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Subject: Re: [world-cruising] New Member
From: Rosalie B. (gmbeasley@XXX.XXX)
Date: Thu Apr 03 2003 - 23:49:10 EST
I answered in a hurry before, so here's some additional.
On Thu, 03 Apr 2003 17:49:41 -0000, you wrote:
>Hello, my husband and I just decided that this may be the right
>retirement life for us. I am already retired, at age 43, and he is
>30, and we are ready to GO!! We are not rich for sure (my retirement
>is medical based, but nothing that will keep me from cruising)
A good life. Are you planning to sell your house to finance the boat?
>
>The first advice I need is where to start? Are there any books I
>should read? Any websites to start at?
The first thing you need to do is to learn boating. You can't do all
of this by book work. You have to do the practical work.
If you are planning to sail, I think there are lakes and other places
with water in Nevada (Tahoe?) where you could learn to sail. I
realize Nevada is a big state, but if you are going to think about
cruising, and especially ocean crossing, you need to learn to sail
first. Most folks will recommend that you learn on a little boat.
I personally took Annapolis Sailing School courses - I took three -
one Basic on a Rainbow with no motor, one Advanced Beginner on a
Newport, and a weekend on a Morgan 43 (I think) which had a bathtub.
But my husband already knew how to sail.
You can maybe do some of the book work without sailing, but you ought
to have a little experience first, or the book work won't sink in.
I would suggest that you join SSCA, and get the past editions on CD
and read them. THis will probably have you asking more questions than
it answers, but is still a good idea.
>We would consider this our permenant home, and eventually would like
>to do a cross Atlantic crossing. Also we have cats, could they come
>with us?
Most cats do fine on boats. Some of them however get seasick and/or
hate the engine noise. Not all cats are the same, just as not all
people are the same. Some countries (like England) have had
restrictions on pets - I think the 6 month quarantine has been
modified, but I'm not up to date on it.
>Also, I am pretty addicted to the internet, is there a way to get
>internet access in the middle of the ocean? Is it expensive?
You can do email even in the middle of the ocean if you have a SSB and
a ham license. A ham license is something you could get right now.
The ham email is free except you have to have the radio. But you
ought to have a SSB radio anyway for weather and safety. Internet
access is expensive and I understand it isn't a robust connection.
>I do take a lot of prescription medications. If we did this we would
>be without medical insurance, and would not be in the same place for
>very long, how would I go about getting the medications I would need?
This depends on where you are. In a lot of other countries,
medications that are prescriptions in the US are available OTC there.
Also medical care is cheaper. There are doctors that are willing to
treat cruisers and write them prescriptions for use while traveling.
We have friends that get their medications by mail. [In our case and
in our friend's case, we have not sold our homes, and the PO here says
they will forward mail for us 'forever' - even to the Bahamas. Don't
know about other countries.]
>I am reading one book now, and it mentions "keeping watch" at night,
>but does not go into how or why. Would my husband and I have to
>sleep at different times? He read about Pirates and is worried about
>that. Is there a way to avoid them? Are there a lot of Pirates out
>there?
Pirates are a big buzzword bugaboo. I don't think pirates are as much
of a concern as the weather personally. Don't worry about that yet -
you've got lots of other stuff to get through before pirates need to
concern you.
As far as keeping watch - yes if you are going to travel out of sight
of land, one of you has to be on watch at all times. That means you
sleep at different times. - either that or have friends or crew to
help. That's one of the reasons why I decided that I was going to
limit myself to coastal cruising with no more than about 36 hours off
shore max. Bob doesn't want to have 'crew' and I don't want to stand
watches 4 on 4 off.
>I have TONS of questions, as you can see, and I am anxious to learn
>all I can.
Additional - you don't want to decide on a boat until you know how to
sail. After you've done that, then there are web sites which have
decision trees etc. where they go through the type of boat you might
want and you can come and ask again. I think personally that a used
boat is a better value. Even if I could afford it, I don't think I'd
want a new one. (Just as I wouldn't want a new house.)
After you've done some small boat sailing, then go to the Virgin
Islands and charter with a crew. And or go down to a sailing school
like they have in Tampa or in St. Croix or Virgin Gorda.
You can't decide on something like this without having some experience
first. It may sound good to you, and you may find you or your husband
absolutely hate it. OTOH you may love it.
grandma Rosalie
S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/_wsn/page2.html
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