Where have ya been??????????

[Captain Smollett]

John (Solace),

Have you read Into the Light by Dave and Jaja Martin?

They wintered twice near the arctic circle (once in Iceland and once in Norway) aboard their boat.  With the diesel cabin heater, they stayed surprisingly warm aboard.

[AdriftAtSea]

Alvah Simon wrote about his stay above the Artic Circle on his steel sailboat in his book North to the Night.  A very good read.  :D

[Frank]

John...do you use a 'bubbler' ??

[Solace]

First questions first.

No I haven't read about people living in colder climates than myself. I have enough experience first hand. LOL I have listened to the Furled Sails Podcast interview of the couple who wrote Iceblink.

Yes, we bubble. We will likely put the bubblers in place even before the frameing - its just easier that way. The bubblers only run when the temps drop below freezing. You could keep them on but there's really no point. While it sounds exactly like you'd expect from outside the boat - like bubbles, its a different story inside the boat. It sounds like running water. None of us can lay in bed very long without having to jump up and pee. Sigh. Sorry if that was more information than you needed to know - but that's the reality of it. On really cold nights it is possible you need to run more than one heater. The mattress warmer is really necessary if you are snuggling into a vee berth. In fact I insulated mine with styrofoam 2 years ago. Too many times I had the electric blanket fronzen to the hull. You climb into bed to a shower of blue sparks and it sounded like seperating velcro. Scary stuff.

Cheers guys!

[Frank]

John..I'm not familiar with an 8.3 , so I just did a search...wow....BIG 27fter !! Lots of teak inside.

[AdriftAtSea]

LOL john... yes way too much information...but I get a very funny visual in my head of a line at the head... :D

[Norm]

This is a fun thread.  I hope many Sailfar's contribute.  Pixie... I reckon you are next up for providing stories.  Even the one's that are "nearly true," as Jimmy Buffett says, will be welcome reading to a winter bound NE sailor.

My quick contribution:  Lots of saling in big boats as a family cruise or professional. 

The fun times were on a racing Olson 30 sailing on Western Long Island Sound.  We had a good team and won lots of silver for the owner.  I singled handed the boat in one 40nm single-handed regatta and won.  Some time later, I had a ten year relationship with the owner of a J28.  She and I sailed that boat from CT to Annapolis to Boston and cruised to Maine several times.  Superb boat in every respect.

Small boats, under 30 ft, are way more fun to cruise than sales men at boatshows will ever let on.  I have the supporting data.  blah blah. 

Now I teach sailing on a C&C 38.  Before the sailing center got the C&C, we used J30s.  Imagine six adults on a J30 for a long weekend.  We had SO MUCH FUN!  The C&C 38 has made everything so formal.  (Dan/Adrift at Sea was on one of the trips and may make relevant comments about same... hey Dan?)

Future plans?  I'd like to modify a 27 Soling for long distance sailing in warm climates.  I have been thinking about such a project for some time.  It is hard in the sense that one must really simplify every operation.  It is a solo-guy plan.  Since Elizabeth has arrived in my life (happily)....  we are looking for a 30-35 footer for a long cruise after she retires in a few years. 

I have pretty much done the US East Coast, Bahamas, and Caribbean.  The result of cruising since 1958 with the family or as a professional.  I am intersted in the East Coast of South America.  Not much cruising reported from down there so it must be ready for exploration by this old Yankee.

Anyone been to So America?

Best, Norman

[Captain Smollett]

Anyone been to So America?

Hadn't been to S. America; the closest I've come was Grenada - wonderful country, wonderful people - which I guess is Caribbean.  I'm looking into longish stays in Honduras.  What specific areas of SA interest you?

[Norm]

The whole area from the Guayanas to Southern Argentina. 

I have been as far South as Tobago, as far West as puerto Rico.  Yes Grenada is stunning.  My favorite island is Barbados.  But that's a bit like choosing a favorite child.  I love the Caribbean/Lesser Antillies.

A co-worker went to Salvador Brazil, picked up a mini-transat boat (6.5 m = 21 ft sloop with water balast) after their regatta.  He sailed from there to Boston with intermediate stops.  He reports that it is very interesting. 

Norman

[CapnK]

I'm just getting to where I will have a good answer for this question, as regards journeying via this sailboat. Until the past few years, my "been" is mostly what has gotten me/us to this point in time...

I've sailed *lots* of ocean miles but haven't been too far on monohulls. Most of my miles are on beach cats, primarily Hobie 16's. I was a ride captain and instructor for 6 years, for 5 months of the year sailing most every day (and many nights, for pleasure) in all kinds of weather (lightning sux *more* when you are sitting out in the rain on a trampoline 4 feet from the stick, IMO ;) ). Once, in response to a question on another sailing board, I figured up my approximate miles, and it came out to *way* more than 20K - almost enough to have completed a straight-line circumnavigation (which would be hard to do ;D). Zoiks! I'd never realized that, it still astonishes me. I have learned, though, that you don't rack those miles up nearly as fast in a monohull. ;)

In between then and my first monohull I did way over a thousand miles of kayak touring (including 3 long trips of 125+, 350+, and 440+ miles respectively). I've also lived out of a backpack for several months while working, out in Hawaii. Both of these activities were, in some ways, more difficult than living aboard in my estimation, and were also oddly appropriate as "training". ;D When living aboard, you don't have to physically carry and/or propel all of your gear, you don't have to set up your 'home' every night, and there are creature comforts available that you just can't have when the space for them is measured in cubic inches. :)

It was 6 years ago that I finally made the transition to monohulls, when I bought my first boat capable of really overnighting and sailing offshore for somewhat-extended periods, a Com-Pac 23D. I sailed her exclusively offshore, spent some nights and a lot of weekends aboard. I sailed her locally and up the coast learning about what I liked or didn't like while I contemplated the ultimate goal of real far-offshore sailing, and what kind of boat would be best for that. Experience is a good teacher. :)

All of these experiences led me to my Ariel, "Katie Marie". Though I loved the CP23D, and though she was infinitely more comfortable than journeying by 'yak ;), she lacked several important attributes for what I plan to do - sail Far in a small boat. The Ariel has (or has the potential to have, when I get done making it so) everything I learned I needed from the Com-Pac.

I've had "Katie" for a year and a half, and so far have just sailed her in the Bay, but those experiences were telling enough that I know she's "right" for my purposes. Under sail, she performs even better than I expected. I have no doubts about her abilities in that department. So I've opted to go ahead with preparing her for offshore work, in lieu of more Bay sailing. Where I have "been" hasn't been very far in terms of miles, instead it has been planning and preparation for the offshore work I intend to do, for long-term traveling.

I knew from the CP that it takes a while to 'get used to' how to live aboard a boat, especially a small one like I prefer. I think that probably every boat is different, and that small boats also probably pose a bit more of a challenge to fully 'move into' than a larger boat. With the CP, for example, it was 2+ years before I had a good working storage plan, one that allowed all the different gear etc to find the places where it was stowed best for balance, accessibility, and frequency of use. Some of that experience transferred to when I moved aboard Katie full-time 1.5 years ago.

Seems like a long time, doesn't it? :) Well, it's not - instead, it's been just right. :D I've been very zen about it, and it has worked out great. ;D

It's taken me this long to come up with the design for the boat that will serve well for the travels that we will be undertaking, that'll have as much of what I personally rate as 'important' as possible, without becoming a ponderous beast. I've tried many many permutations of plans and ideas, keeping some, rejecting others, all the while still absorbing what I can from other folks who have 'been there, done that'. I've had fun and learned a lot from the folks here, and made some new friends via this site that maybe I'll meet out there on the water one day. Cool stuff like that which is also and all a part of The Journey which Katie and I are on. :)

So, we haven't "been" anywhere, much, but are well on the way to adding those kind of parts to our tale. :) I'll have her ready for offshore sailing come springtime. She'll be far from 'finished' ('finished enough', right?), but we can go start making lines on the chart, out there on the white parts. I imagine that'll be the start of our "been"s... :)




(Sorry for the long ramble, but it's a cool gray day outside, and I've been thinking about Frank's original question since he first posted it...  ::) 8) )

[Frank]

I started this almost 3 yrs ago with .... "Just curious...what trips have you taken?? ...what passages completed??...what distances offshore??....where have ya been??..on your own boat as skipper" .... We now have way more members...some from other countries. Thought it would be interesting to bring it back with this more diverse group.

[CharlieJ]

Haven't "been " much of any where since my first post, BUT-

Laura has been loading and provisioning Tehani for the last week or so, and plans to drop the lines Monday AM early, and head towards Galveston for a week or so single hand.

We have given up the slip as of then.

As soon as I finish the boat I'm wrapping up, and take care of some family business, I'll be joining her- then we will head eastward, slowly. Should be by August first at the latest.

Ultimately this fall to the Keys, then to the Bahamas, then who knows- where ever the mood strikes. But we'll be in "cruising mode" which means no time tables and no fixed plans

[Frank]

Grog to ya  ;D

[Zen]

Fair winds! and  grog! 8)

[jotruk]

CharlieJ heres grog to you and the hope that some day I'll be pulling lines and heading outward bound  May you have fair wind s and following seas

[s/v Faith]

Enjoy another grog!

  No feeling in the world like it!  Enjoy every minute of it CJ!  Look forward to following your progress!

[Tim]

Well I have grogged Laura,   ;) Charlie will get his when he gets on the water  ;D

I am truly happy (and envious ) for you both.

[Marc]

Well, I have'nt been anywhere with my boat yet, but I did make substantiol progress on her today and pics will follow whe it is daylight enough.  Marc

[geneWj]

 ;)Wherever U dream about going aboard a sailing vessel, I've been there!
did my first circumnavigation at the age of 11 aboard the Yankee with the Johnson's. Pitcairn Island the whole works.
Spent 2.3 yrs in the Sea of Cortez, Did the outback of the Bahamas in 1962 long before it was fashionable to cruise in a very small boat.  Went with Morgan Embroden and son, on First Born.  There is NOT a inch of the west coast of the usa I have not sailed or anchored.
Made a 92 day albacore trip which took us within 500 miles of the North Island of N.Z.  yes, I have spent some time at sea.  Still have the two boats capable of going anywhere my heart would desire to go.
Problem is wifey has lost her ability to balance and refuses to go aboard any boat now!  So I'm basically stuck on land, at least for now.!