SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Am I Dreaming or can this be done

3K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  GeorgeB 
#1 ·
I am planing on going to the USA in July 2013, purchasing a yacht and joining the 2014 World ARC Round the World Rally back to Australia.

I have a budget of $190k so I am looking at purchasing a yacht for $150K and allowing $40K to spend on setting up the yacht ready for a trip across the pacific. I assume I will need a water maker, new rigging & nav gear.

I plan to purchase in Florida which gives me 6 months to purchase, setup and sail down to St Lucia.

I plan on living aboard with my teenage foster child. ( I will be 55 ) I have been thinking of purchasing a Hunter 45 or perhaps a Catalina 42. Do you think this is all doable or am I dreaming.

I am going to Florida this July 2012 for a holiday and allowing a few days in Miami to scout out the area. Has anyone also got any ideas on who would be best to suss out on this scouting trip eg: brokers & surveyors. Thanks for any advice
 
#4 ·
Peter,

You may HAVE to spend $40K on upgrades to even travel with the ARC, they require a pretty good kit of safety gear and your boat will be subject to their inspections. I would certainly read up on their requirements before I spent too much on watermakers and such.

I believe they also require mandatory attendance at several prep sessions, and will want to see some credentials or CV of your sailing experience. I have also been told that they are looking seriously at having "their" boats transported through pirate territory, after this past years' debacle.

This is all 3rd party from a couple of coastal sailors who were quite disappointed in ARC's plans to make a safe event.

of course, YMMV
 
#5 ·
As much as I like Catalinas (I have a 34), they are not considered to be bluewater boats. Not that a lot of money can't be spent to upgrade them, but I think I'd buy a boat that was made from the ground up to be a bluewater boat. I think most people will say that Hunters are one notch down from Catalinas.
So my advice, look at boats that were designed for your purpose and I'm sure you will find a decent one with the budget you have.
 
#8 ·
Why would you join the ARC for an easy down wind sail back to OZ? Best you check out the visa requirements for the USA. Several of my ozzie friends have tried to do what you want to do, and have had to leave because the visa ran out before the boat was properly prepared and had HUGE problems after getting under way.

It will take longer then you think to prepare, cost more then you think to outfit and cost more to cruise back to oz then you think.

Good luck anyway..
 
#10 ·
if you are going to st. lucia you dont want to start from Florida. It is a long long bash upwind in the trades from there. Far better to either leave from the Chesapeake or NC (plenty of boats and yards in the Chesapeake) or skip St. Lucia and head from Florida straight to Panama
 
#11 ·
Peter, I would expect it is doable but watch out for the paperwork/regulatory issues. If your boat is not out of Florida within 90 days of purchase, you'll need to pay Florida sales tax, 6-8% depending on county. One way to drag that out might be to work with a flexible seller, pay them eveyrthing except the final dollar and then "conclude" the sale after you've had a chance to work. There are hazards in that too, so simply planning to be gone in 89 days might be simplest.

There's also the matter of flagging the vessel, presumably you would want to put an Aussie flag on it, once that's done you have a timeclock to get it out of the US or apply to get it back in, or remain in. Regulations here often change on January 1st for the new year, so find out what you'll need to do now, but check again before the new year as well.

The choice of boats is a wide one, but that's a whole topic in itself, see the many threads about what is a bluewater boat, and take a look at what other ARCs have been sailed with, with comments from or about them. With a trip like that you may very well decide that unless the boat comes with new sails including storm sails, that you want a new main, new genoa, new job, new storm sails, and kaching that could all add up to a fast $20-25,000 for a large boat in prime season.

I would expect there will still be many boats on the market, but between finding a boat, making an offer, negotiating, booking a survey, seatrial....I'd be surprised if you could locate and take possession of "the right boat" in under a month. So do give yourself time up front, especially in Florida where everything seems to take a week longer than you'd expect.
 
#12 ·
I have sailed Catalina 42’s offshore and would have no problem doing the sort of ocean passages you are considering. I know people who have raced theirs to Hawaii from California and a couple who sailed their 42 from San Francisco to Sydney, Aus. Here in California, they hold their value pretty well and your budget might be a little tight. Water maker, SSB installation, and alternative power generation alone will chew up a good portion of your outfitting budget.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top