Newbe with no experience buys big boat

[TomMaine]

Originally Posted by caberg

Well, he did leave the marina and lived to tell!

I particularly liked reading Bumfuzzle, the folks who did circumnavigate without a shred of prior experience. And the feathers they ruffled on the sailing forums was exceptionally entertaining. Some people just could not reconcile the idea that anyone who was not like them, could actually sail.

I followed the Bums too, and especially enjoyed how they ruffled some of the old salts tailfeathers.

This book sounds interesting as well, I might look for it. You know the mistakes he's going to make, it's how he deals with them that can be fun to read. I still continue to make plenty of them.

[glenndamato]

Hello everyone - this is Glenn, the author of Breaking Seas.

David let me know via email he had started this message thread on sailnet. Thanks David!

Some readers are perplexed and disappointed that I did not complete the circumnavigation -especially after spending all that time and trouble getting as far as I did!

In view of that, I want to clarify the two big reasons I decided to go back to San Diego. First, I discovered during the periods of heavy weather and rain, Serenity's belowdecks were not even close to watertight. After spending years and dozens of tubes of 5200 to seal everything I could see topsides, I learned that in order to have a prayer at keeping the cabin dry, I would have to have a boatyard remove and re-bed the entire deck - it was the hull-deck joint that needed total rebedding, and more 5200 would not do a thing. As anyone who has ever been in a boatyard knows, that is a HUGE and expensive task, particularly nasty to contemplate less than a year after coming out of an American boatyard! Until that was done, even a RAIN would result in my bunk cushions and other gear below getting soaked. The boat might make a fine weekender in Southern California (where it rarely drizzels between April and October) but not for world cruising - and especially not to the Marquesas, one of the rainiest spots on Earth.

The second reason for cutting the trip short was I did not desire or plan to do it alone. BEST CASE scenario would be to do it with a lover - an attractive female with no ties ashore willing to go the distance. Those who read the book will be able to fill in the details there.

The second best scenario would be to circumnavigate with a trusted friend, either another guy or a woman with whom I shared a platonic, non-sexual, non-romantic relationship. That would have been fine with me . . . but it didn't work out that way. For the details, please read the book.

While ashore, I would have said I was willing to circumnavigate alone, but after the experience of being at sea and anchored off a strange land, the idea had zero appeal to me. Yes, I was lonely. It seemed to me that all the other singlehanders I could see had fallen into alcohol abuse. They were clearly NOT a part of the "standard" cruising community, consisting of families and couples. As detailed in the book, I could not see myself living that lifestyle. I craved mental stimulation, and my old job as a software instructor.

One of the Amazon reviews (the one negative review in the bunch, really) said something like, "He went back to the job he despised," or something like that. But nowhere in the book do I say or hint that I hated my job! I found it quite comfortable in every way, and I did not realize until I left it how much I enjoyed teaching and the regular interaction with my fellow humans, even if in a professional environment. My head ached for new input, and this was in the days before eReaders became common, so I had quickly read out all the books I had with me and craved new stimulation.

In short, it was no longer fun - I saw no reason to make it into an obsession simply because of what people might think. And by the time I got back to San Diego after the stint single handing the Baja Bash, I had gotten EVERYTHING out if the trip I had sought.

Hope that clarifies.

Kind regards,

Glenn

[wingNwing]

As soon as I'm sure I've got a good enough internet connection I'm buying the Kindle edition. Looks good Glenn!

[chucklesR]

Thanks for the pointer David.

Thanks for the book Glenn, it's on my list for Kindle.
I can certainly understand the not wanting to do it alone aspect. I'm sure I could, but why would I want to?
Guess I'll have to read the book and see what boat has a leaky deck.

[smackdaddy]

Just out of curiosity - what was the boat, Glenn?

[msmith10]

Originally Posted by glenndamato

Hello everyone - this is Glenn, the author of Breaking Seas.

The second reason for cutting the trip short was I did not desire or plan to do it alone. BEST CASE scenario would be to do it with a lover - an attractive female with no ties ashore willing to go the distance. Those who read the book will be able to fill in the details there.

Kind regards,

Glenn

Welcome to the forum, and nice post, Glenn. I recommend against posting "Female sailing companion wanted" on this site. That approach has been tried and always invites a slew of commentary. Who knows, though, you may get lucky.

[OffWeGo]

Your book has been on my reading list, looking forward to it.

[davidpm]

Come on guys you can do better than that. Sea Turtles!!!
Where is your imagination. I'm dying to tell you but right now there are 70 people logged in probably over a thousand hours of seamanship experience so I'm expecting more creative solutions.

Visualize this:
Your in the bilge of your boat. The boat is snapping around in serious seas.
You know you have about 10 minutes before you are on the rocks.
You see your impeller is shot, broken vanes.
You are furious with yourself and the store because they sold you 6 impellers that don't fit and you didn't check before you left.
It is unbelievably frustrating. The engine is in perfect condition it just needs water to keep cool enough.

Now captain what do you do????

To be fair I doubt I would have thought of his solution. But he did in the the most extreme conditions.

[JonEisberg]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

Just out of curiosity - what was the boat, Glenn?

Looks like SERENITY was a Downeaster 38...

[Captainmeme]

"It is unbelievably frustrating. The engine is in perfect condition it just needs water to keep cool enough.

Now captain what do you do????

To be fair I doubt I would have thought of his solution. But he did in the the most extreme conditions.
"

Me, I'd hook up the bilge pump to the raw water intake of the engine and open a seacock that would supply water to the bilge pump. Crack the **** (seacock, sorry censor software, didn't mean to offend) open enough to keep up with the engine requirements but not enough to flood the boat.