so yeah I have this crazy life long dream to sail around the world so how do you know what routes to take??I know i'd be going through the Panama Canal.. are there books that tell you about the different routes and all or what?? then I'm sure it would be helpful to have some kinda chart plotter maybe it is called to help guide you around the world so yeah what books or website do I need to go to and read to learn about all this?? I don't even know how many books I've orderd already from Amazon to start my life long journey of reading and preparing for my dream.
Thanks a bunch
Chris
Well, "Ocean Passages for the World" would be one. There are a multitude of other books around with descriptions of routes, etc. Google "Ocean Cruising Guides" for a whole stack of them.
Look into Pilot Charts also- those can be found online. They show weather patterns for various times of year all around the world, with winds and percentages of storms.
Then you'll need to look into the Coast Pilots. They are available online also
Google by those names, Pilot Charts and Coast Pilots, and you'll find sites.
I wouldn't recommend relying on a chart plotter alone, but I guess if you carry several spares you'd be ok. Best to learn Celestial for long distance passage making. Charts are only really needed near shore- offshore you use plotting sheets mostly anyway.
Planning to go through the canal, you best not have a schedule. I understand the wait these days for a yacht to transit is , or can be, several months. Getting expensive too. Might wind up being cheaper to truck a boat across someplace else ;D
Thanks for the info I'll have to read tomorrow I gotta get some sleep and the panama canal I'll worry about in a few year when I get there LOL Thanks for the info goodnight.
Chris
is there a certain ocean passage book because amazon has like I don't even know how many??
Chris
A good standby for routes is Jimmy Cornell's World Cruising Routes.
Also,
Read other peoples circumnavigation stories (There are tons of online stories and blogs recounting circumnavigations, as well as books).
They all pretty well detail the route they took, and you get the benefit of their experience along that specific route.
And check out your local library, it took me a while to figure out I could read most of the books I wanted to for free, I still buy the ones I can't find at the library, and if I find one I would like to keep for reference or future reading I buy it. But for the most part, the library has kept me pretty busy this past year.
Also, for those who haven't discovered it yet, there is the "inter-Library " loan system. You fill out a form on the book you want, they find it in whatever library, and send it to you. You usually have 4 weeks til it's due and can renew once if no-one else wants the book.
I've never struck out, and I've gotten sailing books from some amazing libraries- like one on cruising multihulls from a library in Kansas ;D
Thanks guys thanks alot. Library hmmm I haven't seen one of them sice I was about 10 LOL dam thats pretty bad. I had to think a minute where is the closest to me LOL I usually read online about most things. Yeah I am starting to learn about these Blogs and other people stories. Been following Zac Sunderland and will probally email him sometime and ask about how he liked his route.
I'm hoping in about 3 years I can do this my only concern is well I don't have the experience and the only way to do it is to get a boat and get some experience. What are your thoughts on this? I mean I know not to just get a boat and go within a month that would be suicide I am the kinda person who likes to train and really prepare although things are gonna happen out there that you can't control.
I guess I'll get to more reading to decide on how to prepare and when I feel I'm ready.
Thanks guys
Chris
chris, this is a whole new discussion by itself... but I think you've already answered your question.
Quote from: chris2998 on October 07, 2008, 08:50:04 PM
I'm hoping in about 3 years I can do this my only concern is well I don't have the experience and the only way to do it is to get a boat and get some experience.
I am in the same situation. I have no prior sailing experience, (and no boat) yet here I am planning to sail around the world within the next few years.
For me, I know myself well enough... I know I can get a good foundation in sailing fundamentals and then take it from there on my own, With the help of reading, asking alot of questions, and just plain figuring it out.
Specifically, I am spending the next two years, saving for the boat, learning fundamental sailing skills I need, and studying as much as I can. Once I get the boat, it will still be another year minimum, more likely 2 years, before I actually set sail. And even then, I don't think it will be on a planned circumnavigation. I intend to 'test the waters' in the Bahama's and 'move up' to the caribbean and south america, knowing eventually I will take the plunge across the pacific. This is all mostly due to my financial situation. My plan is to spend the first year of my Cruising Life close to home, more than likely I will be out of money within a year and can come back to replenish the kitty and think about how it all really went.
QuoteI guess I'll get to more reading to decide on how to prepare and when I feel I'm ready.
thats basicly it, just keep moving forward until your ready.
For myself, i find it best to make short term goals, they're easier to keep and you get a great sense of accomplishment when you meet them. So my first goal is to take basic sailing lessons when I get to OH, then my next goal will be to buy a dinghy or something, then I'll move on to the rest, one step at a time. In the end the 'plan' is still the same, but its much easier to stay focused this way. (For me)
hope that helps. atleast we know we aren't the only crazy ones out there!
Thanks dude yeah I say 3 years it could be more like 4 but I think I will be able to buy the boat in a year I have a good amount saved for the boat. I've really been reading alot on the southern cross, pacific seacraft which I have fallen in love with it's beauty but gosh still pretty high in price and I like the Ericson I like the layout out of there boats it can be a small boat but still feel big is which I like. I took some sailing lessons lessons like 2 summers ago been looking some to buy a sunfish boat to play around with on the lake near me. I know this is nothing like a 30 footer but it will still help with my skills. I'm a welder I really can't take alot of time off but to maybe take a couple of weeks of in a year and maybe sail around Louisiana and into the Gulf of Mexico some to build my confidence and skills. I wish I could take a year off and make the big plunge to the bahamas before I try sailing around the world but it just won't happen. When I have the boat and money saved I will be quiting my job for the circumnavigation hopefully it won't take anymore then two years to do it which I have to save for. From reading on this guys site who told me about this forum http://www.atomvoyages.com/ if you are conservative you can sail pretty cheaply it sounds like especially if you can do it by yourself. Check his website lots of great info on everything.
Chris
You need to get some experience BEFORE you get in too deep. Ever been off shore in a 30+ knt storm? 20 foot + seas?
Read this http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f55/offshore-sailor-needs-advice-20095.html and lots of other good stuff from this site. Lots of off shore experience here. I won't spoil the suspense by giving away the ending. But do read the entire thread...
Dreams are great and I obviously applaud your's as I'm a sailor. But the reality of a storm at sea can be a real dream buster. You should try real hard to get off shore in SOMEONE ELSES boat in a good storm. See how you feel and then realize what it will be like when all the decisions are your's and your's alone.
Best of luck with your dream. I'd go around west to east.
you're right dude I need experience there is no question about that and have thought about that paying to go for a week cruise somewhere or something. I can say I have been in 8ft seas on Lake Ponchatrain and it was some scary sh*t the lake being so shallow the waves are very pointy and steep and crew didn't have a clue we should have reefed but we didn't one lesson learned there. I understand that it isn't gonna be all honky dory there is gonna be some hellish times out there
but will take your advise and try and experience some ruffer weather.
Chris
These posts bring up an interesting issue. Is there someplace we can go in cyberspace to pick up crewmembers who need experience sailing? I may well be taking a boat from Seattle to Panama and up to Florida in the next year. Eager learners would be welcome as deck hands.... But I would not want just anyone- abandoning ship would not be optional (except at port) :o, but fighting the weather, although not looked for, could happen. I have often thought that solo would be better than whinning or mutiny.
Just thinking....
I have looked at crewfinder and stuff but I don't know about going that rought it is dam tuff to find a good roomate on land but to do it on water ummmm nope unless I could spend a few weeks with them and learning about that person. as much as I'd like to find someone to get experience from reality is I'll be buying my own boat and working my way up
I think one of the best ways to find good crew is word of mouth from sailors you trust the judgement of. Finding them off of the internet or bulletin boards is a bit too unreliable IMHO. Building a list of people that you can draw on as crew is a good thing.
Using crew finding sites to find a good crew is not a so bad idea and if not the best way, a fairly good one.
I found out that people who register themselves on those sites are really willing to sail, or learn and they also take a risk : signing on with a bad skipper on a wrong boat. The risks are equal both side, or should I say,
there is more risk for the crew because he or she may end up in a bad situation, somewhere if they have to leave the boat because of incompatibility. That can lead to very bizarre situations......not pleasant at all.. There is always a risk no matter even if your crew is the best friend you know from high school...or somebody else best friend or former best crew... if you have never sailed or be on a boat with this person, the experience may turn out to be a big mistake. A complete stranger can become your best friend, and your best friend can become a complete stranger after a few days at sea. I heard horror stories as much as good ones, you can only rely on your good judgment of character, and should try to put yourself in the crew shoes. The fact is you are sharing your little vital space with a stranger. As the owner it is your little world, as the skipper
you have the responsability of it and are in command, that can lead to some abuse of power and some skippers can be really .... (well you know what :o..). On the other hand the most common critic and the worst to bear I think is to have a crew who does not respect your stuff, who think he or she is better or can do better than the skipper. I often heard that it is better to have a complete inexperienced crew
but willing to learn that an experienced one who brags a little bit too much.
For most of people willing to be a crew, their best chance is those internet sites. Some are better than others, the rest is up to you to know how to filter informations and how to judge people, there is also a good part of luck and it requires a little time and effort, but the result can be really rewarding for the crew and the skipper.
I have little experience on this issue of 'finding crew' as I mostly either singlehand or sail with my family. I have taken quite a few folks for their first sail and have taken friends sailing, but hardly count those situations as 'crew.' That said, I do tell "guests" aboard my boats that they can participate as much or as little as they wish, and I will teach all I can in our time together if they are interesting in learning.
But as for actual 'crew,' folks aboard expressly for the purpose of helping sail the boat, I've only actually done that once and that was CapnK (and of course, I cannot discount Craig helping out as "pilot" in his home waters)!!
But here's my two cents on the topic. My opinions here are the result solely of reading many tales of OTHER'S experiences, but here I go.
It does not seem to matter too much how you actually MEET your new crew. Internet, word of mouth, etc, all methods seem to produce both good and bad relationships. What seems to me to the be the way to go, though, is to daysail or overnight or some such with new crew as much as possible before committing longer term trips with them.
On a daysail you can learn pretty quickly their competence and compatibility and you are not too far from the dock if things don't work out. If prospective crew refuses to do short sails to 'prove' themselves to you, I'd say that's an indicator right there.
Finally, I think it best to approach the arrangement as business deal...with CLEARLY defined roles. "Too many chiefs" does not work well on a boat, and all too often, we hear/read stories of folks complaining because their role aboard was not specifically defined. Calling someone "crew" is insufficient...they need to know what their job is, what the watch schedule will be, etc. And the skipper is not always the most experienced person aboard, but he IS in charge - the buck stops with him and he bears the responsibility.
By the way, I'd sail again with Kurt or Craig without a second's thought.
If you'll be sailing overseas with crew you don't know very well, or even touching in a foreign port, make sure you (the Captain) hold your crews' passports, and also either return airline tickets or enough $$ to buy them from your destination (unless you agree beforehand to fly them home). If a crew member jumps ship overseas before you had planned, YOU may be responsible for their repatriation! >:(
As usual, the discussions in this group tend to be good. I agree with prior sailing and getting to know the crew. What payment do you usually offer? The chance for bluewater? Of course. But how about $$ when you arrive at your destination, but none before?
And for those of you that have done some serious bluewater work, how many crew are ideal? 3, 4? I think most of our boats would be too crowded with that many, but with the 40 footer that I am delivering 4 may just right.
Finally-repatriation law- does that apply to pleasure boats? And what is it? :o
For a 40' boat with 4 comfy berths, 4 is perfect. 3 is doable, but the watch splits are better with 4. Three hours on and nine off are a nice pattern to fall into, and everyone gets a decent chunk of time to sleep, resulting in more efficient crew when on watch. I sailed Miami-Mallorca as crew on a boat with 4 (44'). It was a nice, relaxed, comfortable ride with all crew in a generally good mood (when not seasick, we had one neophyte who took a while to adjust to the motion :-X) despite the storms encountered. I sailed Bahamas - Newport non-stop on a boat with 3 (36'). We encountered a similar ratio of storms, and weathered them in a much more tense atmosphere, and with excessive napping upon reaching port.
I find it amusing to be advocating more crew on a forum which I was so happy to find for it's 'small' attitude, but I do believe that (especially on a delivery!) the crew should fit the boat. While 4 would be crowded on most of the boats around here ;), it'll make a big difference on a rushed trip on a bigger boat.
When will you be heading out? (Do you have 2 months to find your crew and test them or 6 months?) Either way, good luck!
Quote from: Manannan on October 31, 2008, 10:57:04 AM
Using crew finding sites to find a good crew is not a so bad idea and if not the best way, a fairly good one.
I found out that people who register themselves on those sites are really willing to sail, or learn and they also take a risk : signing on with a bad skipper on a wrong boat. The risks are equal both side, or should I say,
there is more risk for the crew because he or she may end up in a bad situation, somewhere if they have to leave the boat because of incompatibility. That can lead to very bizarre situations......not pleasant at all.. There is always a risk no matter even if your crew is the best friend you know from high school...or somebody else best friend or former best crew... if you have never sailed or be on a boat with this person, the experience may turn out to be a big mistake. A complete stranger can become your best friend, and your best friend can become a complete stranger after a few days at sea. I heard horror stories as much as good ones, you can only rely on your good judgment of character, and should try to put yourself in the crew shoes. The fact is you are sharing your little vital space with a stranger. As the owner it is your little world, as the skipper
you have the responsability of it and are in command, that can lead to some abuse of power and some skippers can be really .... (well you know what :o..). On the other hand the most common critic and the worst to bear I think is to have a crew who does not respect your stuff, who think he or she is better or can do better than the skipper. I often heard that it is better to have a complete inexperienced crew
but willing to learn that an experienced one who brags a little bit too much.
For most of people willing to be a crew, their best chance is those internet sites. Some are better than others, the rest is up to you to know how to filter informations and how to judge people, there is also a good part of luck and it requires a little time and effort, but the result can be really rewarding for the crew and the skipper.
good write up, I have no experience other then some sailing lessons and going out a couple of times on someone else 35 footer which I must say one time was very scary the crew and captain I was with had no freaking clue it was to much boat for them and even though saying a while ago I wanted a 35 footer since I have rethought that it is for sure to much boat for me having a 35 footer but a 31 I think I could learn to handle easily on my own or with one other crew member. I just don't think I could go the whole route crewing on someone elses boat long term anyway if it was it would have to be a weekend but not sure even about that. I like being in control of my own life after the few times I've been on other peoples boat wheather it be fishing or sailing
Chris
Saying "I want to sail around the world" isn't good enough.
There are just too many variables which aren't defined to give any help. The second most important thing is time - are you going sailing for the rest of your life? is this just until the cruising kitty is empty? do you have a specific time limit, like a 2-year or 3-year sabbatical?
The most important thing is your boat, because that will limit how fast you can go and how long you can stay out on any one passage.
The usual trade winds route is exactly what you think it is: move into the trades regions, usually the northern hemisphere side, and slide along down wind from east to west. The primary planning goals are to maximize good sailing weather and minimize exposure to severe weather. Destinations are not primary goals, not on a circ. The usual route will not include Japan, for example, because it is difficult to avoid exposure to typhoon season while also getting there with the favorable monsoon.
If you have a time limit on this particular cruise, you will quickly find that you also have a departure time of year. If you need to be back in 3 years, then you have to be in certain waters at certain times to either catch the good weather or avoid the bad weather, and that will mean leaving early enough from your starting point but not too early. For me, on the left coast of Canada, I need to leave mid August but not later than mid September to get to southern California waters, but I mustn't leave those for Sea of Cortez before end of November... and so on.
I could probally be gone for 2 years and I will probally have to just quit my job to do this but I'm gonna do it,
Good points, Amgine - Grog!
When I hear people claiming they will sail around the world in 2 or 3 years, or when I hear of people who did it, sorry, I am not impressed. What is the point ? For a lot of people it is the thing to do, I guess it sounds good on a resume. The important thing is why you do it, and what you will learn from it. If it is to voyage, to know your fellow earth citizens, forget it, it is too short, beside you have to go on the ''highways'' of the seas, passing through, avoiding the most interesting places. So forget a circumnavigation if you have a time limit, any time limit. Oh yes, you can do it, but what for, to do seminars and telling about your experience, write a book about it, get published in Cruising World.? ::)... No, take your time, enjoy, take all the opportunities to know a place, the people, their culture. But that is up to everybody, and again, sailing around the world is more than swallowing miles after miles against time and seasons, it is a human experience, a unique experience even if the world seemed to have shrunk with all the modern technology. There is no shame to have sailed for 25 years, and not yet have completing a circumnavigation. Forget the ''usual routes'', the gathering of the sheep.. No, sailing around the world is not good enough, not good enough to enjoy the world...
so what are yall saying wait till retirement and I could keel over and die and won't get my dream? yeah I uderstand take you're time and all and yes I'd like to. If I can figure out how much it will cost me a month to live which I don't think I'll be spending over a gran I hope because I am not a person who lves the whole rockstar lifestyle then hopefully I can spend more then two years out there, gotta figure in repairs for the boat how much I need to setup aside just for them. I am not 100% sure where or what rought I want to take. I know for sure I want to see Galoppogus islands, Fiji and Tahiti and Austraila, Madagascar for sure
Chris- I think the goal is just to get more from your experience. The old saying" If you don't know where your going anyplace will do" applies here. As for waiting- I don't think you need to. You can pick up a world cruiser for less than 20 k, and if you maintain everything and are resourceful about your needs... I think you can make your goals and achieve them. I think we are all on the same side here. :D
Chris,
Don't wait 'til retirement, but try to log some heavy-duty sea time (like Randy suggested) to make sure this is really what you want.
I'm 61, and I definitely waited too long. My "dream" now is to cross the Atlantic--but not in my 25-footer, although Cape Dory 25Ds have made the crossing.
Anyway, get some sea time, and that might be enough reward in itself.
Good luck!
--Joe
newt, I agree 200% yes I need experience I mean my goal is to leave in 3 and a half year now when this time comes and I don't feel like I am quite ready and have not done enough overnighters and short runs maybe down to Pensicola FL or whatever then I will postpone it a little longer. I will not do anything that will kill myself and leave my family grieveing you know? but as the saying goes Sh*t does happen.
I have found a SC 31 for just over 20 gran but still think it would need a fare amount of work but I don't think it would be to bad. The bad thing it is pretty far away, found a westsail alot closer to me in much better shape but they want alot more so we will see what happens in a year from what I have saved up. I will not take a loan out on a boat not the way this economy is going. I mean I have a good job now but you never know. I would be happier if I could pay it all off and owe nothing on it, it's just the way I am. I see way to many young people doing crazy things with loans and there gonna loose there house if the economy keeps going like it is.
If just 'cruising' is your goal, there are plenty of ways to be a lifetime cruiser and enjoy your destinations and maybe even complete a circumnavigation in the process... But if circumnavigating is your goal, the story becomes very different.
There are plenty of reasons to do a 'fast' circumnavigation... calling any circumnavigation unimpressive is ridiculous, your goals may be different than other peoples, and a persons reasoning for circumnavigating and the things they may learn in the process, could very well be far more interesting than your reasoning for a langourous island hopping "adventure".
I'm just saying, not everybody's goals are the same.
And hopefully impressing people will not be the goal for anything any of us does.
I personally would prefer to take ten years to go around the world and visit every place I can for as long as I can.
But the unfortunate reality for some people is, money.
If your goal is to circumnavigate the globe, then you have to plan it according to your budget, period.
Hopefully you will get out there and find ways to make money, and spend more time than you imagined enjoying cultures and lifestyles that we all dream of... but you cannot 'plan' on that. You have to make do with what you have and just go for it.
Okay, that's quite do-able. Now if I knew where you plan to be departing from I can make suggestions about when you have to leave.
Because of your time frame you know you'll be limiting the number of possible side trips - but that's true whether you go for 3 years or 30. One of the benefits is you will likely know exactly which countries you will be stopping at, for how long, and when. This will make it easier to organize your paperwork for visas and permits.
If you're leaving from the east coast of North America, your departure time will likely be late November, heading for the Caribbean. You will want to transit the Panama Canal before March, and in the Marquesas before the end of April. Leave French Polynesia after Bastille Day, but before the end of July, en route eventually to Fiji. Cyclone season here is December to March, so you need to be in Vava'u, Pago Pago, or New Zealand. End year one.
There's some slush at this point in the schedule, especially since you may be coming from different places, but you probably want to be heading for the Torres Strait and the Indian Ocean in April; an earlier arrival gives the opportunity to cruise Indonesia if you have a permit. Crossing the Indian Ocean should be begun before the end of August, and made in large reasonably quick jumps with little dawdling. Again, the cyclone season begins in December, so departure from Mauritius to Durban should be started before the end of October. End year two.
The leg to Cape Town is best in January/February. Beyond the Cape of Good Hope you could sail direct for Brazil or the Lesser Antilles, and work your way up through the Caribbean and thence back to the USA, quickly for a 2.5 year cruise or waiting out the hurricane season and dashing north into winter for exactly 3 years. Another option would be to head from Cape Town to Azores, then to Europe remembering to be headed back to the Canaries in order to cross the Atlantic in late November; very little time in the EU but that may be just the right amount of time.
Much tighter, but still do-able.
Departing the east coast of North America, same basic route as previous, with a few timing changes and cutting some of the bad weather seasons a bit closer.
Leave early November, first week, sailing direct for the Virgin Islands. If you're going to skip most of the Caribbean, you have a bit more time and two possible routes: Bahamas and the Windward Passage, or the ICW, cut through Florida - after either sail direct to Panama, trying to transit in January. Again, arrive Marquesas end of March (Don't know if I made that clear before; end of March is end of cyclone season.) Fiji by July. Torres Strait by end of August. (These passages are timed to get the most of the trade wind strength, so hatfuls of wind, sometimes more than cruisers are really looking for but you will need the speed.) Big jumps into the Indian Ocean, with not much time in port. Depart Mauritius to Durban before the end of October. End of year one.
The last year of this cruise is identical to the previous one; basically you hurried across the South Pacific to get past the cyclone season instead of dawdling and sitting out a season.
From Durban to Cape Town is best January/February. From Cape of Good Hope you can sail direct to Brazil or head north to the Azores and on to Europe. If the latter, be sure to be back in the Canaries by November, so departing Gibraltar October.
You'll probably notice I have not mentioned a single timing for the Red Sea-Mediterranean route to Europe. At present and for the past several years that has been an unnecessarily risky route, and I cannot suggest it. But Cornell has time frames for it if you are interested in researching it.
yes i have Cornell's book which I need to kinda start thinking about when to leave and all. I figured I would leave from Louisiana after hurrcane season and head straight for the Panama canal and when I make it back to the caribean I would then hit up barbaods and all as I come back to Louisiana but who knows it's really all up in the air. I have lots of planning and figuring out how to avoid all these hurricane seasons
Ok may be I was a little harsh on my comment. :-\ I have been around people who took so much pride and were so arrogant because they had completed the circle in 2 years, that I started to get annoyed, especially when they asked me why haven't I completed one in 25 years of voyaging ! I have not because I got stuck several time trying to survive, make some money to be able to go on. And I do not regret because I have experienced more this way, living a few months to a few years in some foreign countries. (Not particularly langourous islands hopping....)Though, no doubt, if I had had the choice, I would have kept going and really stopped wherever I wanted and stayed where I wanted, trying to find more remote places, (I am not an island junky either...) But also I recommend caution, do not be too tight on a time schedule, it happened that I lost a boat this way.
If it has to be the experience of a life time, to my opinion it shouldn't be a race against time. On a tight budget, money can last a while, and it is always possible to keep going after a few little jobs on the way. But it is everyone choice, I do not argue there. And Chris, you will make you own choice, and you are in the right path by studying your route now and ask for some advices.
Quote from: Manannan on December 21, 2008, 03:35:47 AM
Ok may be I was a little harsh on my comment. :-\ I have been around people who took so much pride and were so arrogant because they had completed the circle in 2 years, that I started to get annoyed, especially when they asked me why haven't I completed one in 25 years of voyaging ! I have not because I got stuck several time trying to survive, make some money to be able to go on. And I do not regret because I have experienced more this way, living a few months to a few years in some foreign countries. (Not particularly langourous islands hopping....)Though, no doubt, if I had had the choice, I would have kept going and really stopped wherever I wanted and stayed where I wanted, trying to find more remote places, (I am not an island junky either...) But also I recommend caution, do not be too tight on a time schedule, it happened that I lost a boat this way.
If it has to be the experience of a life time, to my opinion it shouldn't be a race against time. On a tight budget, money can last a while, and it is always possible to keep going after a few little jobs on the way. But it is everyone choice, I do not argue there. And Chris, you will make you own choice, and you are in the right path by studying your route now and ask for some advices.
To me, thats exactly what I hope for as a cruiser/voyager. Every time you leave a place, you are heading into the unknown, an entirely new experience, with all the pitfalls, dangers, surprises, and spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits that come with it. Life++
25 years of voyaging is just that... I would never question why you hadn't completed a circumnavigation... maybe you should hang out with more sailfar type of folks :p
A planned circumnavigation is almost the exact opposite. Although there will be surprises and dangers and things, for the most part, you know exactly where your headed and what you will be doing when you get there. You will be fighting against time the whole way, etc.. etc.. But if you understand that, and still make it your goal, then you are the man to do it.
I think whatever anybody has planned is the right plan. Obviously the more you can budget/plan for the unexpected, the better. But I wouldn't let that stuff stop me from trying. Although, if it means saving up for an extra year to get a much fuller experience, I would recommend saving that year. If its a matter of 'years' then forget that, go now!
With some luck I will have 25 more years to complete my circumnavigation, may be it will be done in 2 or 3 years, that will leave me with another 20 years to go around again and go back to the places I really liked ;) since I have a passion for exploring on land too.
And find new ones you missed the first two or three times through. :)
Quote from: Manannan on December 21, 2008, 04:40:46 AM
With some luck I will have 25 more years to complete my circumnavigation, may be it will be done in 2 or 3 years, that will leave me with another 20 years to go around again and go back to the places I really liked ;) since I have a passion for exploring on land too.
I know of a kid whose family made two slow circumnavigations before he was 12. His goal when I talked with him (at age 24) was to finish college as an engineer so he can fix things while sailing to the places his family never went. At the time he was living aboard one sailboat and restoring another, building a cruising kitty working at a boat yard, and going to college full-time.
Not bad accomplishments, or goals. Finishing a circumnavigation is for quitters, neh? ::wink::
I have only been RTW once........by Jumbo Jet ;D
But spent a lot of time wandering around bits of the world (it's a big planet!) for extended periods over many years without a boat.
What I learnt (even though I knew beforehand) was that doing the constant travelling thing without a purpose just lost it's...er.....purpose :P
An aim to do a specific journey in a specific time (whether RTW by boat or to Timbucktoo by Motorbike) is not an acheivement to be sniffed at and plenty of enjoyable experiances along the way and interesting people met......but at the end of the trip you have finished. and therefore need to do something else, even if that be back to work to pay for it ;D or the next trip........which is great if that is the desire.
On the other hand ambling around the planet with maybe a vague aim for a RTW and enroute staying in places for extended periods has many plusses to recomend it - for me still plenty of enjoyable experiances to be had. but also you get a chance to develop freindships with folk - simply by being in the same place for long enough to do so (heck, I even married a local :P).
For me it is the people that make a place / experiance and for me that takes time........but the really grrrrrrrreat thing is that folk differ on that one 8), as well as on ambitions and dreams (which we get to change as many times as we want 8))........otherwise the world would be a rather dull place ;D