Sailing Partners

[Norm]

This is a trip I would like to make.

Actually, at this point, almost any big trip would be one I would like to make.  The whole work thing is getting old and I'm not sure I'm up to waiting another 30 years to retire.  I wonder what the wife would do if I told her I was quiting my job and taking off sailing for a few months?

<shudder>

Best not think too long along those lines...

{Edit by Captain Smollett:  This thread split from this post by s/v Godot in the Newport to Bermuda Thread}

s/v godot
I tried the "hi honey, let's buy a boat, pack up the kids and go to sea" thing with W1.  Ouch.

The book Changing Courses addresses the issue pretty well.  read it and leave it somewhere for the good woman to "find."

My mom and dad married because they both wanted to take their family to sea.  Lucky me.  M&D were in their late 30s when we got the boat and took off.  After the trip: Cape Cod>Bahamas>Cape Cod>South Florida we settled down to a different and richer life than we had on the Cape.  I hear that that happens more often than not.  It does take two make it work.

Buck up, sport...

[CharlieJ]

LOL- I KNOW what my wife would say ;D

I can hear her now-

"HOT D*MN!!!!! When are we leaving and how long will we be gone so I can buy food"

;D ;D

She took a part time job so we can pay off bills at a faster rate- should be debt free by August, then we get the boat ready.

The plan is cruise 4, 5 months or so, then come home and work a bit. Either sail back or leave the boat where ever.  She is having trouble waiting!!

[AdriftAtSea]

I'd second Norm's recommendation on the book, Changing Course.  The trick is that you really need to read it first... That way you have more answers for when the questions come up.  I've given it to  a few friends for them the use... we'll see how successful it is.  :D

[Godot]

Unfortunately, while my wife has many, many great features, she is highly risk adverse.  She gets nervous when the boat heels more than ten degrees or the wind blows more than ten knots.  She gets uneasy when more than half a mile from land (an improvement, btw) and the thought of going out of site of land makes her turn white.  She has a tendency toward sea sickness.  In short, Allison is a beautiful, talented, wonderful person; but she ain't no sailor. 

Not to mention the fact that the idea of more money coming out of the bank account instead of going in over even a single month stresses her out to the point where relaxation is out of the question (our honeymoon to London was often interrupted by the "we can't afford it" and "but I saved up money JUST for this trip" arguments).

So I am internally conflicted by my desire to sail into the sunset (or, being as I'm on the east coast, I guess sailing into the sunrise makes more sense) and my desire not to go anywhere without Ally.  End result: As much Chesapeake sailing as I can fit in.  Although maybe some day I can take a couple of weeks off and do the trip to Bermuda on someone else's boat. 

[Captain Smollett]

Unfortunately, while my wife has many, many great features, she is highly risk adverse.  She gets nervous when the boat heels more than ten degrees or the wind blows more than ten knots.  She gets uneasy when more than half a mile from land (an improvement, btw) and the thought of going out of site of land makes her turn white.  She has a tendency toward sea sickness.  In short, Allison is a beautiful, talented, wonderful person; but she ain't no sailor. 

Two words: coast hopping.  Best of both worlds?  There is an incredible LOT amount of stuff to see and experience along the coasts of the America's.  Man, you could spend weeks in Maine alone, or Georgia, and feel rushed.  Lots of history and local culture.

The idea of going cruising without my wife has come up in our conversations; I told I'd sure want her with me.  We are working out the parameters of where, when and how.  There's compromise in everything, if the desire to do so is there.  If I had to spend the rest of my "sailing career" coast hopping, and even limited to the E. Coast of the US, I'd be happy.

[AdriftAtSea]

Unfortunately, while my wife has many, many great features, she is highly risk adverse.  She gets nervous when the boat heels more than ten degrees or the wind blows more than ten knots.  She gets uneasy when more than half a mile from land (an improvement, btw) and the thought of going out of site of land makes her turn white.  She has a tendency toward sea sickness.  In short, Allison is a beautiful, talented, wonderful person; but she ain't no sailor. 

Not to mention the fact that the idea of more money coming out of the bank account instead of going in over even a single month stresses her out to the point where relaxation is out of the question (our honeymoon to London was often interrupted by the "we can't afford it" and "but I saved up money JUST for this trip" arguments).

So I am internally conflicted by my desire to sail into the sunset (or, being as I'm on the east coast, I guess sailing into the sunrise makes more sense) and my desire not to go anywhere without Ally.  End result: As much Chesapeake sailing as I can fit in.  Although maybe some day I can take a couple of weeks off and do the trip to Bermuda on someone else's boat. 

Well, the heeling problem is relatively easy to fix... get a multihull.... :D  Other than that, I'd say you have your priorities about right. 

[Godot]

Well, the heeling problem is relatively easy to fix... get a multihull.... :D  Other than that, I'd say you have your priorities about right. 

Not out of the question some day.  Actually, a multihull would probably suit Allison much better.  Although, due to the drastically lower availability of multi's, higher costs, and the difficulty in finding berth space, this would be well in the future.  It would have to be one of those everything comes together at the right moment things.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Well, the heeling problem is relatively easy to fix... get a multihull.... :D  Other than that, I'd say you have your priorities about right. 

Not out of the question some day.  Actually, a multihull would probably suit Allison much better.  Although, due to the drastically lower availability of multi's, higher costs, and the difficulty in finding berth space, this would be well in the future.  It would have to be one of those everything comes together at the right moment things.

Not to encourage anyone to go over to "the dark side"  ;D, but not sure if these are well known in the States. I was quite tempted myself at one stage a few years back.

Horondelle 23




A couple appear for sale in the States, but a load sold in the UK market. I think they are about the cheapest Cat with usable accomadation on the S/h market over here - up to around £10k / USD20k, seems about ballpark for a good one - although I recall seeing them for sale for half this over here.

http://www.hirondelle-association.org/market_place.htm

http://www.multihulls.uk.com/gbrokerage/hir_1097.htm

And they seem to get around a bit............

(and go on, someone tell me they sold a 1 million of these in the States!)

[AdriftAtSea]

Perro-

Exactly what is wrong with a multihulll?  It's not the dark side... it's an alternative sailing style. :D

[David_Old_Jersey]

Perro-

Exactly what is wrong with a multihulll?  It's not the dark side... it's an alternative sailing style. :D

Actually something like a Hirondelle or even a fast Tri would make perfect sense for the next few years, but for right or wrong I have already made the (financial) decision on a boat that I hope will "see me out" and will gear her up accordingly.

[Norm]

good morning all:
One of the fun things about a thread here is the places it takes us.  From the original premis of an A30 voyaging to the Caribbean via Bermuda to a non sailing wife to multi-hulls in the Bahamas.

A couple of thoughts:  The Caribbean via Bermuda/open ocean is very differnt from coast hopping.  Principally, the ocean leg includes on short rough portion, NE to Bermuda area, and then a long quiet reach to the tropical islands.  The transit-excluding Bermuda- is on the order of 12 to 15 days.  Coast hopping is much, much longer in terms of time and distance.  It is also all upwind.  One has to decide, is IT the journey or the destination.  (yeah, it is a "life" question, too.)

On training one's non-sailing spouse:  There are two proven-good approaches.
A... nothing goes to windward like a 747.
B... sailing school. 

I'm not pitching any sailing school in particular.  In as much as I have been teaching adults since 1985, I say with certainty, "sailing schools have turned many non-sailng spouses in to voyaging spouses."  It is a process.  There are many small discrete steps, none requires a leap of faith.  Ask Elizabeth/cubemonkey.  Two years ago, she was afraid to walk down the dock!

Meanwhile, in Boston, the sun is bright.  A new coat of snow is sparkling on the landscape.  Folks are getting their frostbite racers rigged for an afternoon of sailing on the harbor.  Us?  We're putting another log on the fire!
norm

[CharlieJ]

The DARK side?????  ;D

Her'es my Cross 35 in the process of being launched for the first time-




And here she is sailing offshore in the Atlantic-



In three years of living aboard, we never had a serious problem finding a place to tie up. Of course, the yacht was only in a slip on one occasion, and for almost a year we didn't ever touch a dock, but still little trouble.

I'd go back to a trimaran in a heartbeat if I could find a good one at a price I could afford.

But the GOOD ones are expensive- they have to be- they have to be built stronger and rigged more heavily than a mono hull, and STILL have to be light. If they aren't light, they aren't worth much.

[Zen]

Drool ... :P