Belieze

Here's a thread from a guy who owns a small marina - sounds pretty good.

Legal and Customs

Currently being introduced as a pilot program in St. Lucia and the British Virgin Islands, and scheduled to be launched soon elsewhere, the voluntary eSeaClear system means that boaters should soon be able to submit data via computer for Customs Clearance for entry and departure. The project is being developed through a partnership of the Caribbean Marine Association and the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council. Yacht captains must still report to customs on arrival, but the goal is to make the process faster.

Bimini Way Points

"There was a rumor that new markers may have one or more missing. Do NOT follow the old range markers into the channel behind the sandbar that is one mile from town." Lee offers these waypoints:
Outside: N 25:42.658, W 079:18.459
Turn: N 25:42.681, W 079:18.261
Inside: N 25:42.830, W 079:18.158
12/18/08

Boat Names

I recently read an article about picking boat names - they were expecting their second child at the same time and of course, he would be thinking about th eboat's name, when she was thinking about the child's name - good thing they discovered their confusion before getting a birth certificate.

Anyway, it took them over 2 years to come up with a suitable name for the boat (Ganymede) and it came from careful deliberation and talking to the boat - ultimately his eldest daughter, who was studying Jupiter at the time, became fascinated with its moon, Ganymede, and would say nothing else but that.

In any event, it is extremely important to me that I name the boat right. Another writer also gave this advice, siting that whatever name you choose in haste, the boat will exhibit the worst aspect of that name, so for instance if you chose Wandering Star, just to pick a name and set sail, you're liable to get yourself lost at sea because your navigation equipment crapped out on you and you didnt' take the time to learn any other method of navigation.

I intend to spend a lot of time thinking about this, but only after I get the boat and have a chance to talk with her.

Here I found a website that's good for a chuckle - it tells you about yourself based on the boat name.

Some ideas:
Lung Ta - Tibetan Prayer Flags - Means Wind Horse - usually depicted at the center of four other mythical beasts (Snowlion, Tiger, Dragon, and Garuda) as the center of the compass - lung ta are thought to bring the buddhist prayers to god or disperse them around the world.

Towing A Dinghy

These days most cruisers use inflatable dinghies or RIBs as their tenders and most also power these with 9.9 or even 15-hp outboards. The combination can be quite heavy and therefore difficult to hoist on deck when you are heading out sailing. There's no question that a boat will sail better and faster and the dinghy will be safer if it is carried on deck. But, if you are like us, you will tow the dinghy on daily runs in everything but storm conditions.

If you have a small inflatable with an inflatable floor, it will tend to scoot around on its painter and has the capability of flipping if air gets underneath it. For such light dinghies, it is best to remove the engine and gas tank and then haul the painter in tightly so the dinghy's bow is snug against the boat's transom. It will ride there easily and safely even in really bouncy conditions.
With heavier dinghies and RIBs, you need a long painter attached to the boat and a good harness on the dinghy that will spread the towing loads to both side of the dinghy's bow. If the dinghy doesn't have towing rings welded to both sides of the bow, you can add them quite easily. You should be able to buy them and the appropriate glue from the dinghy's manufacturer. The harness should extend about three feet in front of the bow and is then attached to the long painter.

When underway, let the dinghy out behind you far enough so it tows one wave trough behind the boat. You want it to be towing in synch with the big boat's motion through the waves and not chasing down the front of a wave as the big boat climbs the next wave.
Make sure the engine is locked in the up position and that it and the gas tank are well secured to the dinghy with strong lanyards.

Motion Sickness

I'm not sure how my relatively weak stomach will fare on extended time away from the protection of landmasses from swells, storms, and other fun, unyielding disturbances. One of the things the experts say to do during your first few times out in the ocean, on an overnight cruise, or whathaveyou, is to experiment with different motion sickness medicines.

In addition to Dramamine, I just discovered this one, which looks promising. It is apparently 100% natural oil (of what variety I'm not sure). You can use it before or after symptoms have begun. It works within 5 minutes and you apply a drop behind the ear rather than ingesting anything. Sounds pretty fantastic - so it definitely needs to be tested.

Step 4: Passage Making

Passage Making is a daunting prospect namely because you leave sight of shore which must have a profound psychological impact.  In addition, if something goes wrong or breaks down, you have to contend with the remoteness of your location and inaccessibility to any sort of help (except the Coast Guard but it can still take them several hours to mount a rescue).  One of the best ways I've seen to make a passage (especially if it's a first attempt) is the Caribbean 1500 Rally.  I plan on doing this when the time comes for my first passage.  However, any passage made in the company of experienced and trustworthy sailors is good alternative.  It's important to take it slowly.

Piracy

THere has been a lot of attention on piracy recently as they have become so audacious off the coast of Yemen and Somalia in the Gulf of Aden. The International Maritme Bureau (IMB) has put together a google map of pirate incidents within the last few years.

Gulf of Aden - Maritime Security Patrol Area
Jimmy Cornell has posted waypoints for a new Security Corridor in the Gulf of Aden for yachts to stay safely within. (Well, we certainly hope so!).
"A Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) has been established to provide a route through the Gulf of Aden which will be patrolled by Combined Task Force (CTF) 150. Whilst it cannot guarantee that attacks will not happen, it is hoped that 150 assets will be able to respond faster to any attacks and the patrols will act as a deterrent."
Coordinates of the Security Corridor in the Gulf of Aden are as follows:
Waypoint: 12 15N 045E;
Waypoint: 12 35N 045E;
Waypoint: 13 35N 049E;
Waypoint: 13 40N 049E;
Waypoint: 14 10N 050E;
Waypoint: 14 15N 050E;
Waypoint: 14 35N 053E;
Waypoint: 14 45N 053E.
The way the patrols are set up on the corridor is that each ship is given a sector that they are responsible for. So along the entire route there are warships patrolling. If yachts stay in the corridor or to the north, depending how they have to sail with the wind, they stand the best chance of being nearby a warship or the Yemeni Coastguard (who have been quite effective as well). As far as a routine convoy, unfortunately that is not being done yet. There has been some call for that and hopefully that will come to reality. From: Noonsite.com.

Cruising World Articles on crossing the Gulf of Aden.
http://www.cruisingworld.com/destinations/middle-eastsouth-asia/attacked-by-pirates-1000071230-p1.html
http://www.cruisingworld.com/destinations/caribbeancentral-america/precautions-in-paradise-1000057358.html
http://www.cruisingworld.com/destinations/caribbeancentral-america/pirate-attack-claims-life-of-beloved-cruiser-1000067340.html
http://forums.cruisingworld.com/videos/viewEntry.php?user=MindTheGap&node=178
http://forums.cruisingworld.com/showthread.php?t=646&page=2


Saftey Sail Net: Community of cruisers who keep up on hot spots
http://www.caribbeancompass.com/

Cruising Social Networks

In addition to the forums and magazine websites, there are social networking sites that allow you to blog, plot passages, upload maps, pictures and videos for other people to follow along with. Here are a couple in addition to Cruising World, which does a lot of it as well.

SailTrac
YOTREPS

Log 11/17/08

I checked in on some old friends yesterday. Something I never thought I would ever do. I felt that these people betrayed me, used me, and took advantage of my trust. I never want to see them again, and yet, for no reason, I decided to look into what they were doing. I knew, immediately that it was a mistake. For five years I was hoping that I would rise above them and find that they had utterly failed. They haven't - in fact they look like they're doing very well which made me reflect on where I'm at in my life. Seeing what they were up to made me even more determined to do something with my life, and yet, I haven't. I remembered that living well is the best revenge and there are many things about it and myself that I would change. to live better. What got me the most was that I have this uncontrollable need to measure myself against others. I realize that it's not what you are, but what you do with your life, and I need to start doing things with mine.

Offshore Planning Tools

Here is a website that has information about "any destination in the world" in terms of planning a voyage there:

Noon Site

Seven Seas Cruising Association

FrankosMaps - Maps of favorite destinations - made to last

These folks will help you update your NOAA paper charts for free -

Ocean Graphics

CIMAS – Info on currents like the Florida Current, the Gulf Stream, the Yucatan Current including real-time maps showing Surface Temp and Wind.

http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/loop-current_2.html

Knot Tying

Here's an animated site for knot tying:

Animated Knots

Here's another good site:

http://www.42brghtn.mistral.co.uk/knots/42ktmenu.html

Weather Information

In addition to learning all about weather systems, tides, currents, weather pressure, wind patterns, historical data on all of the above for the areas in which I will sail, here are some resources about weather.

Up-to-date passage-making weather resource:
Passage Weather

Caribbean/Atlantic Storm Tracker - historical data too.

Stormpulse

Marinas

www.marinas.com/
The world’s most extensive marine website! Featuring low altitude, high-resolution aerial photographs of marinas from all over the world. Users can navigate the waterways with interactive mapping database, viewing important detailed aerial photographs of key inlets, harbors, bridges, all the important marinas and exciting features including lighthouses, landmarks and restaurants. Boaters and marine lovers have made Marinas.com the #1 marina website on the worldwide web.
In addition to the world’s largest collection of low altitude, high-resolution aerial images of marinas and marine locations, our travels have also help create an extensive database of marina information

Heaving-To

From Boat Rat's Tip of the Week
Cruising Compass
Most of us have never had to heave to in earnest due to high winds and unmanageable seas. That's because we head for port or stay in port when the forecast calls for gale force winds or worse. But, on longer passages there can be times at sea when a storm system gets in the way and we have to either avoid it or deal with it. In the latter case, knowing how to heave to is a very useful skill.
You don't even need storm conditions to make use of heaving to. If you are tired or the crew is uncomfortable or seasick, or if you have broken gear that needs to be repaired, heaving to can give you a few hours of respite. And, you will be amazed at how much the boat and you settle down once you stop sailing hard.
Traditional, heavy displacement cruisers with full keels heave to readily under a backed storm jib and a lashed rudder. Each boat has its own characteristics but in general a displacement cruiser will lie 50 to 70 degrees off the wind and will chug slowly ahead at a knot or two.
Modern light displacement cruisers with roller furling headsails are another matter. Because the boats are light and have a lot of windage at the bows and not a lot of boat in the water, they do not like to lie quietly with the headsail backed and the rudder to leeward. Also, when a genoa is rolled up half way or more, the sheets will invariably chafe on the side stays once the sail has been backed.
The solution to the last problem is to lead a sheet inside the side stays. This will narrow the sheeting angle a bit and will tend to keep the bow more into the wind than it would with the sheet outboard of the shrouds. Also, running the sheets inside the stays eliminates most of the chafe on the lines.
In light boats, you will have a hard time getting the boat to be still so it makes sense to heave to by slowing down but not trying to stop. With the headsail backed and the rudder adjusted, the boat may continue sailing a two or three knots or more, but will have a easy motion and will give you the chance to get some sleep.
Heaving to is a useful skill but you need to practice with your own boat to see what really works.

Energy-Friendly Cruising

Here is a sailing catamarran that has a very interesting energy concept. This is like what I want to have, though the main restriction is having a boat that could be single-handed if necessary.

Largyalo

Here are some vendors of electric marine propulsion solutions.

Re-e-power

SolidNav

Here is BoatDesign.net forum thread on these technologies

Electricity Generation

Wind-Water Eco Energy for PassagemakersWith the price of fuels being as volatile as they are and the need to "go green" in order to combat climate change becoming ever more apparent, the attraction of all-natural generating systems for our boats has never been more real. For cruisers who will be sitting at anchor a lot, fixed solar panels and a wind generator will satisfy almost all of their needs. This dual approach is probably the most popular among the cruising fleet.But if you are going to be traveling a lot, making passages and spending a lot of time sailing, then the dual system loses a lot of its efficiency. Solar panels are prone to being shaded by the sails and operating a wind generator at sea can be both noisy and dangerous; if you have ever seen a wind generator devour a spinnaker or be blown apart by a tangle with a toping lift, you will know what we mean.For blue water sailors, the better approach may be to generate electricity with a dual wind-water system. The wind generator can be an efficient, large diameter unit that hangs in the fore triangle while at anchor and will swivel neatly with wind shifts. This works best if the fore triangle is large enough to hang the generator well above head height. In practice it takes about five minutes to mount or demount the generator and when it is not in use it can be stored in a sail locker. Wind-water generators use the same generator for both purposes so when you head to sea, you unfasten the blades and reconfigure the generators with a rail mount and a towing propeller that trails off the stern. Once you are sailing on your course, you deploy the propeller and start generating. At six knots you will generate more power than you could ever need. Hamilton Ferris is one of the suppliers of wind-water systems who has done more testing and has placed more systems with cruisers than anyone else in North America. His 20-amp generator on the WP-200 system is one of the most efficient in the business and will serve up more than 400 amp-hours of energy at sea. The whole system costs less than $3,000. Check it out at www.hamiltonferris.com.

Products

Here is post for useful products that might come in handy:

MyBoatsGear.com has product information on a lot of great and useful items aboard ship as does Sailor's Solutions

Here is another blog about gadgets:
http://www.navagear.com/

A common problem when purchasing a pre-owned yacht is clouded ports and hatches. They can often be very expensive to replace.

A reader wrote: “I bought a new boat yesterday (a catamaran) and one of my biggest problems with the boat was that the windows were all clouded over and there are lots of windows! The previous owner had just purchased some Prism Polish and he said that the product claimed to be able to clear up oxidized Plexiglas. We tried it and it was absolutely AMAZING! No one could believe the results.

Prism Polish is a metal polish and fiberglass deoxidizer. It’s is safe on all metals, is non-toxic, non-flammable and non-abrasive. It works on Plexiglas, Eisenglas and Lexan. It can deoxidize and cleans gel coat, painted surfaces, clear coated surfaces.

Prism Polish received the Blue Water Sailing Magazine Seal of Approval.
www.mppros.com/index.html.

Step 3: Charter/Coastal Cruising

Chartering boats is one way of trying out different boats, expereincing different sailing areas, and previewing the lifestyle - all without any lasting investment. Here is some chartering info:

CharterNet - MN

"Adventure Cruising"

Morgan's Cloud

Adventure chartering is also available through Cruising World - you sail with a group of people on different boats to unique locations under the guidance of their professionals and a guest skipper (someone of note in community).

Coastal Cruising is another step along the way - to help test out gear, navigation and communication skills, see how I react to living at sea (seasickness), etc. - nothing like a good shakedown. So the experts recommend several of these excursions beginning with a day out and up - however if I want to go for longer than a 3 weeks or so - a passage to the Bahamas and beyond can be arranged and then I'll get a chance to sail out of sight of the shore.

Step 2: Get Certified

Sailing Schools:
Chapman
Confident Captain/Ocean Pros - Rhode Island Training Center - Royal Yachting Association Approved - (401) 849-1257

Step 1: Learn to Sail

Here are some resources for getting sailing expereince:

No one was born knowing how to handle a cruising boat in all weather conditions, how to navigate, provision for passages and use advanced high-seas communications. But you can learn. The best way is to get hands on experience on an ocean passage with teachers who have more than 200,000 ocean miles under their keels. That's John Neal and Amanda Swan-Neal. They run Mahina Expeditions aboard their Hallberg-Rassy 46 and have taught cruising skills to hundreds of sailors - many of whom are out cruising the world on their own boats. You can do it, too. Visit Mahina Expeditions at www.mahina.com.

Articles and Opinions of the Future of Sailing

Here is an article about the utter collapse of civilization and reversion to sailing as transportation by some folks who have gone off the deep-end.

Info: BVI

British Virgin Islands Info:

Provisioning:
Bobby's Market Place

Informational Sailing Resources

Though there is a lot of good stuff on the magazine websites published in the post. This post is just for instructional sailing websites - I might change my mind later and combine the two:

ABC's of Sailing

Impetus To Get Out

In spending a lot of my time dreaming about the day I can get out there on the water, it has not escaped my that I haven't asked myself the question - why?  Sometimes it seems unimportant - why not?  Do I need to explain myself?  This would be an excellent challenge and satisfy my need for adventure, self-reliance, and autonomy.  

But at other times, I wonder if there is something more elemental at play here that I am avoiding.  I definitely see my need to escape, to run down the river or through the Lakes through the St. Lawrence Seaway and get out into the open water where I have nothing but options.  But I've often wondered what happens when I get there - once I've effected my escape, what next?  What would I do with the rest of my life?  This has been one of only a handful of reasons that has held me back from buying a boat and leaving immediately. 

Today I concluded that running and escaping are fine, that I'm not avoiding anything that shouldn't be avoided (an unhappy, boring, and unfulfilling life), and that fear is not driving me to this end - the promise of freedom, challenges, new sights, and independence are.  I'm very happy that I can say this with 100% certainty.  It's a rare gift.

Lake Superior

Here's another adventure idea: go sailing through the Great Lakes or just Lake Superior. Some sailors I've read say that Superior is a dangerous and disappointing body of water on which to sail. Given that it can be very cold and prone to fog making it more dangerous than other open bodies. However I stumbled on this video on the Cruising World website that makes it look quite the opposite. These folks are exploring the Apostle Islands.


I've been to Madeline Island once as a very young boy (if I had the pic I'd post it) but my girlfriend and I were toying with the idea of going back up there to camp or just spend the weekend in the area.

I have also spent some time in the Georgian Bay, and it is a beautiful place to be. I especially like the art that's come out of there (Search for the Group of Seven):

I think it would be great fun to take a Pocket Cruiser or Camper and sail around in there if I couldn't get access to a larger vessel. Of course, it could always be a charter, or I could go up there for some of the open water classes I'd want to take. It's be great fun to sail through the great lakes and out into the Atlantic. A subject about which I have written and thought extensively in my other life as a writer.

Gale Tactics

"Once it starts blowing over 50 knots, the survival of the boat and crew depends equally upon good seamanship, a good boat, and plain luck. It makes sense, therefore, to avoid regions where gales, and worse, are frequent.

But it doesn't take a full gale to bring trouble. For example, in the last days of a run to Panama, in building winds and seas magnified by an opposing current, boats, especially modern, light-displacement, fin-keel types, want to surf down the waves. While thrilling (for a while), this increases the risk of broaching or jibing. I recommend, in the interest of safety, that you disconnect the autopilot or self-steering and steer by hand.

A worthwhile investment for boats likely to encounter heavy-weather running dead downwind is a drogue, such as the Galerider, made by Hathaway, Reiser & Raymond (203-324-9581, www.hathaways.com). When streamed, it will tend to keep the stern square to the waves, thus reducing the likelihood of broaching.

Another couple of tricks you can use when running or deep reaching are to lead your headsail sheets to the main boom (see "Give Your Headsails Room to Breathe," July 2003) and to rig the Iolaire anti-jibe preventer (see "A Few Ounces of Prevention," June 2002)."

- Cruising World

Trimming the Main Sail

"Over my years of racing, I've learned to watch the angle of the top batten to try to point as close to the wind as possible. Sighting from under the boom, I trim the sheet until the two are parallel, except in waves or heavy winds, when it's much faster to let the sail twist open a little. This approach has worked on cruising boats I've sailed, too... new sails can do lots of clever tricks--they can flake, they roll inside the boom, or they roll in the mast. But a rapidly increasing number are sold for in-mast furlers and have vertical battens or no battens at all.

"If the bow falls off when I ease the mainsheet in a puff, I know that's a sign of leeward helm, so maybe I should tighten the boom vang to help the leech hold its shape. This can be done even if you have a solid, non-adjustable vang with an in-boom furler; according to Dave Anderson of Schaefer, which makes the Boom Furler, you can just "turn the mandrel [furler] a little." Want to solve the more common problem of weather helm? I start by tightening the outhaul, although I've learned the hard way that this has its limits. A tired outhaul can fail if you're too enthusiastic on the winch handle."

- Cruising World

Light-Air Sailing

"When sailing in light air, boats are sensitive to changes in trim, even those made by crew moving about. Quick movements by the crew can slow the boat down, and it can take a long time to get back up to top speed, so encourage everyone to move about the deck in a catlike motion.

Tuning the Sails
Sails work efficiently only when they’re trimmed correctly for the conditions.

The jib should luff evenly. If it luffs first at the top, move your jib-sheet lead forward. If the sail luffs first at the bottom, move your jib-sheet lead aft (see "How To Get Properly Twisted," September 1998).

Make sure to ease the main boom topping lift so that it’s slack, then use the top batten as a guide to mainsail trim. It should be parallel to the boom. If it hooks to windward, ease the sail out (see "Sailing on Main Street," February 1999) or loosen the vang.

If by moving crew weight you can heel the boat to leeward, it will help the sails take their proper shape."

- Cruising World

Sailing Community

There are tons of forums and magazines out there, but here are some that I've found most interesting useful. Not all of them are great, and I'm always looking for some good ones so if you find any, let me know.

SailNet

Cruising World

Sailing World

Blue Water Sailing

Ocean Navigator

Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA)

Attainable Adventure Cruising

YachtPals

First Log

This is my fourth attempt to start a blog.  Not for lack of things to say, but for lack of organization and will to do.  My other blogs never took off because I lacked a unifying theme.  Some bloggers don't seem to need this, but I do.  I can't stand the unstructured ramblings of most others, so I will try to keep mine to a minimal, and include only those thoughts which pertain to my stated blog goals.  

Having said that, this blog is meant as a repository for daily information on my progress towards owning a sailing ship, becoming savvy in the skills of seamanship - navigation, maintenance, provisioning, skippering, and planning offshore adventures.  In the short-term, my goals will not outlined here will not seem to line up with the overall picture, but it is part-and-parcel in my mind.  I plan to differentiate my different adventures along the path to blue water cruising with different pages if possible so as to keep them topical as this is the style I prefer in a would that is inundated with, for lack of a better word, content.

I live in Minneapolis - actually in the city - and rent an apartment so my storage options and small boat ownership options are a little limited.  However, I believe this is an essential first step - novel idea, huh?

So I have been deciding on whether to get a canoe and a sail-rig, which would have more applications and storage options here in Minnesota, a small sailboat (dinghy), or a catamaran (what I think is one of the coolest looking vessels ever).

I am leaning towards the canoe with a sail-rig for several reasons:

1. I can paddle it around, no problem.
   
2. Car-top-able.
   
3. I can always sell the canoe and keep the sails stored at a latter date when I can own multiple boats.
4. One of my latest ideas - one which I have not researched at all - is to get a buddy to drive me up to Lake Itasca, drop me off, and I'll sail/paddle down to Minneapolis. On a grander scale, I would like to do this all the way down to the gulf, but again I haven't researched it at all and don't know the logistics. Doing this in a canoe might be, to say the least, fool-hardy.  

So we'll see what happens.

I mean this blog to be a journal of record for myself, housing links to various resources for my various adventures, thoughts, progress along the way, but it is my hope that maybe others will enjoy reading along, and perhaps benefit from my thoughts, research, and plans.

Videos of Canoe and Kayak Sailing

History of Canoe Sailing

American Sailing Canoe Association - Information and Techniques

Canoe Sailing Magazine

Sailboats-To-Go - Provider of Sailing Rigs

Castle Craft - Provider of Sailing Rigs