Sailing on bigger boats

[dongreerps]

It is possible to do the transition with ease and no heartburn - if you think through things beforehand. Hiring a captain for the first day is a very good idea. First of all it will take all the anxiety out of getting out of the harbour away. Secondly, it will give you a chance to get to know the boat at leisure, rather than the usual hurried checkout. It will also give you lots of time to pick the captains brain about places to go, places to eat, things to see. Much better than the usual chart checkout.
Coming back in to the marina at the end of the charter is the only time you will have to maneuver in tight quarters. Every other night you can hang on the anchor or a mooring ball. So just get on the radio as you approach the charter base, and ask for help. They will send a boat boy out in a dinghy, and he will drive the boat in for you.

[quidam1947]

Originally Posted by BlueWaterMD

I have had my boat for a few months now, and it has been great. My fiancee and I get out 1-2 times per week and are both absolutely loving it. Our 23' is perfect for the type of sailing we do. We are becoming very comfortable sailing it.

We are getting married in about a year, and were talking about a bareboat charter (probably BVI or Bahamas) for the honeymoon. I have been around the water all my life, and navigation and seamanship aren't really issues. The problem is that I have not sailed anything bigger than 25' or so. The smallest charter boat I have seen is 32' with most around 35'. If I am competent on the mid 20's boat, is it reasonable to charter a mid 30's boat without prior experience on boats that size, or is that too big of a jump? How much of a difference is this when it comes to handling the boat?

BlueWaterMD,

Discussions here seem to be about YOUR competence and comfort level. I was just curious what your fiancee's thoughts/concerns are about this and how involved will she be in the handling of this charter boat? How prepared would she be in the event of a MOB incident whereby you go over the side (as Bene505 inferred)?

Michele

[twinsdad]

Dong is absolutely right. Hiring a captain for a day will give you all the practice and confidence you will need.

The previous writer is also correct that you have to check in on your fiance's state of mind and abilities. If you were more experienced, having a less experienced person is less of a big deal - sort of like soloing.

With your not feeling too confident, it would be helpful if she tried to learn some more about sailing and boat handling in case you need the extra set of hands. I think that would be important even if you stayed in the same boat size class you are used to. Even if she just did some reading, that would be a help.

I think the captain would be a big help to both of you. Good luck!

[davewild]

I moved from a light weight 27' day sailer to a medium weight 33'cruiser. Main difference is the loadings on boat. It's easy to think it's only 6' bigger but old boat weighs a bit over 1 tonne new one is nearly 5 tonnes. a bump on head from old boats boom will wake you up. Same from new boat will put you to sleep. Also more complex systems. Inboard motor rather than outboard, head to worry about instead of bucket, etc. having said that, life is about learning and I would not go back. My next boat (sometime away yet) will be bigger again. Enjoy

[JungleJim]

I've been where you are, so I'll beat on this a little. My advice;

1. Go do it, you'll both have a blast
2. For a few $$ the charter company offers a 4-8 hr. in sea orientation -
take it as it's good for both - ask questions.
3. If your looking at the Carribean, you will most likely not see a dock until
you return. If you do - think of driving a space shuttle - little blasts of
power around docks, nice and easy.
4. Tell everyone to use fenders, not body parts between dock and boat.
4. Upon return, hail the base - they prefer to come out and bring you in.

[pdqaltair]

The smaller the boat, the more visceral fun. The larger the boat, the more amenities and stability (in general).

I'm in the process of selling my smaller boat, taking people out for test-sails and such. Now I want to keep both, the smaller one (Stiletto 27) is so much fun!

I will be contrarian and suggest not moving up until you are sure that the current boat can't do the cruising you have in mind. Go out on some larger boats and see if they are fun (windy areas) or boring (light wind areas). Basically, in the tough winter weather I love my big boat. In a steady 10knot summer breeze, the Stiletto takes all comers at any price for pure fast sailing, beach hopping fun.

I moved up because I have cruised the small boat many thousands of miles and felt I had experienced it completely. I was ready, after 15 years, to move on. Please check out my blog (below) for a taste of both.

[MedSailor]

Great advice from all so far on this thread. My first boat was a 31, and my second a 41 (which is really more like a 45 in weight and overhangs). My advice? Go do it, you'll be fine.

Docking is different but you'll be fine. You've already got an idea of how boats steer. You know they steer like you're skiing not like you're driving a car, you already know you can't stop on a dime etc. The boats that 99% of places charter are fin keeled as well so they'll have less prop walk issues and will turn on a dime. Very handy.

The biggest difference in docking that I learned is that you can't do anything by hand. You can't stop the boat by hand. You can put a line around a cleat but you can't stop it by hand. You can't fend off by hand, but you can use a fender to bounce off.

The mechanics are the same, the loadings are a little harder. Treat the winches and sheets with a little more respect in a blow and try not to accidentally jybe. In the end though, it's not as big of a step as it seems.

Reading chapmans is a good idea, and not just for chartering. It truly is the bible of safe, sensible boating. Hiring a captain for a few hours is also a good idea if it lowers the anxiety level but I don't think you need it.

Anchoring is not as big of a deal as it sounds. Believe me it is an art, but the fundamentals are simple. Moorings are everywhere I hear in your area but if you do anchor remember these two things. Put out more rode than you think you need. There is only "enough rode" and "not enough rode" there is no such thing as "too much rode". It will mask all manner of sins. The second thing is to, slowly at first, reverse on your anchor under motor. Really do it, up to 1,500rpm or so. You'll be surprised how good you feel when the wind pipes up and you think back and say, "well it isn't as much strain as we put on it when we set it, so we must be okay."

Oh, and I almost forgot. Congratulations. A wife that wants to go sailing for a honeymoon must be alright.

Medsailor

[Calabego]

Originally Posted by MedSailor

.......The second thing is to, slowly at first, reverse on your anchor under motor. Really do it, up to 1,500rpm or so. You'll be surprised how good you feel when the wind pipes up and you think back and say, "well it isn't as much strain as we put on it when we set it, so we must be okay."
Medsailor

I hadn't thought of this and I'll have to try it to see what more it would take to drag (if possible) beyond the 3kt current already present at my playground. Good suggestion.

[davidpm]

We just finished a charter on the 12th. The contract required us to refuel and pump the waste before returning the boat. It was easy to pull up to the fuel dock.
I called the charter guy from the fuel dock and he parked it for me. 30' boat needed to be backed in to finger slip that was only 8' long and tied to two forward poles set out far enough for a 40' boat.

I actually wanted to try it but I had to do it without help.
After five days and no trouble why would I temp fate the last 10 minutes.