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Circumnavigating the world with NO prior sailing experience ever before

11K views 49 replies 22 participants last post by  bfloyd4445 
#1 ·
This story right here just goes to show you that you can just buy a sailboat and take off around the world even if you haven't ever stepped on a sailboat before.



Martin Noaksson from Dals-Ed, Sweden decided two years ago to leave his life behind and sail around the world on a 38 ft. sailboat with no prior experience.

In 2009, Martin and his friend Andreas started their journey by sailing from gothenberg through Europe. They then traveled down the coast of Africa, across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil then later made their way down south through Uruguay, Argentina and ultimately to Ushuaia, the most southern city in the world, where he and I met. Tomorrow they are planning on sailing through the Drake Passage for 5 days to Antarctica, a journey only a few brave souls sail per year.
 
#2 · (Edited)
This story right here just goes to show you that you can just buy a sailboat and take off around the world even if you haven't ever stepped on a sailboat before.

Martin Noaksson Sails Around the World - YouTube

Martin Noaksson from Dals-Ed, Sweden decided two years ago to leave his life behind and sail around the world on a 38 ft. sailboat with no prior experience.

In 2009, Martin and his friend Andreas started their journey by sailing from gothenberg through Europe. They then traveled down the coast of Africa, across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil then later made their way down south through Uruguay, Argentina and ultimately to Ushuaia, the most southern city in the world, where he and I met. Tomorrow they are planning on sailing through the Drake Passage for 5 days to Antarctica, a journey only a few brave souls sail per year.
your kidding?
His shipmate and boat owner must be a sailor
 
#16 · (Edited)
ha ha ha.......In the video the pix of the vessel show that it was set up for cruising and that dosen't happen without some knowledge of sailing does it?

The funny thing about this thread is I am not a sailor having only 45 years of powerboat experience under my belt. I have been looking for a sailboat to bluewater cruise in and I have found a boat I like for sale in Hawaii. To get it to the west coast it must be sailed and I am seriously contemplating doing just that with no sailing experience at all.

I'm going to start a thread to see if there are any people out there that just went and did it with zero experience.:)
 
#19 ·
Why doesnt anyone understand that sailing isnt that much of a problem!

If someone has a brain and noraml street smarts the basics of sailing are picked up in days, not weeks or months.

As that quote from Mark Twain said: "Its only difficult if you read internet forums!"

Mark
I think Martin should be given a little more credit than that. He is not doing the coconut milk route. Says he plans to go to Antarctica. They got experience in the North Sea and Bay of Biscay in the winter. This takes a lot more than just a brain and "normal street smarts".

I am very impressed.
 
#6 ·
They started in 2009 "sailing from Gothenberg through Europe" . Only this will have gave them more experience than the average sailor. We are talking about many thousands of miles troughs difficult waters (North sea, Biscay) and certainly they had taken several months.

If they had no experience probably those where the most difficult days. Sailing everyday (or almost) they would soon be very experienced sailors at least in what regards average experience.

They have also a very forgiving steel heavy boat but a very slow one:

"crossing the Atlantic and arriving into the entrance of Rio de Janeiro. .. The trip across the Atlantic took 3 months."

I would be very feed up being 3 months way from a Taverna (probably they stopped on the way, I hope). That is SLOW. The ones that made that voyage for the first time (more than 500 years ago) took less than a month.
 
#9 ·
The Stuemers, father, mother and three young sons sailed around the world on a boat called "Northern Magic". He only had a few hours of sailing experience on a small sailboat in the Ottawa River and she even less when they started. The first time they sailed Northern Magic was after leaving New York harbour in the Atlantic Ocean.

I have a signed copy of her book "Voyages of Northern Magic" which she signed at her very last book signing. She was diagnosed with brain cancer and died three months later.
 
#10 ·
I have a signed copy of her book "Voyages of Northern Magic" which she signed at her very last book signing. She was diagnosed with brain cancer and died three months later.
Life is indeed short. What if she would have listened to those that suggest sailing on such adventures is a privilege that only comes with putting in years of sea time? You are not worthy, no pun intended! She may not have experienced what she did or written the book.

I have a new production Beneteau. I still get a kick out of those who ask what I owned before, I say a sunfish when I was 15. Then they ask about experience, I say not much. The facial expressions are priceless. My biggest concern is not so much myself but the boat. It takes nearly a full season to work the bugs out of a new production boat, or so I am finding. Arrrrgg.

I'm now motivated to seek out her book.
 
#12 ·
Never let the fear stop you from realizing your dream.
A few weeks sailing on North Sea will give you plenty of experience needed to cross oceans and verify that you and your boat can take it.
Great story.
 
#15 ·
Also I have never heard anyone here discourage anyone from attempting to sail around the world in a well found vessel. Where people start saying not to do it is when people say "I have $2000 and am buying a 1971 24 foot boat designed for inland lakes and has not had any maintenance done on it in 25 years and has been sitting in a field, and want to sail around the world in it, is this a good idea?" This does not appear to be someone buying a used up old boat, at least as far as I can tell.
 
#29 ·
I cant see what the big deal is anyway cause we all do things for the first time in our lives without prior experience or training from time to time. I mean how many of you took a hands on training course before you had sex for the first time. Geez.....and that can get you in lots of trouble just like sailing<smile>....maybe more
 
#30 ·
This story right here just goes to show you that you can just buy a sailboat and take off around the world even if you haven't ever stepped on a sailboat before.
Well, it doesn't show me that, at all...

That boat appears pretty seriously tricked out for high latitude sailing... I suspect the owner is pretty experienced, and the guy making the video is more or less along for the ride...

For the life of me, I can't fathom the compulsion by some around here to find "proof" that one can sail around the world with NO prior experience... Sure, it's been done, just as people have made it to the top of Everest with minimal prior climbing experience... What's the point? Are you suggesting such is the recommended way to go about such ventures?

Also, I think it's bad Karma to speak of a circumnavigation such as this almost as if it's a done deal... If I were sailing around the world, I'd try to refrain from calling it a 'circumnavigation', or suggesting the trip would be 'proof' of anything, until it was actually completed... Jeanne Socrates' first attempt at a circumnavigation ended on a Mexican beach less than 100 miles from crossing her outbound track, after all... When speaking of any voyage, one should always strive to heed the wisdom of Yogi, as in: "It ain't over, 'till it's over"...
 
#31 ·
When I hear of someone doing this sort of thing I wonder if they are a daredevil type like, whats his name, Evil Kinevil? Then I wonder about his IQ. Third I think of myself, a person that has embarked upon many projects, ventures alone and with no prior experience for the most part successfully. Once or twice I almost killed myself. The fact is anything can be accomplished if one approaches it cautiously and with the proper mind set and materials.
 
#34 ·
Circumnavigations are often spoken of in some circles in hushed tones - the pinnacle of sailing when in actual fact, a circumnav is nothing more that a large collection of "sailing from one place to the next". It's like going sailing every weekend except you leave from one place and arrive at a different place. The second trip is easier than the first and so it accrues.

String these individual trips together and suddenly, you have a circumnav. If the voyage is done right, the totally inexperienced will be somewhat experienced by the time they have to do their first ocean crossing.

Also, one shouldn't use the terms "at sea for four years" and "inexperienced" in the same sentence.

Still, Antarctica, yes well. firstly you have to have a desire to go there and if you do, you have to have large ones.

I don't have the desire so I don't have to lay claim to large ones or the lack thereof. :p
 
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#35 ·
so many people sail a few miles, then fly away for a period of time, returning to do a little more sailing using this pattern until they have "sail around the world". To me this dosent qualify as a circumnavigation of the globe. If a guy stocks up on his beer then takes off stopping here and there to rest and make repairs and eventually returns to his starting point that would be a circumnavigation
 
#39 ·
I'm telling ya, Buy a used Hobie 16, grab some coconuts, a plastic milk jug and a spool or two of fishing line and take off.

By the time a tanker finds you and brings you back you'll have plenty of experience.
Yeah, but check out the latest issue of CRUISING WORLD first...

Sign of the times, in their current "Safety at Sea" issue, there's an article titled "The Freighter's Here! Now What?"

 
#40 ·
Most important thing is the vessel aand its equiptment.
Id sail around the world on that boat, not on mine. Too small, no wind vanne, being biggest concerns.
Kudos to them. Drakke passage isnt for day sailors. Id never do it not because of the sailing conditions but bc of the temp conditions. Way too cold for me!
 
#47 ·
go for it, learn along the way, prepare yourself in what really matters, navigation and emergency situations...last thing is talk less and do more...

people do it all the time...some dont even use the INTERNET!

there will always be more voices against than for when you ask questions like can I climb mt. everest? reason being most people dont do stuff like this...

imagine what a sad world it would be if eveybody sailed around the world? and that was more common than working from 9 to 5? that would be horrific!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

do it...I did partially over my early 20s...started when I was 18 on an old wooden leaking ketch...I still have to cross the atlantic, and some of the asian pacific, but I did it and Im still young at 32, jejejeje

peace
 
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