Rethinking the smallest boat circumnavigation

Yes, that includes making some mistakes from which he learned before his first long voyage . . . . :idea:

Good luck !
Angel

 

Just like the ones from post #82 who built up experience first before they went for the long trip . . . . .

Good luck !
Angel

P.S. - see note about this in post #120.

 

Stoned..
Following your posts with interest; what seems to be emerging are three separate themes:
1. Attraction to an "alternative" lifestyle coupled with negative attidude to work.
2. Young guy on the beach staring at the horizon, wishing he could be out there but no money, no boat and no experience.
3. Obsession with becoming a record holder for sailing smallest boat.

Unfortunately these themes seem to be working against you, any one of them is achievable, but not all three!
Sollutions.
1. People from all over the world are flocking to Australia because of the work and high wages, you are in the middle of it...no money to buy a boat...work a bit!!!
2. Staring at the horizon...sign on to a crewing agency, be paid to sail (!) get experience, learn a bit and visit a lot of interesting places and get paid at the same time (I did)
3. The record holding bit is the sad one. Like many posters, I think you need to sort out your motives. You have to realise that there is a huge difference between someone who loves being on the water and decides to set themselves a challenge (which results in a record) and someone who desires a record and looks for a way to get one. You are in the latter category, as yet you don't even know if you love being on the water and your knowlege is comically inadequate (10 ft boat, petrol generator, electric watermaker. Ha Ha Ha Ha carry enough spark plugs and some spare pull cords and a tool kit Ha Ha Ha)

My advice to you is go out sailing, forget the record attempt. Sign on to a crewing agency, find a nice paying sail boat, keep the owner happy and spend a few years on the water. In my twenties I did this, it started with an advert in a London club ("wanted long trip to anywhere") and resulted in nearly six years of full time sailing world wide (well not in the pacific yet) I worked semi professionally doing delivery trips of choice for many years after this. Some of the owners were absolutely dire but on the whole I had a fantastic time. DO IT!

 

Hi Nick, appreciate the input.

Everyones situation is different.

Australia has high wages and high cost of living. Living and working in oz is fine, but with yachting, its all or nothing when your a worker. I could keep my job, finance my yacht and use it on weekends. But a trailer sailer would be more suitable. You cant go too far in 2 days. Leaving for a long voyage would require no job and lots of savings.

The money i have saved for my 10 footer and the trip could be used to buy a house, get married and have kids, or buy a 30 year old 30 footer that i can use 2 days a week, or sail around the world on a 10 footer.

I am not work shy and my desire to travel has nothing to do with avoiding work.

My job would be a holiday compared to being a full time, sleep deprived sailor in a bathtub.

If i was all about comfort and laziness, i wouldnt even consider a circumnavigation.

And i'm not obsessed with the record, it is just the end goal. If i made it, i would have seen the world and met a lot of people instead of being just another surburban dad talking about the interest rates and maybe regret not taking a chance to do something different.

I am a member of my local yacht club and occaisonal crew for under 20 footers. It would be good to crew on a big boat out at sea but those opportunities are limited and delays my record attempt. Not only that, but again, i would lose my job to do it and when i get back to shore, i'm unemployed.

Its all easy in theory, but paying rent, food, bills, car payments, insurance etc etc, there is not much left over. I would be svens age to finance a nice boat and circumnavigation.

 

Stoned..
The biggest problem with your idea for a record is that you appear to know very little about doing long trips in small boats on the sea beyond the accounts you have read in books. That would be a bit like expecting to drive a car because you have read books about people driving. You need more experience. PERIOD.
Many cruising yachts in the 60 - 70 ft range would carry one or two paid crew, rates of pay vary from food and beer money to serious wages. Places are not usually difficult to find, you need a positive attidude and to be proactive. Do it for a few years, learn a lot, save what you earn and then re-evualate your ideas for a record when you will have a better understanding of the issues. Have a lot of fun in the process.

 

have a look at what is for sale around sydney, there are hundreds of mooring minders going cheap all the time. pick up a boat like a tophat for a couple of thousand and tidy it up, you would still be in a small boat but with a bit of comfort. i bet you could buy and refit a tophat 25 for less than building your bath tub. a couple of weeks ago there was a tophat on boatpoint for free , came with sails and rigging plus $800 worth of paint. thats what i would do anyway, i am looking forward to read about your adventure. don't be to put off by the naysayers just do a bit more homework. remember all the crap people went on about jessica watson being to young, they did an about face when she was successful. i met a bloke who sailed a star 22 trailer sailer from w.a to nz. imagine the comments he would have got on the net.

 

The excerpt below is from the popular "Australian Cycling Forum", where Stonedpirate would come on, pretend to ask question about riding across the continent or losing weight through cycling, and then abuse almost everyone who answered;

"For the record, the user stonedpirate was warned already for personal attacks which breach the forum guidelines.
The posters last post (before being banned) will remain - though if you feel it has no place here - pm me and it will be removed.

Sorry, but a lot of members got sucked into trying to provide genuine feedback and help for this poor soul who was just taking us for a ride.
Bicycles Network Australia"

Stonepirate, your original post asked "Yay or nay". You are behaving in the same way you did at BNA - asking a question and then insulting the people who reply.

If you don't have the decency to not insult people WHO REPLY TO THE QUESTIONS YOU ASKED then please don't ask them. Even if you think people are wrong, you do not have to abuse them FOR DOING WHAT YOU ASKED AND GIVING AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.

And please stop worshipping yourself. You don't know everything about boats, or bikes. People can disagree with you without deserving the slagging you give them.

PS - As Brendan says, if you reckon you can live on a 10 footer at sea, then you can certainly live on something like a Top Hat and pay it off (or save up for the trip) for a lot less than you are paying rent. In fact, there are probably quite a few sound little mooring minders you could get for just the asking, if you were prepared to leave notes on them and wait for a while.

It's perfectly reasonable to live on something like an Endeavour 24 or Top Hat while working 9-5 in an office, shop or trade. So any claim "I can't afford a 24 footer because I am paying rent" looks pretty damn odd.

Are you saying you couldn't get a job at somewhere like Dampier while living on a cheap 25 footer, rent free????

 

Another Walter Mitty-esque thread, IMO. I wonder how that submarine is going.....

 

By Stonedpirat:

It is so pathetic, do we have to cry?

 

"He took his pellet gun, a CB radio, sandwiches, cold beer, and a camera."

gotta love it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Walters



Stoned- thanks for the reply.
Many have gone before you- the challenge of trying to put together cruising dreams on a shoestring budget destroys men. It's like a great rock near shore where dreams are beat to pulp.

A Pearson Triton- free for the asking.
Think about it.

I am surprised no one had mentioned it yet- ten feet is scant room for some fair lass along to help mend your trousers during the voyage..

 

I am not kidding, I would produce TV show for Nat Geo, But money comes when the sailing starts and is paid as percentage of trip, because otherwise he could quit after he gets money.

 

For the record Walter Mitty, the fictional character was nuts.

 

the story of Tania Aebi circumnavigation on a 26 foot boat.


"The anchor is touching the bottom , why am I not holding?"

1st night, behind Sandy Hook.

FF

 

Show me where i have insulted anyone on this forum?

My cycling adventures are behind me and have achieved what i wanted to achieve with cycling, back to the sea for me.

Show me one port that allows permanent live aboards with available mooring.

I have been on a waiting list at my local port for nearly 2 years. They wont allow me to pay to have a mooring installed as they said they are full.

Australia is good at outlawing alternative lifestyles and rent free living. We have high standards in this country and the government does not promote sea gypsying.

Have fun walking into an australian office living on a boat. Public showers non existent. Just getting to the laundry to do my washing and finding a shower would defeat the purpose of living aboard. Working while living aboard simply is not possible. If i could find an anchorge that doesnt have a 3 day move on notice, or a port with a mooring available that allows liveaboards is one thing, actually living in a crowded australian marina and being known as the local semi homeless person while holding down an office job is another.

Not my dream.

Freedom, travel, self sufficiency is what i'm after. Tried to get it with a push bike, but accomodation each night cost more than rent. Pitching a tent is illegal in most places. Again, not freedom.

Me on my home built boat with cash in the bank is what i am after and i will get it.

Naysay, smear campaign me all you like, not interested in doubters.

Trust me, i have researched every possible livaboard lifestyle in this country. Not possible unless you are rich or willing to become a famous bum in these small towns running into hassles with the police and local hooligans that steal anything thats not bolted down.

Before your say anchor off the coast, row to shore with a motorbike in your dinghy, hide the dinghy in the sand dunes, ride to work and spend the day hoping your boat stays on the hook with the tide change, thought of that too

The only way this could work is to keep moving. That is why circumnavigation with the overriding goal of setting a record accomodates all the hassles of this lifestyle. No need to live off the hook when you are in the middle of the sea.

 

Have to correct myself here, I know of some who prepared themselves well with knowledge, experience and equipment, but from those where it said . . . . (see quote) . . . . I mostly have no information what cause made them fail . . . .

And of some of who succeed I'm not sure if they enforced their success by good preparations or just got lucky to make it . .

Can't be much books from that web page as most mentioned there were not able to publish . .

Cheers,
Angel