can get you safely back onboard.

[cardiacpaul]

Hey, the S/O has put a stop to me peeing in the sink, What more do you people want? Eggs in your Beer?

[Surfesq]

That reminds of me of a very funny cartoon by the creator of the Simpsons. Matt Groenig. A guy with a fez in lying on his death bed, the other guy with a fez on is comforting him. The cartoon is entitled: "Things you say on your death bed." The guy in bed says, "I have been peeing in the bathroom sink for years."

[Jim H]

Wow, the new boat route. I think a lot of us might be quietly jealous...

It sounds like you have a handle on how to prepare. I have heard of positive reports from those who did learning cruises with http://www.mahina.com/ before taking their own boats off-shore (both men and women, together and separately). Given the quality of boat you're receiving, the investment could be worthwhile in the confidence and comfort department.

For women only, http://www.tethysoffshore.com/ gets good reviews as well.

For your first charters, many would "stack the deck" and charter in the best possible first cruising grounds (often the British Virgin Islands) in the best possible season. First impressions are important for a lot of family members, and having things go dreamy at the start can make up for less-than-great conditions later on.

Final note: I had an instructor who was found of saying, "At sea, you are the plumber," meaning that every system is your concern and responsibility once you're cruising. You'll have fewer issues with a new boat and new systems, but I've read of less-than-great surprises even with new boats. It's always an adventure...

Have a great time getting ready, and I hope your son has a great time. Meanwhile, I'll try to keep my envy in check.

Jim H

[cardiacpaul]

Its been two years and 2 months since the last one of my four... The S/O is doing a lot of cooking these days, lots of ribs, burgers, fries, eggs, white flour and sweet tea... She's also singng and smiling while doing this. I did notice the life insurance policy has been switched to "auto-pay"....Ain't she sweet?

[camaraderie]

Michael...Obviously, you will have every convenience aboard the boat but your boat will be quite a few complex systems. Having a handy captain aboard will ease the learning curve...but if your goal is to become self-sufficient, I'd suggest you learn about diesel engines and offshore sailing in some seminars rather than just from books. The Caribbean1500 has some good offshore prep seminars that they run and Mack Boring runs diesel seminars that are quite good. Indeed...offering yourselves up as crew on the Carib1500 might also be a good step if you can swing the time off.
As to books...Nigel Calder's books on systems are all worthwhile and Beth Leonard's Voyager's Handbook as well as her passage books are wonderful.
Good luck with your plans...that is quite a handful but a beautiful vessel built to the highest standards. Make sure you set her up so that you can STILL handle her when everything electric fails! Have fun and will be interested to hear of your progress.