Aspects of cruising

In the U.S. all you will need is proof of state registration. Nothing else.

Some folks try to avoid this and use their vessel's USCG documentation in lieu of state registration. It sounds good, but won't get you past the tax collector if he shows up at your dock.

As far as safety equipment goes, have one USCG-approved life jacket per passenger, at least two Type-B marine fire extinguishers, an air horn or other signaling device, and an emergency flare kit. You should also make sure that all the vessel's exterior lighting works properly.

Unlike an airplane, you are not required to conduct any annual inspections or maintain any fixed maintenance schedule. On a boat, you fix things when they break.

If you travel to the Bahamas, upon entering you must purchase a cruising permit, which is good for 12 months. This permit also includes a fishing license. From Noonsite:

"Entry fees must be paid by all visiting yachts and are as follows:
- $150 for all vessels under 35 feet
- $300 for vessels over 35 feet"

You may keep your vessel in the Bahamas up to three years, but must pay a $500 extension fee at the end of years 1 and 2 in order to remain

Finally, although no license is required for you to operate a boat, I strongly recommend that you sign up for any US Power Squadron or USCG Auxiliary courses offered in your area. They won't teach you how to sail, but they will help teach you the "rules of the road".

Good luck!

Sailing in the Gulf of Mexico and sailing in the Bahamas are significantly different types of sailing unless your just talking about taking the boat out for a sail occasionally. In the Bahamas your more of a cruiser than a live-aboard. True, you living on the boat in both situations but your location will probably vary more frequently cruising than in what most consider a more stagnant live-aboard. Some live-aboard never move from the slip... some actually can't!

What is it your looking for? Using the boat as a house or using it as a vehicle to get to new places or just as a sailing toy?

If your "Two Married Persons" means 4 people then a 36foot boat will get really small very quickly if all are not compatible and all have similar sailing interest. Any non preforming crew will soon become a problem for everyone. To some degree if your actually going to do serious cruising you will need to depend on the crew and a broken crew is a really bad thing that can occur quickly. While some things are very similar between boats and aircraft... the crew on a boat is far more active in most aspects and must be depended on at certain critical times.

RealityCheck said:

Sailing in the Gulf of Mexico and sailing in the Bahamas are significantly different types of sailing unless your just talking about taking the boat out for a sail occasionally. In the Bahamas your more of a cruiser than a live-aboard. True, you living on the boat in both situations but your location will probably vary more frequently cruising than in what most consider a more stagnant live-aboard. Some live-aboard never move from the slip... some actually can't!

What is it your looking for? Using the boat as a house or using it as a vehicle to get to new places or just as a sailing toy?

If your "Two Married Persons" means 4 people then a 36foot boat will get really small very quickly if all are not compatible and all have similar sailing interest. Any non preforming crew will soon become a problem for everyone. To some degree if your actually going to do serious cruising you will need to depend on the crew and a broken crew is a really bad thing that can occur quickly. While some things are very similar between boats and aircraft... the crew on a boat is far more active in most aspects and must be depended on at certain critical times.

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My wife and I for the most part. Mostly getting to other places. I like to visit different cultures and do not like the commercialized version. I am more of a get back to the less traveled parts. Help a local villager re-roof his hut for some bananas type of guy.

I do not believe that you will have to depend on crew if the boat is able to be sailed alone. This would mean that if you wanted to take your elderly father you would not be able to. If you went with your 3 year old grandson he is not really going to be any help either. What I think you can not do is take off depending on help and then not get it.

I have vacationed with my wife for 31 years or so now. I have learned to not expect any help but if I get it great. Some of the worst vacations were when I expected her to make some decisions and she didn't.

Not really a sailing toy, I plan on Bahamas, Gulf, Panama canal, up Pacific coast, Alaska, Up Mississippi, around Great lakes up and out through Canada. Atlantic maybe over to UK. I had planned a flight from Canada, to Greenland and over to the UK. Fuel is getting too expensive now to do it.

I am looking at this more like the older couple that buys a motorhome and travels around the US. My US is just a little bigger.

Dan

please also consider that should anything happen to you while you are at sea if she has no basic knowledge you will both be in a pickle. possibly a fatal one.

Even if your experience leads you to believe your wife will not ever be "crew" it would perhaps make sense for her to be a knowledgeable trained passenger so in the event she needs to get outta the deck chair and get yer bottom back to port she can.

Additionally her mind set might be a bit different cruising than vacationing. It might not, but the possibility exists that she may experience cruising less as a vacation and more as a lifestyle, in which case her "I am on vacation, don't ask me to do anything" might turn into "I am bored with sitting around, what can I put my hand to around here?"

Besides, sailing is fun. She likes fun doesn't she?

sarafinadh said:

please also consider that should anything happen to you while you are at sea if she has no basic knowledge you will both be in a pickle. possibly a fatal one.

Even if your experience leads you to believe your wife will not ever be "crew" it would perhaps make sense for her to be a knowledgeable trained passenger so in the event she needs to get outta the deck chair and get yer bottom back to port she can.

Additionally her mind set might be a bit different cruising than vacationing. It might not, but the possibility exists that she may experience cruising less as a vacation and more as a lifestyle, in which case her "I am on vacation, don't ask me to do anything" might turn into "I am bored with sitting around, what can I put my hand to around here?"

Besides, sailing is fun. She likes fun doesn't she?

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I did not say she did not want to crew, I said she would not be able to. The funny thing is she is rather athletic for a girl. We golf and play tennis, she is able to play softball and bowl. She just does not have that ability to think or do. It also is not a case of me not wanting her to learn. I am a very good teacher. I have each of the passengers that sit in the right seat learn to fly the plane for the first 1/2 hr. She would learn to control the boat just as she has learned to control the plane. The problem is that when the Shxx hits the fan all that learning goes south in a hand basket. You know that feeling when you know how to drive and have been driving for years, then when that truck comes out of nowhere you just cover your eyes and hope for the best. Have you ever been on a trip and said just stay on this road, then woke up two ours later and found you were going in the wrong direction.

Also she is not stupid she is a nurse. She can learn anything from a book, she just cannot apply it. I am not kidding when I say if I was hurt she would be the last person I would want to rely on for help. Even better she is the education coordinator at the hospital. We will be just fine, we have done this before. It is more self confidence than anything. I don't know what to do so I will just do nothing. Tell her what to do and she is fine. She does not need a certificate to do that. I have done some sailing and it is not that different than flying. Neither one is all that hard, it is more reliant on decisions than anything. Yes skill makes you a better sailor just as skill makes you a better pilot. If you do not have the decision skills you will not last long at either. Many a skilled pilot has hit the ground because of bad decisions.

Dan

Agree with saildork, the wife should take a few courses with out the Husband in this case for sure.

Cobra160, I do get a very strong feeling that you are describing yourself as what many of us see as the more typical vacation charter person. The guy in total command and always at the helm while other thought to be lesser (but typically more difficult and critical) duties are passed on to the underlings with generally lots of shouting and hurt feeling occurring along the way. Hope this is not true.....

We often see women on boats who are very capable of being capable crew mates but are subjugated by others for various reasons. We also see these "incapable" crew mates excel once out from under the direct control of the husbands who often don't have any idea they are doing the over control AKA Captain Bligh role.

Of the thousands of post I've seen, I fear you will not have a fair shot at a great experience until you ... shall we say "learn" to depend on your crew. In this specific area, the difference between flying (hours)and sailing a boat for extended periods (days/Weeks/ Months) is totally different. While many people do single hand, it is different when others are aboard and not bringing all crew members into you circle of trust and providing training for them is a safety risk for them, the boat and yourself.... if you get my drift!

RealityCheck said:

Agree with saildork, the wife should take a few courses with out the Husband in this case for sure.

Cobra160, I do get a very strong feeling that you are describing yourself as what many of us see as the more typical vacation charter person. The guy in total command and always at the helm while other thought to be lesser (but typically more difficult and critical) duties are passed on to the underlings with generally lots of shouting and hurt feeling occurring along the way. Hope this is not true.....

We often see women on boats who are very capable of being capable crew mates but are subjugated by others for various reasons. We also see these "incapable" crew mates excel once out from under the direct control of the husbands who often don't have any idea they are doing the over control AKA Captain Bligh role.

Of the thousands of post I've seen, I fear you will not have a fair shot at a great experience until you ... shall we say "learn" to depend on your crew. In this specific area, the difference between flying (hours)and sailing a boat for extended periods (days/Weeks/ Months) is totally different. While many people do single hand, it is different when others are aboard and not bringing all crew members into you circle of trust and providing training for them is a safety risk for them, the boat and yourself.... if you get my drift!

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Thank you for all the help, I do however think that after 30 years of marriage I know my wife better than you do. Especially since you have never met her.

I have gone through training with her as a ski patroller (This is an EMT on the hill) so to speak. I passed first time with out so much as a hiccup. I helped her through the next two years (Lots of crying on her part). As a husband I thought they were too hard on her, but others seethings that I did not. indecision was more than likely one of them. She went through flight ground school with my daughter and had a good time at that but again that is book work. Not a problem for her at all. Many have said before that the husband should not teach the wife. Yet I know my wife better than someone else and can teach her far better than some stranger. I instruct for flying, golf, skiing, snowboarding, and many other things that people would like to learn to do. I have taught her how to do many things. You are still under the assumption that she even wants to learn (Or take the class). We were going to take diving lessons while in Hawaii but she decided at the last minute that she would not be able to pass and we had to drop the plans.

Believe me when I say I do not want to do this for a vacation. I would much rather sell everything I own and live where the wind blows me. I know to you I sound conceded. I will tell you a little story so as maybe to help.

I was coming off back surgery and needed some help or something. Something medical I think it was. My daughter (really my daughter in law but after my son died we adopted her as she had no other family) was over to her friends house. I had called over to talk to her and the friend just suggested that I ask Cindy (Wife) I laughed and said yeah right. The friend was about to say "that was not nice" until my daughter said the same thing.
Some people just do not have the ability or desire to learn certain things. This is a nurse that if you ask her what to do in an emergency situation or just general medical situation will say "Don't ask me".

I know to you I sound like a blow hard but you do not know me or my wife. I think a benefit of doubt is in order. At least until you get to know me.

If I had to describe my self so someone would understand me it would be; I would live up in Alaska on a uninhabited lake in a cabin I built. I would do this with little or no supplies. Just the tools I would need to survive. I would be happy doing this. If I would describe Cindy a tent would not be her first choice, Cancun would top her list, condo on the beach. Not just sitting around though, she is very active. Tennis, golf, volley ball, dancing. Sitting around she does not do. She is just not the person that is going to grab the sheet in an emergency. She will just sit there and look at it. If you tell her to grab it she will. She is not the person who will get out of the car and help at a car accident, she will call 911 though. As long as she does not have to make any decisions she is fine. I can plan a whole trip and as long as I have fun things for her to do we will be fine.

You are right about one thing I am a control person. Everyone was shocked when I got my pilots license. They all thought I was afraid to fly because I did not. I said I was not afraid to fly, I was afraid to have someone else fly me. This is why we get along so well, I like to control and she does not. Something as simple as calling the taxi after we land while I'm securing the plane. It will not happen.

Those typical lesser duties like cooking and cleaning will be done by me. (Hold this heading while I go make us some supper).

One last thing, I am not telling her she cannot take lessons she just will not. She will love to go along while I take lessons though.

Dan

Dan,

Appreciate your response and the history. I share your dream of sailing/cruising as a lifestyle, living on the boat, visiting new and different places.... It can be idyllic, I'm sure. And I give you the benefit of the doubt on knowing your wife. I did not want to imply otherwise.

Reading through your posts, I can tell that the cruising life is your dream, but I can't tell if it is Cindy's dream. Is she committed to this idea or is she going along without knowing what it will really mean to go out on the big blue in a small boat? Or is she resistant to the idea?

If you sail off by yourself, at least you only have you and the boat to worry about. With a non-participating passenger, you are now responsible for all 3 of you. And if one of you becomes unable to function, you could be in serious trouble. If she goes along for the ride, but doesn't really want to be there, any problems (relationally, physically, technically, any) will be magnified tremendously just by the fact that you are out there, surrounded by water, 24/7, with the nearest land being directly below your boat. I wouldn't want anyone to be in that situation.

I don't know... it just sounds to me like your plan has a high probability of failure, and a low probability of success as currently envisioned. Just my opinion.

Pat

10 hours, and that's when things are favorable. I usually make it in 6 hours, but I sail a completely different beast just as MMR does. Last summer it took 17, because things were not favorable, and it wasn't an easy trip. Guest were puking, and thinking htey would die!

It's possible you need to charter with a captain, and tell him you want to sail in some snot. Do this for a week, and see how the plans may, or may not change. Get on a delivery going the wrong way at the wrong time of year.

You haven't mentioned a thing about any sailing experience. I don't think you have one wee bit of an idea what you are up against. Do you fly through tornadoes? I think not, but at times you are obliged to sail through them. You probably fly over, or around storms? You mention sailing through the canal, and up to Alaska. You may very well be sailing in storms lasting days.

You need a serious reality check. You need to humble yourself just a wee bit, and take some lessons. Just because you can fly. That doesn't mean you can sail. Keep us posted on your progress. It's not the first time we on the forums have read this kind of strategy. Unfortunately these are usually the ones picked up by freighters, because they want to go home......i2f