Sensible Small Boat Cruising

Dear all,

In browsing the pages of Seaknot I find that there are a lot of sailboat maintenance questions posted in various groups. This created an idea for a new group focused on sharing our boat maintenance questions and answers.

Please post your question there and hopefully someone with more experience will be able to assist. I will try to answer your questions too, if I know what it is about.

Howard

i used to sail with a friend long ago in the late 80s to catalina from lost angeles with a friend in her 25 ft coronado sloop---had a lot of fun in that boat--i have had my share of smaller boats--i still have a 35 ericson mII...my other favorite dink is a kite class---newport 11....a real kick.....

Some years ago a friend gave me a book entitled "Sensible Cruising: The Thoreau Approach" This book by Don Casey & Lew Hackler provides a philosophic & practical approach to cruising, primarily in boats around 30ft and under 40ft. If any of you come across this book, it's a good read

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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/

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/

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

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

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.

I have only visited Hawaii a few times, both for business. Overall, I really did enjoy my experience both in Ohahu and Maui. You mentioned that you were unhappy with your experience there.......care to enlarge on that so the rest of us can understand? Otherwise, your blatant statement has no credibility.....

I lived on Oahu for thirty years, two thirds of that time aboard my boat. People often ask why we left. The answer is that Hawaii no longer has what I went there for (Except the weather and great sailing conditions). The population has doubled, the pineapple and sugar cane plantations are gone - replaced by housing and resort developments, traffic is insane, the government is corrupt and notoriously anti-boating. Surprisingly for a state composed entirely of islands, boating facilities, mostly state run, are few and in appalling condition.

Per capita income is among the lowest in the US while the cost of living is among the highest. The education system is a joke. It is common for local people to work two jobs and for families to live in multi-generational homes on what is called "Ohana zoned" properties because of the high cost of housing.

Aside from the shrinking military presence, Hawaii's economy is entirely dependent on tourism so of course every effort is made to ensure a positive experience for visitors. In short, it is a nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there.

To my admittedly somewhat jaded eyes the islands have become a cheap plastic imitation of what they once were.

Orville,you lived there for 30 yrs & you are an American citizen.....Hawaii is an American state. I hear your disappointment for your living situation in Hawaii and why you decided to leave. My question to you is simply this......you lived there for 30 yrs......you complained about the fact that things have changed but I haven't heard you say one word about what you did to help make things better or how after 30 yrs of living there you did anything to get involved to help make things better.......pardon me but if you have enjoyed 30 yrs of living in paradise....it is your duty to give something back......

i have heard many folks cruising there complain of the un friendliness to boaters....it was harsh enopugh for me to not want to visit that place ever---i have also heard pleasant things about the place---there seems to be few places to place a boat there---some friendliness to boats and some unfriendliness----i really donot know if i would ever really want to visit there in a private boat......

seems to me there is much disinformation here about visiting the Hawaiian Islands.........I have visited by plane & look forward to having the opportunity to visiting by boat!!!

sailorgirlca, As I said, Hawaii is a nice place to visit, has wonderful weather and great sailing conditions but facts are facts. It is not a great place to live, especially for a boater. Hawaii changed over time, as most places do, for economic and political reasons and not for the better. It has been a long time since agriculture has been economically profitable in Hawaii. The change from an agrarian economic base to tourism and military plus the population growth has had a severe negative impact on quality of life in the islands. I saw the changes first hand and no amount of community involvement could have held back the hands of time. I submit that, as an occasional visitor, you could not possibly know what it is like to live and work in Hawaii.

As for my involvement in the community, I served on the US Navy Morale Welfare and Recreation's Hydrofest Board five times, the State of Hawaii Motor Vehicle Repair Board, the Governor's Task Force for Motorcycle Safety, the Hawaii March of Dimes Board and three terms as president and fifteen terms as a voting member of the Hawaii Motorcycle Dealer's Association board of directors. I met frequently with both state legislators and congressman Neil Abercrombie and Senator Dan Inouye and testified numerous times at state legislative hearings on many issues ranging from highway safety to boating and shoreline access.

I enjoyed the time I spent living and working in Honolulu but it was quite different from an extended two-week vacation. The plain fact is there are much more pleasant places to live and to visit and Hawaii is just not the place it was in 1967 when I first visited and decided to move there. Judged solely by it's climate and natural beauty, Hawaii is hard to beat but that, sailorgirlca, is only skin deep.

hello all, if you dont mind i would like to start with a question. i have never sailed the ocean and wondered this: 1. i pay to crane my boat in the water,2. i board the boat , ready her for sail and sail away............now......where can i stop and anchor for the night before i sail on? anywhere i feel safe? do i need someones permission? or does the ocean belong to us sailors? thanks in advance for any and all aswers. johnny

Hi Johnny.

The world is a big place. It depends on where you are. Major population centers typically have strict regulations on shoreline use. Some places have free anchorages or inexpensive moorings available, other places you will have to tie up in a marina. Some places have time or seasonal restrictions. Get charts and pilot books for the area you will be in and ask local mariners.

orville, thanks a lot for your response. i've since watched most if not all of of your sailing videos with a great admiration for you and your wife. i have also purchased the coastal pilot volume 2 and like you advised am finding even more info than expected. i will of course continue to ask questions in hope that i can someday find my way through some off to some great off the coast voyages. johnny

You are welcome johnny. I hope you find the videos and our logs helpful. I added another video to YouTube today and have begun posting them here in chronological order. I have only completed 15, so far, of over 50 video logs of the Pacific Crossing plus a couple of our Pacific Northwest hops. After I complete the Across the Pacific series I will start on the preparation and refit videos.

Orville, thank you for providing additional information on living in HI......as you mentioned visiting is far different than living there. It certainly did provide me with a clearer perspective........

It's official. I was notified today that my Pensionado Visa in Panama was approved and I now have resident's status in the Republic.

Just joined this group, love cruising small boats. I have a Cape Dory 30. My previous boats were Pacific Seacraft 25(great pocket cruiser), Ranger 23 (was built as offshore/racer), and a US Yacht 25 ( poor quality, not for offshore, but a fabulous sailor). I have about 20,000 ocean miles delivering sailboats, the largest being a 52 ft Little Harbor and the smallest a Island packet 27. I felt just as safe in the 27 footer than I did in the 52 footer. A lot of people equate the size of the vessel with the safety and I heartily disagree. To me it is good design and construction not size.
My Cape Dory has a 9 foot beam, so she doesn’t have the interior volume that other 30 footer have. she is perfect for me though and that narrow beam means she points like a demon. She needs lots of work before I can go cruising but that is part of the adventure too! Thanks for letting me join your group, I am new to this blogging/forum stuff so I hope ths was the spot to post my Introduction.
Cheers,
Erika

Aloha e komo mai Ocean Girl. We are cruising in a Vega 27 and agree whole heartedly.

Happy New Year to all!

January 1 2010 - Puget Sound: Raining sideways but warm (50f). Wind pushing the boat around in the slip. Gale warnings in effect. I'll be happier in May.

Honestly I can't remember the last time I checked in here. The last year has been a busy and frustrating one. On the positive side I received my Pensionado visa in Panama so I'm a legal resident. On the negative side I have to sell a 21 foot Boston Whaler Revenge and in this economy I don't think you could sell a hundred dollar bill for $50. It's the only thing that's keeping me in the States right now.

What has kept me away from this site has been the time I spend maintaining two blogs...


This blog is about boats, music, retirement to Panama and whatever might strike my fancy at the moment.

The other blog is:


Come visit me there.

US 30 GOING OUT TO THE TORTUGAS FOR THE FIRST TIME . lOOKING FOR SOME ONE ELSE WHO HAS MADE THE TRIP

Orvil, how can you not like the weather this year? You can't complain we haven't had breeze...you could get a turkey airborne lately.
All of a sudden the Tortugas is sounding awfully good!

You may not have picked up on the fact that I spent the last thirty years in Hawaii.

Hello, I cruise my 33' Pearson 10 M out of Salem Ma with my wife and 3 kids. I love spending as much time as possible on board. I recently moved up from a Pearson 30 as it was getting a little ttoo cozy on the P30. In addition my new boat is a vastly more capable offshore boat. I look forward to being a part of your group!

Aloha e' komo mai Scott. I wouldn't know what to do with all that room; but then you have three kids and I only have one cat d;^)

I sail (have not done any cruising with the baby, yet) our 28' Irwin with my wife and 3 kids. All of us (with the possible exception of the 9 month old), love spending time on the boat - despite the somewhat cramped quarters. Any families doing extended cruising in small vessels?

My 96' MacGregor 26X "FOREVER" flying a spinnaker as a gennaker on Virgin Basin,

Lake Mead NV

His a picture taken from another boat to give you a view of "FOREVER" flying the spinnaker as a gennacker.

This is "Joy Jib" a Montgomery 16 anchor in a quite cove at Temple Bar basin .

Here my favorite. Two MacGregor 26X flying cruising spinnakers running down wind at Greg Basin headed for Sandy Point. Murv Barry in " Wind Barry" leading Newell Wilson in "Fast Sunday"

Delmar butte, Temple Bar bay, Lake Mead NV

Joy Jib with Delmar butte in the background

Hi, My husband and I own a 1979 C&C 34 "Changes". We have sold my house and have been living on Changes for the past 2+ months. We are scheduled to leave to go to the Bahamas via the Erie Canal, Hudson River, Atlantic Ocean to Norfolk, VA and the ICW for who know how far. We're working on picking up my 20 year old daughter somewhere close to West Palm Beach FL, and she'll travel with us during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday break to return to college late December or early Jan 2011. Anyone else do this before? This is our first time.

heya 'changes', im thrilled for yall. i too moved aboard 2 months ago, puttin house on market in march this year. just hangin close till house sells, readyin th boat and startin a lil j.o.b. to build th kitty before i head off to who knows where. glad to hear yalls progress. do keep us posted.

Dances With Sails - hope that your house sells fast than mine - though ours wasn't bad - a little over a year. If your lucky, maybe we'll both be cruising this winter. Feel free to check out my blog changesgoingsouth.blogspot.com I've been chronicling getting ready and planning to talk about our trip once we get underway.

We plan to leave Sept 4. I'm still working and have to work Sept 1 to give my daughter 1 more month of health insurance. We plan to take 2-3 weeks on the Erie Canal then get to Norfolk, VA as quick as we can.

It's been a long time since I checked into this group that I started a couple of years ago. I can't believe over 100 people have joined. Well, actually I can because there are more of us with small boats than with large ones and using your head you can pretty much go anywhere you want in a small boat and cruising doesn't have to be around the world. It can be taking a long weekend and tucking yourself into a little cove somewhere you've never been before.

One of the reasons I haven't been on for so long is I moved and am living in the mountains of western Panama. But that's okay. I've been working on a book that has been festering in my mind for years and recently completed the first draft.

Having put nearly 69 years under my keel at this point I don't have the time to go through all the rigamaroll of traditional publishing so I'm going to do it digitally. In order to get a little practice in on formatting for that medium I recently polished up a story I've been playing around with for years and published it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/37782. It's about my single-handed journey from Key West to Isla Mujeres. If you go to that Smashwords link you can read the first 20% of the story for free, and if you like it you can get the whole thing for a buck.

If you're not so inclined keep on cruising.