A Long Time Coming

Ok, things are finally returning to what passes as normal these days and so I've managed to carve out a little time to catch the blog up on what has been going on the past couple weeks.

As you know we decided to head to a marina after arriving here in the Chesapeake Bay.  We were looking for a place to get some work done because...well...we own a boat and the list if things to fix never seems to end. My original goal was to replace our soft bimini with a fiberglass hard top I can walk on.  In addition to having a great place to mount much needed solar panels, the top could be set up to collect rain water and provide for a safer access to the boom should something go wrong while underway.

Of course the top wasn't the only problem.  I've had another seacock freeze and, in fact, I was able to break the handle off of it while trying to open it during our trip up.  So, the idea that I should just replace all the through-hulls (that I originally wanted done when last in Deltaville but the yard failed to accomplish) is back near the top of the list.  And that project requires that the boat be hauled out of the water again.  In addition, we have a variety of other problems that we have discovered need attention,

Not having much luck in finding a yard that could both haul our catamaran (the 21' 3" beam limits options) and allow us to do our own work (my experience thus far indicates that yard work is often expensive and below my quality expectations...if you can get them to do any work at all), we decided to alter our plans a bit.  We were able to find a regular marina that was nearby and not overly expensive.  This would allow us to get some in-the-water repair work done on the boat and could tick another task off the list.  You see, my parents have never seen our boat or gone sailing with me and if we could stay put for a little bit, they could come out for a visit.

So, after confirming space at the marina, my parents were able to set up a trip to come see us.  About this time the "unusually hot" weather I previously mentioned started up.  We were able to get some things done, but it always seems to go slower than you expect on a boat.  When I owned a home, the most pesky repairs always seemed to involve plumbing, where I would have to run to the hardware store at least three or four times to get parts I either didn't foresee I would need or that were different than I anticipated.  Boat projects all seem to go the way my plumbing projects did.  Even having cars at our disposal, a project you think should take a couple hours seems to take all day.  Still, I managed to get the AC pump, an electrical plug, and our spinnaker halyard replaced.

While I have had internet access, I've been researching options for building that hard top. I seem to have new ideas on structure and materials every day.  One of my biggest problems so far is finding good engineering data so I can construct a lightweight top that will support my weight. I even considered building the top on the boat right at the marina, but decided that building a 10 foot by 8 foot top in place would be tricky at best and a potential disaster at worst.  I am confident I can build the top for a much friendlier price than the pre-built option, if I can only get the engineering right.

My parent's trip would encompass both Father's Day and my dad's birthday so I also tried to set up something for him.  I know he likes fishing, so I tried to see if there was something I could do to take him both sailing and fishing during his visit.  Unfortunately, I just don't have the knowledge or experience and after a couple days worth of looking at equipment and supplies, I threw in the towel on that idea.

New pressure tank and water filter

Then a day before my parents were to arrive, my usual luck with things crops up. Our galley sink had a Brita drinking filter attached to it and it started leaking, spraying a stream of water backwards and in the general direction of the microwave.  Thinking it was just a simple seal problem and knowing that electric appliances don't like taking showers, we went to the hardware store to find a replacement gasket.  Two hardware stores later we managed to find the washer, only to discover that didn't solve the problem.  Using a bright flashlight and magnifier, I was able to find out that the leak wasn't with the gasket but a pinhole that developed in the sink spout itself...and our attempts to fix it have only made it worse.  So, I ended up having to replace the entire faucet.  Three trips to three different stores to find a faucet that could be made to work.  Adding an under-sink filter to the cold water supply because no faucet we found would support the old filter, and replacing the water system pressure tank because it was old and rusting and if I was going to have to do all this other work anyway, might as well fix that too.  About 12 hours spent collecting the various parts needed for the fix and two hours actually installing the parts, and the sink worked once again.  No more filter hanging off the faucet, a larger filter hiding under the sink, and a pull out faucet that fits well with the boat so I'm happy with the results.

New galley faucet

Then we found some bugs in one of our food storage bins.  Not ants, weevils, or roaches but a bunch of small moths...and moth larvae.  Fortunately for us, we keep our food stores in a variety of plastic bins and the moths seem to have been limited to one bin, with a few escapees in the locker itself.  Best we can tell the moths hitchhiked their way in by hiding in some boxes of cake mix that we were gifted.  Yep, we broke the rule of no paper/cardboard boxes on the boat and the result was a few dozen unwanted guests.  We pulled everything out of the locker, cleaned up the locker, cleaned up the storage box with the moths, THREW AWAY the paperboard boxed cake mixes, and then put everything else back together.

New halyard for the spinnaker.

We completed the fixes and cleanup as my parents got to town.  And I still had other things I wanted to get done.  We needed to actually clean up the boat some (it always seems to be a mess and two dogs currently shedding isn't helping the situation) and we were due for an oil change before I take the boat out again (which I wanted to do with my parents).

Then this past week we've been playing tourist and tour guide...but more on that next time.

Slacking

I'm sorry.  It's been over a week since I've posted anything and I haven't been that slow in a long time. It has been just a little crazy here and by the end of the day I just haven't had the time or energy to make a post.

Trying to figure out the hard top, where to get the boat hauled for the through hull replacement that should have happened last year but did not, Fathers day, "unseasonably hot" weather, a kitchen sink faucet that decided to start spraying water in directions other than the sink, one of our food stores going condo for some rather pesky moths, and my parents coming for a visit and to see the boat for the first time has eaten up all of my time.

And, unfortunately the lack of time will probably happen again today, so all I can say is stay tuned for more. On the bright side, the plan is to take the boat out for a sail today...at least until the heat index of 100 tells us we have spent enough time baking in the sun.

Driving Next Door

Well, the plan didn't change in over a day, so it actually stuck. We left the anchorage next to Ft. Monroe for a marina we found that felt like it was right next door.  You know...kind of like that scene from...I think it was a Cheech and Chong movie...where they drive next door. Our destination was the Salt Ponds Marina in Hampton Virginia.

Old Point Comfort Marina and Ft. Monroe

Why did we decide on a marina?  Well...there are a few reasons. First, we currently have two cars scattered across the east coast that we need to retrieve...and hopefully sell. We also have some work we can do inside the boat, and that is a bit easier at a marina or yard (and living aboard is far easier in the water). My parents also want to come out and see our new home, and that is also easier with a fixed location. We were able to find a marina with a very reasonable monthly rate, so it seemed like the best solution.

We hauled up the anchor and made our way out of the Elizabeth River around 10 am. The clouds were disappearing, and it was turning out to be a nice morning for a sail.  Well, it would have been if there was any wind to speak of.  The wind would pick up, I would decide to raise the sail, and the wind would disappear.  I'd wait for a bit, give up and drop the sail...and then the wind would mystically appear again. Mother nature and I would play this little game 3 or 4 times before she finally gave us some wind...directly on the nose, of course. No matter, we didn't have far to go and had all day to get there, and this crew could always use a little practice beating to windward.  So we spent the next couple hours sailing along at 5 knots or so, with a VMG of 1 to 2 knots.

Shipping containers arriving at Norfolk

Even with the slow progress, we arrived at the marina between 2 and 3 PM. The entrance into the marina is via a somewhat narrow and shallow channel.  The reason it was narrow was actually due to the fact it was shallow.  Parked at the side of the channel was a bunch of dredging equipment, so my guess is the 5 foot depths will soon read more...not that 5 foot is a problem for a catamaran. The width wasn't too bad, enough room for my 21 foot plus beam...until you add in the large power boat that rounded the corner when I was in the middle of the channel. We were able to squeeze by one another, mostly because I could venture out of the channel and into the 4 foot depths.

I guess our stack pack stands out at most marinas.

We got the boat tied up to the dock and poked around the facilities a bit. The marina sits in a nice area, but the facilities themselves are starting to show some age and need for maintenance.  Still, not a bad facility, particularly for about $325/ month with electric. The marina stretches about 3/4 of a mile along the east shore of the "pond". We contacted family and started firming up plans for the month. We got the WiFi hooked up and I was able to resume publishing posts. True to most marinas, the WiFi is a bit spotty...but workable most of the time.

The long walk from our slip to the marina office.

The last two days we made the marathon drive south to retrieve the car we left at the marina in Florida a few weeks ago. One thing I can say, keeping a car while cruising is a pain. I hope the hassle is worth it for dealing with the upcoming maintenance tasks. Once those are complete, we should definitely sell the cars.

Plans In The Sand

I don't know how many times I've heard that cruisers plans are written in the sand, and I can't remember if I read it somewhere or if I added the "at low tide" myself, but the phrase in either form is definitely an axiom in cruising.  Plans are swept away as quickly as they are created just as impressions made in the the sand on a beach are swept away by the waves lapping at the shore.  Even the best built sandcastle will eventually succumb to the relentlessness of the sea.

And so have a dozen variants of my most recent plan.

The original plan...or as far back as I can currently remember as original...was that I would spend a little time researching good welders and perhaps a good fiberglass person to help me construct a hard top bimini to replace my soft top.  Oh wait, that wasn't the original...the original variant was that I would find someone over a year ago to construct one for me...so I guess this is the original version of the latest attempt of this plan.  All I need is to find a decent welder, some space to work, and a helping hand (preferably with more glass experience than I have).  Depending on what I could find, I could alter the plan for the top to suit the ability levels and would still be happy with the result.

I knew of a welder in St. Augustine who was good.  I knew that the marina I've stayed at in Palm Coast has another property that is a boat storage and place to work.  I even knew of a couple people who know a lot about glass, and I hoped I could bounce a few ideas off of them and maybe even beg for help if it became necessary.  After arriving, I found that the storage space was reported to be having some theft problems and the welder had unfortunately had a stroke and the family was selling off the business at auction.  So, I guess that idea wouldn't work.

Then I figured I could look for a yard in the Chesapeake where I could execute the above plan.  I mean, there are a lot of boats up there and a lot of craftsman that build them too.  How hard could it be?  Well, unfortunately much of the Chesapeake seems to have missed the memo on the popularity of catamarans and don't have the ability to accommodate a boat that is over 21 foot wide.  Every time I seemed to locate one piece of the puzzle, I failed to find the others.  There is a dock at a yard, but they won't let me do the work, over there is a yard that will let me do the work but they don't have a dock I can fit at.  And my favorite was a dock with work space, and they only wanted double the rent that I'm paying where I'm staying now and they really didn't want me doing fiberglass work because it is too messy for their yard.

Nation's Capitol...some repair required

So, since we need to get the boat moving, I changed plans again.  I asked a friend of mine who lives in the Baltimore area if they could babysit a car while we figure out where we are going to end up in the Chesapeake.  They very graciously said they would keep an eye on it and so we spent the last two and a half days taking the car up to Maryland (many thanks Matthew and Janet).  We originally intended the trip to be two long driving days but then another thing came up, this time a positive one.  My friends at the Retirement Project were only 45 minutes or so away from where we were staying, so we made plans to stop by and say hi to them before heading back.  It was nice to finally meet them in person, after having interacted with them via e-mail and the blog for so long.  Thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule TJ and Deb.

LOTS of driving.

We ended up visiting for a little bit, and as a result, we only made it back as far as Savannah before we gave up and grabbed a hotel for the night.  The next morning we completed the trip, with a little detour into St. Augustine for some provisioning and to check on a couple of parts...because you know something had to break a few days ago (fortunately nothing critical) just to mess with more of my plans.

South of the Border - You know it is a tourist trap when billboard advertisements start appearing 110 miles away.

Next Stop...um...

Well, we really need to be making our way north...but we haven't left yet.  The simple reason...we aren't quite sure where to go.  Due to insurance we need to be north of Cape Hattaras by June 1st, but they don't really care where beyond that.

Right now, the controlling factor is trying to figure out where we can go so we can make some progress on the hard top project.  For quite a while now I've wanted to replace the soft bimini on the boat with a hard top.  The new top would provide me with a safer way to access the boom and would provide a good platform for the solar I want to add to the boat.

I've tried getting this project rolling several times now after the $15K sticker shock of the pre-fabricated top I found, but have not had much luck.  Lack of reliable tradespeople have been a big issue (this project was originally on the list for the yard last year in Deltaville...where they barely accomplished anything in the course of the summer).  While I'm not an expert, I think I can manage to build a fiberglass top myself (especially when most of the surface will be covered in solar panels or non-skid), but the issue there is having decent work space and access to a good welder.

I thought I might be able to get the project going while in Hammock, but the work space I thought might work out ended up not being a good option.  And the welder I had hoped to use (one that did a great job on some minor welding I had done before) apparently had a stroke and I found the family was auctioning off the business when I arrived back in the area.  It is very sad as a good person in the boating industry is hard to find and I'm sure he will be missed.

A blogging friend has offered to help with the project and right now that seems like the best possibility.  But there are logistical issues with timing and if the yard they are stationed at can accommodate my boat (catamarans just don't fit everywhere...particularly narrow slips and Travellift bays). Throw in the fact we still have cars and it sounds like we may need them for the project and shuttling them back up the coast and storing them as we travel is another added wrinkle.

So, other than continuing cataloging everything we have and fixing things that seem to continually break on the boat, we are working on leaving as soon as we can get a plan to firm up a bit.  Maybe things will fall in place tomorrow...keeping my fingers crossed.

It's been a MONTH?!?

Wow.  It's been almost a month since my last post...and I was sooooo planning on picking up the pace on the blog posting front. I thought things would slow down a bit, but that simply hasn't been the case so far.

I'm actually writing this while taking a brief break from the mad push to get ready for our big estate sale. Originally my wife and I were planning on hiring an estate liquidation company to come and do the sale, but in a "oh...I can do that" fit of insanity, we decided that we would just do it ourselves.

Part of the reason for making this decision is that the estate sale companies take 40% of the proceeds of the sale as their fee.  Having spent the last couple weeks going through all our stuff and turning our house into a "this was your life" showroom, I can say that 40% is probably a bargain.  I can't believe how much stuff has been packed in our house.  All this stuff could easily sink 5 or more catamarans the size of ours (my wife was thinking a garbage barge).  And I don't even think we were as bad as most of those around us in the "good American consumer" category.

I doubt this will fit on the boat...

...or this.

We've also met with a couple real estate agents to get an idea of what to expect when selling our house.  In the 18 years we've owned the house, the housing market has done some pretty strange things across the nation.  Fortunately, it sounds like our area is still a sellers market and we should do OK...probably not as well as we did selling my father-in-law's place (it went for almost $20K over list price), but well enough.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

In other news, our boat is still on the hard in Virginia. Unfortunately the yard hasn't been doing a very good job of getting work done on time or anywhere near estimate.  So, pretty soon I will be returning to Rover to finish the necessary out-of-the-water repairs, get her back in the water, and get her heading south for warmer waters.

Well, I think my 15 minute break is over...so back to work. Only 3 days left to get everything dug out, cleaned up, displayed and priced for the sale.  Wish me luck!

Oh, and if you happen to be in the Denver area this weekend, feel free to swing by the sale and say hi.  Here is a link to one of the advertisements for the sale with the info: Broomfield Colorado Estate Sale.

Map Lines and Deadlines

Sorry I haven't been posting much in recent days.  When I haven't been working my day job, I've been trying to solve a problem I have.

According to my current insurance I need to be north of Cape Hatteras by the beginning of the dreaded "H" (hurricane) season.  This season runs from June 1 to November 1.  Originally, we didn't think this would be an issue since we wanted to see the U.S. East coast and this bigger restriction fit with our plans.  Of course getting the first house ready to sell took much more time than we anticipated and some other things have conspired to throw a wrench in the works.

The best option for moving the boat north would be to make a few overnight hops "on the outside" (going up the coast instead of the ICW).  Unfortunately, my wife is busy and can't come help so I'm by myself in Georgia and needing to move the boat pretty far up the coast in a month and a half.  Given my current level of experience, I don't think it would be wise for me to do an overnight passage alone.  This leaves me needing to find a deckhand to make the trip(s).

Right now I think I have a friend coming to help me move the boat from Brunswick to Charleston or so.  From there, I still need to figure out the best option for continuing the trek north.  I thought offering the chance to spend some time on a boat with room and board paid for in exchange for a minimum amount of help would entice some of my friends, but apparently not.  Maybe I'm not selling it right...how does "come spend a few days basking in the sun on catamaran instead of shoveling that snow back home" sound?

I also need to figure out my "final destination".  I'm thinking somewhere in the Chesapeake.  I'd like to find a place that is reasonably priced and near "services" so I can get some work done that I simply cannot handle (I'm somewhat sewing and welding challenged).  While Annapolis is probably an excellent location for everything sailboat repair, I think that location usually comes with a high price tag.

So, I have been spending a lot of time looking through Active Captain, checking for marinas and services and their prices and trying to come up with a loose plan for how to get north of our insurance line before the deadline.

On a semi-related note, part of the reason my wife cannot come down right now is good news in that she will be closing the sale on her father's house.  Apparently the housing market is pretty good in Denver right now, at least for smaller homes.  We had listed the house at what we thought was a fair price for the renewed condition and in less than a week we had numerous offers and were under contract for over asking price.  We really need to get our house on the market soon.

You Would Have Thought We Would Have Been More Prepared

But you would be wrong.  We've been looking for a boat for so long that you would have thought that we would have worked out a lot of the details by now.  And there certainly are few that we could have figured out before now, but there are a number of things that needed to wait until we had a specific boat locked in.

As the closing day on our boat approaches, we are scrambling to get a lot of things lined up. We couldn't determine a good place to temporarily store the boat until we knew where we were going to take possession.  We wouldn't know how long the refit was likely to take until we knew which boat we were going to buy. In fact we couldn't even get an insurance quote until we could give the insurance company the make and model of the boat and where we were going to keep it.

We now know most of this information, so the scramble to get everything lined up begins.  Our broker, Pete Gulick, has been a huge help with all of this.  Again he has gone above and beyond to help us find dockage and insurance options that didn't break the bank, an instructor to help us move the boat from its current home, and a bunch of other odds and ends to make this transition go as smoothly as possible.

We will be taking posession in Daytona Florida and will do some initial refit somewhere in the St. Augustine area. We will then depart Florida before the greedy tax man decides to extract his 6 pounds of flesh from us (we are not Florida residents nor do we want to be...) and cruise up the east coast this summer.  That is all the "plan" that we have so far.

We are trying to avoid making too many plans as this is supposed to be a more carefree lifestyle and as someone recently told me "schedules kill sailors" (and we don't want that). So sorry for the lack of posts recently, but know that progress is being made and more will be coming soon.

A Blog Is More

When I started this blog, the primary goal was to document our quest to become full-time cruisers so we could explain and answer questions for our families.  I also thought it would be fun to have a journal so some time in the future I could look back at my naive thoughts and theories. I had also hoped that perhaps some of the information would be helpful to anyone else considering this lifestyle change in the future.  You know...learn from the mistakes of others because you don't have enough time to make them all yourself.

Found on the internet.  Might originally be from despair.com

Well, over the past year and a half (wow...it's really been that long...where does the time go) I've actually met some pretty interesting people thanks to blogging.  Thanks to other blogs, I've met some neat people and I've increased my knowledge level (I hope) and certainly my reading library, and thanks to a couple mentions in other blogs have apparently reached a larger audience.  While I don't post as often as I would really like (only so much cruising-related subject matter while I'm land-locked), I do get page views daily from people around the world.  I interact with several other bloggers who I consider "virtual" friends...having never met them in person (yet). All in all, pretty cool.

One particularly interesting thing that has happened is that this blog has helped introduce me to others in my area that share similar goals. Who would have thought there would be a fair number of people in Colorado that either dream of, or are working toward, a cruising lifestyle.  I mean, after all, we are about 1000 miles from the nearest ocean.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, Coloradans do tend to be a pretty active lot.  When we were learning to scuba dive in St. Croix, I can't even remember how many times we were told "Did you know that Colorado has more certified divers per capita than any other U.S. state?"* Truth is we probably drag down any rating more than bring it up.

Anyway, getting back to my point.  I've had a few folks from Colorado reach out to me and tell me they are interested in cruising.  I've had dinner or drinks with a couple of them and have found another who periodically needs "crew" when he goes sailing out on the local reservoir. It's been fun to meet folks with similar interests and swap stories. Not a perk I expected from having a blog, but welcome nonetheless.

If you've thought of saying hi, please feel free to drop us a line.  You can send us email at gmail.com by using the blog name, ThisRatSailed, as the user name.

*I have no idea if this statistic is true, but I do periodically hear on the local news that several cities and perhaps the state is ranked among the most active on a pretty regular basis. 

Looking At Boats in Florida - The PDQ 36 LRC

10 days on two boats was most of our trip to Florida, but we did have a few more days before we returned to Colorado.  Since we think we'll be going with a catamaran, it would be nice if we could see a few before we left.  Thanks to some of my looking thru boat listings, I did have at least a very basic idea of what we should be looking at.

Since it is just going to be the two of us, our dogs, and some occasional visitors (I do hope), a large boat would seem to be much more than we need.  The 41 foot Maine Cat we took lessons on was home for 7 people for our class and trip.  It was way more than enough for a smaller crew and the added expense of a large boat goes against one of the reasons we are doing this.

The smallest catamarans suitable for living aboard seem to start just larger than 30ft.  The requirements (we think) we have for accommodations at this point are:

• A queen size or better master berth.
• Accommodations for two or more guests.
• A boat that will be comfortable at anchor as well as at sail.
• A shower I don't have to wear.
• Low draft.

So, the boats that we think might fit this criteria were:

• Gemini 105mc
• PDQ 32 and 36
• Fountaine Pajot 35
• Lagoon 35 and 37

While you would think that Florida would be a good place to look at boats, we were only able to find one of the above boats that was for sale in the area and we could look at while we were there, a PDQ 36 LRC.

The PDQ 36 is a nice boat.  It's obviously well constructed with two queen berths at the front of the bridge deck just behind the trampoline, one accessed from each hull.

Photo courtesy of www.pdq36.com

Behind the large berth in one hull you will find a good size galley mid hull, with a rear compartment that has been apparently configured based on the original owner's specifications (It can be a double berth, storage, or I've even heard one case where it was setup as a mini dive shop with air compressor and everything).

Behind the berth in the other hull is a nav station with seating, a desk, and the usual electrical control panel.  At the rear of this hull you find the head with a separate shower enclosure (no wearing a curtain here).

The bridge deck also supports a large seating area or saloon behind the two queen berths and it can be converted to additional sleeping area if needed.  The interior has quite a bit of space that is very well configured.  There is also a lot of teak flooring and other wood accents that make the space warm and inviting.

Moving back from the saloon you exit to the cockpit.  The cockpit is covered by a hard bimini.  Unlike many catamarans, the cockpit is rather small and well enclosed.  Not very suitable for a party or dining al fresco, but might feel very secure while on passage.

Since this was the LRC version, instead of the usual outboard engines, this boat has twin diesels in the back of the hulls.  My understanding is that the outboards are lighter and can be swung up into the hull to reduce drag, but the inboard diesel engines are considered more reliable and are better for battery charging and auxiliary water heating.  I'm not sure which is the better choice...as they seem to say with all things boating...it's a compromise.

Other than the cramped feeling of the cockpit, I'm pretty impressed with this boat.  Of course, I don't exactly have a lot of knowledge of these size boats...having only seen a couple of them new at the Annapolis boat show.  I do think the PDQ's will likely be on our short list.

A Decision!

After looking at and talking with a bunch of sailing schools for our 3rd class (ASA 104), and suffering from a little analysis paralysis, we've finally made a decision.  Having spent all of our time thus far sailing on reservoirs in Colorado, our goal was to spend some time on the ocean and living aboard the boat in the process.  The school we chose was the Tracey School of Sailing Instruction.

Most of the schools we found had choices of single courses or "fast track" courses that combined the two classes we had already taken with the course we wanted to take.  While single classes would work for us, the fast track courses seemed like a waste of time and money.

The Tracy option is technically a single course but we believe they will provide us with a more unique opportunity.  The school operates in two locations during different parts of the year and they take their Maine Cat when they move locations.  So twice a year instead of their normal sailing classes, they divide their trip between New Jersey and Bradenton, Florida, into four live-aboard classes.  Yes, we'll actually get to travel some distance in the course of the course.  In addition, instead of just the 104 course, we will also be doing the 114 (Catamaran) course.  We think this should give us a better breadth of experience than the courses that essentially stay in the same location.

The Tracey School appears to be a smaller school.  My wife and I always like to support smaller businesses when we can.  We've found that smaller businesses seem to understand customer service far better than larger ones, so hopefully this will be the case here as well.

We are SOOOOOOOOO looking forward to this trip...we just need to finish planning it.

Options, options, and more options.

As mentioned in my last post, we need to decide on the class(es), location for those classes, and the type of boat we want to learn on for the next step after we complete our current course.

So, starting with the last one first, what type of boat.  For lesson purposes the size should be similar to what we intend to own, but a few feet shouldn't be too big of a deal.  The number of hulls, on the other hand, is a bigger question.

or

Of course, not having any significant experience on either type of boat, we are not sure which way to go here.  Each has advantages and disadvantages.  Ideally, we would like to be able to spend a little time on each in hopes of helping us decide.

As far as location is concerned, we definitely want a course that spends all of it's time on the ocean.  While learning on a reservoir was fine for basic sailing skills, it just isn't realistic for our intended goal.  To get a better feel for living aboard a boat, we want the next course(s) to be multi-day and live-aboard.  For these options, there seems to be two main locations, either Florida or the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

And finally the classes.  Beyond the minor differences between the two competing sailing organizations, there are multiple classes that can be taken from where we are now:

• Intermediate Coastal Cruising (ASA 104) / Bareboat Cruising (US)
• Coastal Navigation (ASA and US)
• Offshore Passage Making (ASA and US)
• Celestial Navigation (ASA and US)

Various schools offer multiple class options.  Of course, they are usually starting with the two courses we have already taken (101, 103, and 104 combos are common).  If we want to do multiple courses starting with the Intermediate/Bareboat Cruising class, it seems we will be doing a more custom (read: expensive) option.  At a minimum we definitely want to go with the coastal cruising course, and I would think the passage making course would be the next logical choice.  I've got some experience with navigation, so I'm thinking those can be learned at home or online.

Choices in schools seem to range from large schools run by famous sailors to smaller mom & pop operations.  Most are smaller classes between two and six students per boat with the smaller operations typically having the smaller class sizes.  Since it will eventually just be the two of us (and the dogs), I would think the smaller classes would be better.  Of course, more students may present more situations leading to more learning.

Lots of choices...what to do...what to do.

The Other Money Question

After the "how much will it cost?" question, the next money question people usually ask is "how will you finance this?".  Well, the truth of the matter is that we aren't quite sure.

While I like to call this my retirement plan, the truth is that neither of us will be able to completely retire.  So, the real goal here is to not spend 50 weeks of our lives each year sitting in a box just for a 2 week vacation.  So, assuming we will fall under the "moderate" category in the Beth and Evans Cost of Cruising example, the question is how we will be able to generate $20,000 a year while living on a boat.

One thought we had was to purchase some property that we could then rent.  With the sale of most everything we own plus some savings that we have, we might be able to purchase some property in addition to the boat.  If we can find the right market, either long term or vacation rental may provide some income.  Of course, the question is where...

Another option we have considered is doing what the couple that sparked this crazy idea in us was doing...chartering.  We could make some money taking people on dinner cruises or maybe even overnight excursions.  This option, of course would require licensing...and since we don't have much sailing experience yet, this is probably more of a longer term option than one we could do starting on day one.

My wife and I both have skills that could translate into contract work.  So if we need to, I think we could probably pick up some short term contract work that would be sufficient to pay the bills.  The key here would be to not make it a full time job, even for a short term.  I will not go back to sitting behind a computer 40+ hours a week.

The last obvious option is finding local part-time work.  I'm reasonably good with electronics and electrical systems, maybe helping out a boatyard with upgrade and refit work would be an idea.  Or I'm sure there are other odd jobs around a boatyard.  If not, I'm sure we can find part-time work elsewhere in various ports, even if it is simple retail.

In the end, we are talking $10,000 each per year.  That's just not all that much so I have confidence that we will be able to do it.  If you have any ideas, feel free to leave a comment

I can do better than this...maybe they'll need part-time help.

Competing Sailing Associations

In a couple posts I mentioned that we needed to take tests to complete our sailing courses.  This isn't really true, we only need to take these tests to prove to others  that we've taken the classes (for things such as daily rentals or bareboat charters).  You can go buy a boat and set sail yourself without any training or licenses (regardless of how foolish it may be to take this approach).  Did I mention it costs money (not included in the class fees) to take the tests?  Well...now we have a dilemma that makes me wonder if we should take the tests.

There are actually two different sailing associations in the United States.  One is the American Sailing Association (ASA) and the other is US Sailing.  Our current school follows the ASA curriculum. Up until now I hadn't been worried about this since they are the only school in town.  But now that I've been looking into options for continuing our education with a school capable of an oceanic classroom, the tests may or may not be useful.

VS.

Both organizations seem to have a similar curriculum.  US Sailing, born from the North American Yacht Racing Union, may have a bit of a racing bias where ASA may be more cruising/recreation oriented...but everything I've seen thus far seems to indicate that they are very, very similar.

Naturally, they do not accept each other's credentials.  Of course, being businesses, each one will allow you to pay their fees to take their tests to "challenge" the need to take their particular version of a course.

I kind of doubt one is technically better than the other but I'm sure elsewhere there is likely a "religious war" raging between the two that is just as heated as the whole Macintosh vs. Windows computer one.  My only concern is that we get a good education and my bet is that there are both good and bad instructors under each organizations flag.

So, my goal now is to find the best school that meets our needs without having to retake classes we have already completed.  If it is a US Sailing school such as Colgate's Offshore Sailing School, then taking the ASA tests just wastes money on a test we will likely need to retake.  So, we may postpone the testing depending on which school we end up going with.

Picking a Direction

When we started looking at this sailing idea, I identified several courses that I felt we would need to take at a minimum:

• Basic Keelboat (ASA 101)
• Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103)
• Intermediate Coastal Cruising/Bareboat Chartering (ASA 104)

And, if we decide to go catamaran:

• Cruising Catamaran (ASA 114)

We've completed the first class (except for the test...which we need to schedule) and the question is where to go next.  The school we used for the first course does offer the coastal cruising options...but does it make sense to learn this in Colorado when we plan to sail on the ocean.  Um...no (if you think otherwise, you may want to consult a basic US map. :-) )

Now, there are some pretty cool classes that teach all these courses over a week or so while you live aboard the boat.  The problem is that we don't have the ability to get away for this sort of class until the fall...and I just can't wait that long.

What I'd like to do is take the basic cruising course locally and then rent a boat and do some sailing locally on our own to practice the basic skills.  Then, in the fall, do a live-aboard option for the last course and maybe take the boat out just the two of us after completion of the course.  Unfortunately I'm not finding much that works that way.

Maybe we can charter a sailboat and find an instructor that will go with us to create the class I want ourselves.  Happen to know a sailing instructor with some free time in the fall?