Is going to the Caribbean now a possibility?

Bajansailor

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Thanks for the perspective on marinas. It confirmed my suspicions.

BTW, why would you want an extra dinghy?

Its a bit of an ask, but I could stretch to that Ovni. Would be great for going to the Bahamas. However its a conventional main sail, and I'd rather have a furling main sail coz it will only be two of us sailing most of the time. Mind you, the sails and the rigging on that Ovni are probably due for replacement soon, so maybe now would be a good time to change them and get a new mast with an in-mast furling system at the same time.

Do aluminium hulls get hot in the sun (too hot to walk on in bare feet), or does the sea act as a great big heat sink and keep them cool?

Re an extra dinghy - my take on this is that an extra dinghy is always useful as soon as you have two or more people on board - not everybody wants to go everywhere together all the time.
And out here in the Caribbean the statistics re dinghies going on walkabout are quite worrying - some drift off because they were not tied up properly, others were stolen.
If your dinghy disappears one night, you are stranded on the boat unless you can beg a lift ashore (or flag down a water taxi) to report it (and / or to look for a replacement). And dinghies have been known to disappear even if they are attached with a lock and cable (the thieves know all about cordless grinders, hacksaws and bolt croppers).
When we used to go on cruises to the islands we always carried two dinghies (an Avon inflatable, and a 2 part home built nesting dinghy), and both got regular usage.

It sounds like your maximum budget is around GBP 300,000 - have a look also at John Rodriguez's cruising yacht brokerage - he specialises in the type of boat that you are looking for.
And he posts on here occasionally as 'Jonic' (his wife's name is Nicola) -
Cruising & Blue Water Yacht Brokerage - UK based ABYA Yacht Broker

Re a 'conventional' fully battened mainsail, you can always retrofit a better track system for the cars (and upgrade the cars) to reduce the friction - I know a few people who have retro-fitted sail tracks from Tides Marine, and they are very happy.
SailTrack and Slide Systems | Tides Marine
If you release the halyard with one of these track systems, and you have good quality batten cars, the sail literally falls down into the Stack pack bag, and then all you have to do is zip it up.
And you can have an electric halyard for hoisting the sail if desired.
This would be a lot easier than converting from a conventional mainsail to an in mast furling main.

Re aluminium hulls - they do not HAVE to be painted (as they are built with marine grade aluminium) - however it is prudent to paint the decks in white or a very pale colour so that they do not get too hot.
They will usually have insulation on the inside of the hull down to the waterline.
 
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Paddy Fields

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Re an extra dinghy - my take on this is that an extra dinghy is always useful as soon as you have two or more people on board - not everybody wants to go everywhere together all the time.
And out here in the Caribbean the statistics re dinghies going on walkabout are quite worrying - some drift off because they were not tied up properly, others were stolen.
If your dinghy disappears one night, you are stranded on the boat unless you can beg a lift ashore (or flag down a water taxi) to report it (and / or to look for a replacement). And dinghies have been known to disappear even if they are attached with a lock and cable (the thieves know all about cordless grinders, hacksaws and bolt croppers).
When we used to go on cruises to the islands we always carried two dinghies (an Avon inflatable, and a 2 part home built nesting dinghy), and both got regular usage.

It sounds like your maximum budget is around GBP 300,000 - have a look also at John Rodriguez's cruising yacht brokerage - he specialises in the type of boat that you are looking for.
And he posts on here occasionally as 'Jonic' (his wife's name is Nicola) -
Cruising & Blue Water Yacht Brokerage - UK based ABYA Yacht Broker

Re a 'conventional' fully battened mainsail, you can always retrofit a better track system for the cars (and upgrade the cars) to reduce the friction - I know a few people who have retro-fitted sail tracks from Tides Marine, and they are very happy.
SailTrack and Slide Systems | Tides Marine
If you release the halyard with one of these track systems, and you have good quality batten cars, the sail literally falls down into the Stack pack bag, and then all you have to do is zip it up.
And you can have an electric halyard for hoisting the sail if desired.
This would be a lot easier than converting from a conventional mainsail to an in mast furling main.

Re aluminium hulls - they do not HAVE to be painted (as they are built with marine grade aluminium) - however it is prudent to paint the decks in white or a very pale colour so that they do not get too hot.
They will usually have insulation on the inside of the hull down to the waterline.

Good point about the dinghies/mast track upgrade/al hulls! Ive seen some mast track/car upgrades, but requiring a new mast (e.g. MDS full-batten concept : Seldén Mast AB)

Also a good shout for John Rodriguez. Ive actually go his wife's book buried somewhere in my kindle. A lot of nice boats all in the UK, including nice deck saloons :) . However, I think the plan right now is to bugger off to the Caribbeans for a while and get a feel for the place, since I can do that without denting my boat budget too much.

It's been really useful bouncing ideas around here, so thanks to everyone who has replied to my dumb questions!
 

Bajansailor

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However, I think the plan right now is to bugger off to the Caribbeans for a while and get a feel for the place, since I can do that without denting my boat budget too much.

An initial reconaissance visit sounds like a good plan.

If you decide to visit Barbados, here are the latest travel protocols re Corona -
COVID-19 TRAVEL GUIDELINES 2020 - Visit Barbados

And if you do, give me a shout, and we could meet up for a socially distanced beer perhaps?
 

Bajansailor

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I used to do a fair bit of travelling re survey jobs in the other islands (about 6 or 7 times a year on average), but Corona has put a stop to that now.
One of the main regional airlines (LIAT) has gone bust, and other airlines are trying to fill the gap now, but it will take time I think.
And Trinidad's airport is still closed totally, with no flights in or out.
 

Rum_Pirate

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Possible? Probably. But probably not a smart move. Just ask any of the folks that got stuck there this last season and had to make tough choices as hurricane season approached. Or are still there, :poop:ing their pants every time a new depression forms in the Atlantic. I'd wait until vaccines have happened.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/xgtwo/two_atl_5d0.png
 

Bajansailor

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Possible? Probably. But probably not a smart move. Just ask any of the folks that got stuck there this last season and had to make tough choices as hurricane season approached. Or are still there, :poop:ing their pants every time a new depression forms in the Atlantic. I'd wait until vaccines have happened.

Probably 90% of hurricanes forming in the Atlantic describe a slow curve to the northwest (usually) re their track.
If you are in (say) Barbados, and a hurricane is a few days away, forecast to head straight for the island, then rather than just waiting like a sitting duck it is invariably a better plan to head south.
Just sail south for 24 hours, and you will probably have Force 3 - 4 winds, rather than Force 12 - 13 winds.
In the very unlikely event that the hurricane decides to ignore predictions, and head south of west, then keep going a bit further south.
Running from a hurricane is a much better plan than staying put in a 'safe' hurricane hole, and getting clobbered.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria three years ago illustrated this very well.

Re tracking hurricanes, the Hurricane Watch Net is also very good - www.hwn.org
 

Rum_Pirate

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Probably 90% of hurricanes forming in the Atlantic describe a slow curve to the northwest (usually) re their track.
If you are in (say) Barbados, and a hurricane is a few days away, forecast to head straight for the island, then rather than just waiting like a sitting duck it is invariably a better plan to head south.
Just sail south for 24 hours, and you will probably have Force 3 - 4 winds, rather than Force 12 - 13 winds.
In the very unlikely event that the hurricane decides to ignore predictions, and head south of west, then keep going a bit further south.
Running from a hurricane is a much better plan than staying put in a 'safe' hurricane hole, and getting clobbered.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria three years ago illustrated this very well.

Re tracking hurricanes, the Hurricane Watch Net is also very good - www.hwn.org
They say the Hurricane God is a Bajan.
 
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