need some advie on books for the VI

heavyweather · #1 (**permalink**) 03-17-2005

hi
im getting a boat this summer and planning on sailing it down to the VI from florida and i was wondering if there were and good books on which way to go about sailing down there? i just want to island hop.im in no hurry.Also any ideas how much it would cost to get somone to spend 3 or 4 days maybe a week with me showing me how to sail,on my boat.thanks

Irwin32 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-24-2005

Here is my $.02. Your post sounds as if you do not have much, if any, cruising experience. To buy a boat and sail away sounds great, but magazines articles and pictures are not the whole story. This could be a big mistake financially for you. Many are the would be live aboards who found out things were different than they thought

I am presently planning a 3 month cruise - my longest before this was 5 weeks. I truly enjoyed the 5 weeks and wanted to go on, but 3 months is a whole new ballgame. Even after cruising every summer for the last 25 years for no less than 3 weeks each trip, I am wondering how I will react to 3 months.

You are going to be living in a closet. Have you ever done that? Do you get sea sick? Long passages sound like heaven, but learning to deal with those long stretches of time in a boat is something some people are not wired to do.

There are undoubtedly plenty of books covering your trip as it has been done countless times and you should certainly search for them.

Consider spending 6 months in the Keys living aboard. It will be an easier transition than heading off to the VI. See how that goes. My advice. Good luck. I do like your adventurism.

heavyweather · #3 (**permalink**) 03-28-2005

hi
first off thank you for your .02 its much apperciated,you are corrrect that i have no live aboard experience,i have sailed lots but only as a passanger and never had to help out much but have alot of time on the water,used to live in the US virgins(im in alaska now and get a couple weeks out on the water every year but on a power boat).since i have put up this post i have found that the VI is a little to far for me to sail,on my previous map according to the key it was about 300 miles from the coast of florida if since found out its more like 1200,anyways im planning on doing just what you said staying around the keys maybe going to the bahamas after i feel good about my ability.ive been graduly downsizeing.i orginally was buying a boat and heading for hawaii( i had a friend who new how to sail and hads spent time at see).but now it looks like ill be getting a smaller boat and staying around the east coast for awhile to see how i like it.
thanks again for your repy.
fair weather and best of luck on your adventure.

Irwin32 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-31-2005

The Keys are a nice spot to sail - I was in them for a week - my first bareboat charter. Pretty shallow. Have a great trip.