Getting started with
retirement on a sailboat

1. Find a place where you can live aboard a boat.
   
   
2. Get a boat.
   There is no magic answer to what to get, but used, fiberglass and 36-37 feet is a nice choice.
   
   
3. Move aboard.
   Probably cheaper than paying rent ashore, and eases the transition when you finally do sail away. And you'll know the boat better. But living aboard while working ashore has its own challenges.
   
   
4. Sail the boat and get yourself in shape.
   Generally overlooked by those planning to go cruising; they work on their boats and buy equipment, but don't sail them enough.
   
   
5. Set a precise departure date.
   When the day arrives, don't put it off because there are a few more things to fix on the boat; there always will be a few more things to fix. Unless the weather is horrible or something major is broken, stick to your date.
   
   
6. Go.

Yes, I have more open-ocean/blue water sailing experience than anyone I know, and I consider myself the consummate world cruiser. But I must confess something to all of you ... and please take me seriously ... I would never, never, never consider going world cruising or undertake a circumnavigation with a just a "couple of years" experience. That goes for even if I were sailing in a full-time job getting that experience.

I am well aware that you are all adults and can do whatever you want ... and that you probably will, but if your experience level is as you describe it, I think you are thinking very dangerously. World cruising is not a cakewalk ... it is not even easy. It is very, very dangerous, and the only thing that makes it even remotely enjoyable is sailing with people who know what they are doing ... who give you a degree of comfort that if anything happens that you cannot handle, someone on board can ...

I think dreams are wonderful ... everyone knows I have them myself, but I am quite proud of the fact that after over 70 ocean crossings of varying lengths, and four near-circumnavigations, I am still alive to tell about it.

I am not trying to brag, but if you want to have a "come to Jesus" session on this medium, tell me, and I will participate. I will tell you stories, all true, about 80-foot waves hitting you head on the bow; I'll tell you about being lost at sea with no navigation equipment and clouds so thick you could not see stars if you wanted. I will tell you about being shot at while some modern-day psycho gets his jollies at trying to steal your boat.

If I sound like I am over-reacting, maybe I am ... but I have found two boats in my life ... in mid-ocean ... with no crews ... each one a trip started by novices.

And if you do decide to go, God be with you and be careful. I just ask that you re-think your ideas ... maybe modify them a little. Go with some experienced people first.

I have been sailing for over 30 years. The last fifteen have been both across the Atlantic and Pacific. For pleasure and deliveries. I can without question say I have never seen a container, let alone bumped into one.

... Sailing is the easy part, the pleasant part, and -- get this! -- the SAFE part. Take it from one who's been doing it more than thirty years, the safest thing you can do in a boat is sail it far from land.

Is there anything dangerous about living aboard in harbor while learning to sail? Let me add a few words to your vocabulary: Anchor. Set. Rode. Chain. Rope. Scope. Tide. Swinging. Dragging. Bowsprit. Fending off. Coral head. Pounding. Hull breach. Grounding. Surf.

And these words: Through-hull. Electrolysis. Corrosion. Leaking. Cabin sole. Bilge pump failure. Groping in bilge in darkness. Desperately pumping up dinghy.

And here's a word you probably already know: hurricane. Have you ever experienced wind over 100 MPH? There is simply no way to imagine it, so you're probably right to refuse to think about it. ...

Formula for Disaster:

1. Rushed, ill-considered departure.
2. Potentially dangerous route.
3. Lack of alternative on route.
4. Unprepared or small or inexperienced crew.
5. Unprepared boat.
6. Crew panic after injury.
7. Weak leadership.

Factors in Human Error:

• Poor information (weather, navigation): must do basics right, track location and hazards.
• Fatigue: must pay attention to crew state, sleep/wake cycles.
• Inertia: changing conditions require decisions/adjustments.
• Panic: must practice/rehearse/think about emergency scenarios.

... I generally have just one smart bit of advice to the folks that I've helped on their way: Crawl, before you Walk, before you Run! Those people who start off with the hard stuff first seldom get very far! Too frequently I see new cruisers here who want to prove something (usually to themselves) and do so by setting out [from Texas] straight across the Gulf of Mexico headed to Florida. And with little or no experience! And all too frequently in the winter! Now that's just plain insane! And typically those people quit after they get to Florida! Or get a divorce! ...

I think a useful exercise would be to produce a list of real threats that blue water cruising crews face. Then get prepared to deal with those threats. In my opinion, there are ways to minimize each danger. Also, in my opinion, I've listed the most serious REALISTIC risks facing a cruising boat. We've had all of these situations on our cruise.

(1) Grounding. Go slow, have primary and backup depth sounders, avoid transiting coral shallows when water colors are not visible. Have adequate gear for kedging off. Have at least 3/4 keel boat with skeg-hung rudder and protected prop to minimize possible grounding damage. Steel boat is nice. Don't panic. We grounded about 5 times on the year-long voyage, and towed 2 boats off sandbars along the way. Never any damage - even with exposed props/rudders.

(2) Engine stops. Line around prop - make sure you are never dragging any of your own lines, watch for crab pots, filter your fuel, use biocide, change oil, change zincs, do an engine inspection daily (and hourly while underway). Don't shut down a running diesel in a crisis or near crisis. Install alarms. Always have mainsail ready to hoist. Always have anchor ready to drop. A bilge pump alarm saved us when an engine cooling hose blew, resulting in a minor $7 repair instead of an emergency rescue.

(3) Anchor dragging. Have oversized anchor and chain, use proper scope, set two anchors when concerned about holding, always back down properly, carry CQR/Bruce and Danforth (for different bottoms) plus a backup anchor, never leave boat until at least 30 minutes of close observation, return if there is a significant wind shift, carry a handheld VHF when away monitoring 16. We also carried 250 feet of line for making boat fast to the shore if necessary (and used it several times).

(4) Bad weather. Have SSB weather radio or weatherfax, use daily. Have everything secure on deck at all times. If coastal cruising there is no excuse to be caught out in bad weather - wait for good weather, be prepared to turn back or seek alternate harbors. If blue water cruising, have strong boat with positive righting moment capable of withstanding knockdowns. Smaller lexan windows, bombproof hatches, oversized rigging, storm sails, small cockpit, large drains, sufficient pumps. Get crew experienced gradually in heavy weather sailing. Reef early. Be sure to know how to heave to, lie ahull, or stream warps, at the appropriate times. Radar, GPS chartplotter are technical aids, but good seamanship comes first. Carry a knife, axe and bolt cutters capable of cutting your anchor chain.

(5) Injury. It's easy to get cut, sick, bruised, or broken. Carry adequate first aid and medical supplies. Marine SSB or Ham radio can work wonders if a serious medical situation happens far from help. See your doctor before the trip and prepare a medical kit.

(6) Getting Lost. Even in the world of GPS it's easy to do. Have adequate paper charts, acquire local knowledge. Don't overly depend on cruising guides at the expense of your better judgement. Double-check waypoints, it's easy to transpose digits, North versus South, 45 degrees 11 minutes instead of 46 degrees 11 minutes (I've done both). Getting lost will translate into threat (1) or (7).

(7) Hitting something. Usually while docking, locking, or going under a bridge. It never happened to us but to several of our buddy boats. Not much you can do. Bow and stern thrusters would be nice (but unaffordable). Learn to use spring lines for maneuvering. Practice, practice, go slow. Even then a cross current will do you in sometime. Have liability insurance. Have an old boat that can stand a few dings and you can repair yourself. Never insist on right-of-way. Be able to repair your longest piece of standing rigging.

(8) Seasick. Not much you can do. It usually goes away after about 3 days at sea. If it doesn't, look into medications or sell the boat. The transderm patches work but cause hallucinations after a while.

The rest never happened to us.

(9) Bad People. Travel in a group. Avoid dangerous places. Keep the VHF on 16 at all times. Having a fast boat is a good thing. We never locked the door in 12 months and 5000 miles (except in New York City).

(10) Leaks. Carry underwater sealant, plenty of 5200, wet suit, mask. Don't leave in the first place if your boat has serious leaks (ex. deck/hull joint). Know how to adjust your stuffing boxes. Have softwood plugs for the through hulls, and exercise the valves regularly. Call for help in a bad situation. Even in a remote anchorage, people will respond. We knew of a boat that hit rock or coral, had 3 feet of water in the bilge and more on the way, generator under water, battery and pumps out. Local people responded to their handheld VHF call for help, directed them to a place to beach the boat, and brought portable pumps out, patched the hull with underwater epoxy, towed them off, and sent them on their way to the nearest boatyard. If this happened mid-ocean it would have been time to call Mayday on the SSB/HAM, trigger the EPIRB, and step up into the lifeboat.

(11) Crewperson is hating it. Change what you are doing.

• Sail into a harbor with the spinnaker up (looks really cool, unless you can't get it down).
  
  
• Get the dinghy painter wrapped around the prop.
  
  
• Dip a bucket overboard at 7 knots.
  
  
• Release a rope clutch without first taking turns around a winch.
  
  
• Walk along the leeward side of a (heeling) boat.
  
  
• Make a flying leap onto a dock.
  
  
• Leave the handle in the winch.
  
  
• Fend off another boat with your hands or your feet.
  
  
• Start an outboard while it's still attached to your stern rail.
  
  
• Believe that power always gives way to sail.
  
  
• Sail between a barge and its tow.
  
  
• Let go of the mooring before the skipper tells you to.
  
  
• Leave the forehatch open while you're working on the foredeck.
  
  
• Think that just one more stroke of the pump will unblock that toilet.
  
  
• Leave harbor with the sailcover on and the anchor stowed.
  
  
• Straddle a line leading to a highly loaded block.
  
  
• Anchor without first checking the chart.
  
  
• Forget to secure the bitter end of the anchor rode.
  
  
• Tow a dinghy in a big following sea.
  
  
• Go sailing without checking the weather forecast.
  
  
• Sail dead-downwind without rigging a jibe-preventer.
  
  
• Go coastal cruising without paper charts.
  
  
• Forget to open the cooling-water seacock before starting the engine.
  
  
• Pick up a mooring under mainsail when the wind and current are opposing each other.
  
  
• Get the deck fillers confused.

Never forget in a lot of cruising venues you are the rich AMERICAN sailor and the cost of the windlass is an annual salary for many you come into contact with. There can be an overwhelming amount of pressure to move some of your obvious riches from your pockets to theirs. This can be in the form of offering you items for sale, trade, theft, scams, solicitation for bribes, fees for everything from guides to security for your vessel.

I one time had a Bahamian offer me fresh lobster for a dollar a piece, out of season. I rejected the offer being somewhat suspicious and heard later that some sailor had his vessel confiscated and was deported back to the states for violating Bahamian fishing regulations. Some three weeks and thousands of dollars in legal fees and fines and they were back on their vessel. I also heard that the informant was paid a "reward" for turning in this scofflaw. Five minutes of stupidity resulted in a ruined cruising season.

Another couple took a "job" doing some remodeling and painting for a home owner on one of the islands. A local "informed" the authorities that these non-resident, without working permits, aliens were working and being paid. The authorities showed up at the residence and arrested the couple, give them the choice of being put into a Bahamian jail or being deported. The couple arrived in Fort Lauderdale with no more than the clothes they were wearing and their vessel was sitting un-locked in the anchorage. Fortunately they had friends both here and there and a couple of sailors actually sailed their boat to Fort Lauderdale. Their ordeal only cost them five hundred bucks for air tickets.

Sailor beware.

Moving aboard is a big step for most. Cutting the ties with a land-based home is often a traumatic and fearful experience at first ...

Boat type doesn't seem to matter much in the decision to move aboard or in the angst one goes through before the transition is complete. ...

Fort Lauderdale's show is geared toward power boats primarily. St Petersburg has a sailboat show in the fall, I believe. The Miami International Boat Show in February is the show with the greatest number of sailboats by far.