Seeking advice for solo trip
DAls...@gmail.com
I'm considering undertaking a trip soon, and I wanted to see what
people's opinions are before I set out. If you'd prefer not to read my
whole post, here it is in a nutshell. I'm 26, in good shape, with
modest sailing ability. I plan to purchase a boat, between 22-27 feet
and sail along the coast of New England for about 1-2 months, hopping
from harbor to harbor. Is this sensible? Now to flesh it out a bit.
I consider myself of "modest" sailing ability. When I was in middle
school I sailed on a river in a day program for youths. It was not the
most intensive thing, but I did pass a test or two, and learn the
basics. Last summer I joined the Community Boating Program (CBI) in
Boston. I've sailed last summer, with a good amount of dedication, but
then this year, I've been going a great deal since April. The boats
I've been on have mostly been 15' centerboard Mercury's. There are
three basic ratings one can get for these boats, and I've gotten the
highest, which I'm pleased with. - Since then I've gone on to the
Rhodes 19, which I really like. I've since been rated for that boat as
well, and can now take other beginners out to teach them. Ratings
involve tacking/jibing, mooring, and man-overboard drills, while under
15-20kt winds.
In addition to that, I've read several books on sailing over the
winter, to which I owe my fast progress on the Charles. I realize the
Charles is NOT the ocean, however, experienced sailers do comment on
how frequent the wind shifts can be there, and how it's good practice.
I have never sailed on real, ocean water.
As for my plan itself, I intend to purchase a boat large enough
to live on, and store food/water, but no bigger than necessary. I put
that cap at 27 foot, assuming it's rigged for single handing. My plan
is to travel at first in very small hops. One harbor to the next
harbor, then moor/anchor for the night. After I build up more
experience I could take longer hops along the coast. I never intend to
be more than a few miles off the coast 1-3, perhaps 5 for carefully
planned spurts.
I've read about coastal navigation. I've also purchased a great
book of charts, which has maps of most every harbor in New England.
Supplementing that, I'd get a basic GPS, and plan out the next day's
trip each evening. I expect to stay each night in a harbor at either a
transient mooring, or anchorage.
So that's the gist of it. I don't want to go too long in this
post, but I've put a good amount of thought into safety systems, first
aid etc. A radio to keep watch on the weather, etc, etc.
Please look this over and get back to me. I don't know how crazy my
idea is. In some ways it seems sedate, but in others, I realize I
could be one simple mis-judgment away from death. Thanks again, your
response is very appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave
Nikki Locke
> I'm considering undertaking a trip soon, and I wanted to see what
> people's opinions are before I set out. If you'd prefer not to read my
> whole post, here it is in a nutshell. I'm 26, in good shape, with
> modest sailing ability. I plan to purchase a boat, between 22-27 feet
> and sail along the coast of New England for about 1-2 months, hopping
> from harbor to harbor. Is this sensible?
Go to school to learn about tides, navigation, collision regulations,
etc. It is all important stuff you should know before ocean sailing. You
can certainly learn enough to get by in about 10 evenings.
I don't know what the regulations are in the US, but you will probably
need some paperwork - check with the Coastguard. You should be able to
find reasonably priced short courses to get the necessary certificates.
--
Nikki Locke, Trumphurst Ltd. PC & Unix consultancy & programming
nikki@<remove the "no.spam.please." to reply>trumphurst.com
http://www.trumphurst.com/
dougk...@yahoo.com
> > people's opinions are before I set out. If you'd prefer not to read my
> > whole post, here it is in a nutshell. I'm 26, in good shape, with
> > modest sailing ability. I plan to purchase a boat, between 22-27 feet
> > and sail along the coast of New England for about 1-2 months, hopping
> > from harbor to harbor. Is this sensible?
>
Heck yeah!
Nikki Locke wrote:
> Go to school to learn about tides, navigation, collision regulations,
> etc. It is all important stuff you should know before ocean sailing.
I'm familiar with the Boston Community Sailing program... and if he
paid attention at all (assuming they haven't dramatically lowered
their standards in the few years since I've been up there) then he's
already got a working familiarity with the basics here.
>
> I don't know what the regulations are in the US, but you will probably
> need some paperwork - check with the Coastguard. You should be able to
> find reasonably priced short courses to get the necessary certificates.
>
None needed. It may sounds strange, but here in the USA there is no
license needed to operate your own boat... the only qualification
needed is to be able to pay for it (or have a good enough credit
rating).
A little advice on the original topic... when doing your homework
planning the next day's voyage DO plot out the tides & currents. Do
make note of weather reporting stations so you can jot down conditions
at each as they are reported. The biggest difference between sailing
around a sheltered area for a few hours, and making day-long coastal
hops, is that the weather is more likely to give you a tossing.
About choosing a boat... the suitability of the basic design is the
first priority. Condition of the boat and/or cost of needed repairs/
refit/upgrades is the second. A boat that has been well-maintainted
and comes well equipped, at a somewhat higher price, will definitely
be a better bargain than a cheaper boat that "just needs some TLC."
The more leg-work you're willing to do, the more likely you are to
come up with a really good boat. Don't focus on electronic gizmos,
either. A reliable VHF radio is necessary. A nice autopilot (as
Horvath suggested) would be better than the fanciest GPS &
chartplotter. An AIS would be one of my picks for electronic helpers,
especially in an area (like Boston) that has a lot of commercial
traffic).
Sounds to me like a good plan, wish you luck and hoping to hear about
your future adventures!
Fresh Breezes- Doug King
Nikki Locke
> > Go to school to learn about tides, navigation, collision regulations,
> > etc. It is all important stuff you should know before ocean sailing.
>
> I'm familiar with the Boston Community Sailing program... and if he
> paid attention at all (assuming they haven't dramatically lowered
> their standards in the few years since I've been up there) then he's
> already got a working familiarity with the basics here.
Oh, good. I was not sure if he had sailed in proper tidal waters, or just
river/lake sailing.
> > I don't know what the regulations are in the US, but you will probably
> > need some paperwork - check with the Coastguard. You should be able to
> > find reasonably priced short courses to get the necessary certificates.
> >
>
> None needed. It may sounds strange, but here in the USA there is no
> license needed to operate your own boat... the only qualification
> needed is to be able to pay for it (or have a good enough credit
> rating).
It is the same here in the UK. Oddly enough, though, you need a licence
to operate a marine VHF. Hopefully the Boston Community Sailing program
also covers basic VHF procedure? It's best to know how and when to use
the VHF, rather than get a dressing down from the Coastguard :-)
> [Other excellent advice removed for brevity].
dougk...@yahoo.com
> > license needed to operate your own boat... the only qualification
> > needed is to be able to pay for it (or have a good enough credit
> > rating).
Nikki Locke wrote:
> It is the same here in the UK. Oddly enough, though, you need a licence
> to operate a marine VHF.
Thanks for telling us that... I had the impression that you needed a
skipper's licence over there, and most places in Europe.
There is always talk of mandatory licencing... a mixed blessing IMHO
because I hate paperwork and having bureaucrats looking over my
shoulder; OTOH it would be nice to have fewer morons driving around on
the water.
> .... Hopefully the Boston Community Sailing program
> also covers basic VHF procedure? It's best to know how and when to use
> the VHF, rather than get a dressing down from the Coastguard :-)
>
That is good advice... IIRC they only cover it in the classroom, the
boats don't have radios.
Fresh Breezes- Doug King
Nikki Locke
> Nikki Locke wrote:
> > It is the same here in the UK. Oddly enough, though, you need a licence
> > to operate a marine VHF.
>
> Thanks for telling us that... I had the impression that you needed a
> skipper's licence over there, and most places in Europe.
Many places in Europe require an "International Certificate of Competence"
or local skippers licence, but not the UK.