Sensible Small Boat Cruising

Comment

Comment by Richard on April 13, 2009 at 1:14pm

Orv...

Started looking at your vids. Have things that need to be done but will get back to them later in the day.

I spent a couple of months in Oahu and was never so glad to leave any place in my life. I thought I was glad to have left France after two and a half years, but there are things I miss about France to this day and I left in '91. On the other hand there's NOTHING I miss about Hawaii. Pretty place filled with the most miserable people I've encountered anywhere.

When I was looking for my first sailboat of my own I looked at a couple of Vegas. Thought they were well built, but overall didn't care for the non-opening ports on the cabin side and since I was going to be in the tropics that was an important thing for me. I found my Kaiser26 which had, besides the main hatch and the forward hatch, FIVE opening ports and believe me that made a big difference down in Belize and the Rio Dulce.

Looking forward to all your vids.

Comment by Orvil Newton on April 11, 2009 at 10:15pm

Aloha ka'kou!

Recently discovered Sea Knots and this group. We sailed our Vega 27 "Lealea" from Hawaii to the Pacific Northwest in the summer of 2007 to begin our open-ended cruise and we have a YouTube channel dedicated to promoting "Small boat cruising in general and The American Vega Association in particular".

Malie ke kai

Comment by Richard on April 1, 2009 at 11:23pm

I have started a new group here for members with websites and blogs...if you have one, please join.

Comment by Richard on April 1, 2009 at 8:46am

I have started a Word Press blog relating to sailing, and retirement in Panama if anyone might be interested the URL is

http://oldsalt1942.wordpress.com/

Comment by Captain Ron on March 17, 2009 at 2:51am

Getting ready for annual "Mead Madness Sail" of the 5 basins of Lake Mead NV/AZ. Lake Mead has about 150 miles of navigable water, with 550 miles of shoreline with coves only accessible by boat. We start out from Callville Bay marina on March 27 and end back at Callville bay April 3. Usually about 12 boats. Event includes a fun "Sailing Rally" between navigation aids (buoy and markers) while transiting the various basins. The first Saturday, March 28 is the 11Th Annual Las Vegas Bay Founders' Cup Race open to all sailboats and skipper experience with no penalties, but expect good seamanship (Sailing Rules of the Road). Race has two awards, engraved Coleman coffee cup, and the "Bitter end" plaque for you know WHO. I will be there with my MacGregor 26X "FOREVER", trying to avoid getting my third "Bitter end" plaque.

Check out the details at http://www.geocities.com/rbniel/

Comment by Richard on March 17, 2009 at 1:24am

You need to see these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAjFnJuk1Aw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjPODksI08

Comment by Richard on March 17, 2009 at 12:55am

I have to admit that I have been neglectfully absent from this group that I started and am amazed by how much its grown. I think the last time I looked there were only about 25 or so members. Today there were 71, but I banned a right-wing religious fanatic who has been posting political crap all over.

At the moment I am writing this from the Hawaiian Hotel. No, it's not in Oahu or Kuai or any of the other islands in the group. The Hawaiian Hotel is located in the small town of Chitre, Panama, on the Azuero Peninsula.

I have been semi-forceably retired. I started collecting Social Security almost a year ago while continuing to work as the office manager of a friend's construction business in Fort Lauderdale. But if you've been paying even lackluster attention you know the state of the construction industry these days and south Florida has been especially hard hit. Effectively we are out of business.

Almost two years ago I thought it would be fun to take a vacation to Panama and see if I could hop aboard a yacht making a transit of the Canal. It's been one of my dreams to do that. I sailed across the pond in '91 but have no desire to circle the globe. And I'll make a confession. The crossing was done on an 85' boat with wine with our evening meal every night.

For years I had thought about retiring on a boat in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. I had spent 3 months there on my beloved, and long gone

Nancy Dawson, a Kaiser 26.
While checking out the possibility of transiting the Canal as a line handler, I Googled "Retirement in Panama" and found out that the country has a wonderful program for retirees called a "Pensionado" visa. Anyone receiving a minimum of $1,000/month is eligible. I urge everyone in this group to do the same search to see the amazing benefits the country offers. Then Google Bocas del Toro to see what might be an even better location than the Rio Dulce and be aware of the fact that Panama is located BELOW the hurricane zone.

I met a friend of a friend in Sebastian, Florida, who had gotten his "Pensionado" and bought a home in the old Canal Zone. I came down here in December and started the process. I was issued a 90 ID card when I registered and had to return this month to renew it. When my lawyer, Lizi Rose who I highly recommend to anyone who wants to pursue the same course, and I went to Immigration they said that my application had been approved and was just waiting to be signed which should be within the next two weeks. When that is done I will be a legal resident of the Republic of Panama!

Currently I am just roaming around looking at possible places to settle down. Spent the weekend in Santiago which is definately not on the list any more.Chitre is a happening little place and I'll be going down to the beach town of Pedesi the day after tomorrow. Several Panamanians have said that Pedesi, while a quiet little backwater town, is one of the most beautiful places in the country.

I'll try and check in more often in the coming days.

Comment by Richard on March 17, 2009 at 12:29am

Jim, as I said in the intro to the group, the size of the craft isn't engraved in stone. Many successful cruises are accomplished in smaller boats than 25 feet.

And cruising, to me at least, isn't about the distance one travels over the water but the distance on travels in the quest for adventure and that can be as small as an overnight hop to another cove from where you normally stay.

Comment by Larry Wilson on January 20, 2009 at 7:09pm

Jim,
If you haven't visited the site already, try going to Sailfar.net. This is a great group of small boat cruisers and you'll probably find others with your cruising plan. And of course, by all means, keep posting here.

Comment by Jim Connors on January 20, 2009 at 6:28pm

Greetings all, I have a 30 year old Helms 24, a bit small for your definition (25-36'.) But hopefully I can fit in here. Anyone on the FL east coast? I am interested in trailering my boat to Patrick AFB and sailing the ICW for a few weeks, then trying to sail from W Palm Beach to West End, Grand Bahama. I'd love to link up with a group of boats for the voyage; safety in numbers! Anyone have any suggestions where I can find a group of folks making this trip in the Spring?
Thanks, Jim Connors

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• …
• 13
• Next ›
• Page