Buying boat with no sailing experience. How feasible is my plan?

[sailaboutvic]

This is the 5th I read in the last 10 days,
So sad let hope his found .
.
!!!MISSING PLEASE SHARE!!!! Last seen of the coast of Greece 16/09/21!!!!

Barney Brogan is solo sailing his boat Ariane SSR174006 (35 foot, Dark Blue Hull) to Bulgaria but has been uncontactable since 16/09. His last known position is 36°24'56.8"N 22°31'26.8"E off the coast of Greece. He planned to cross the bay to the right of this position then out heading towards the Dodecanese.

In addition to his phone being unreachable he needed to stop for fuel but hasn't done so, so we are now really concerned. Local Coast Guard are aware.

Anyone sailing in the area please keep a lookout and if you know anything at all please please contact me.

 

[Sprucettes]

Looks like it will be around south America then. The Sadlers better insulation might be useful...

We came through Panama Canal 3 weeks ago and cost for a 42 foot boat was $US2,850. That price is same for up to 65 feet Length.
We used an agent, rented 3 line handlers, it also included Panama cruising permit $235. You will need to be insured. If you have an engine breakdown, need a tow, fail to meet minimum speed required you may well find you get fined plus other costs applied. Being seriously underfunded for the venture, and in a boat that is not properly prepared (sound and equipped) might result in surprises.
We have been cruising for 12 years. We have met people who set off with no experience. Some get away with their lack of knowledge, some end up a cropper (it always costs more than expected whether lucky or not). The ones who cause the most irritation are those who cause damage to others , with no means for making reparation, and spoil other cruisers dreams in the process of learning by trial and error.

 

[Doge]

We came through Panama Canal 3 weeks ago and cost for a 42 foot boat was $US2,850. That price is same for up to 65 feet Length.
We used an agent, rented 3 line handlers, it also included Panama cruising permit $235. You will need to be insured. If you have an engine breakdown, need a tow, fail to meet minimum speed required you may well find you get fined plus other costs applied. Being seriously underfunded for the venture, and in a boat that is not properly prepared (sound and equipped) might result in surprises.
We have been cruising for 12 years. We have met people who set off with no experience. Some get away with their lack of knowledge, some end up a cropper (it always costs more than expected whether lucky or not). The ones who cause the most irritation are those who cause damage to others , with no means for making reparation, and spoil other cruisers dreams in the process of learning by trial and error.

Thanks for the info. I'm no longer looking at the Panama canal. Turns out that Straits of Magellan and the surrounding area is full of giant salmon.. And is free and incredibly beautiful.

I'll be careful around other boats.

 

[penfold]

Berserk man is a dangerous fool who lead other fools to their death. Your apparent admiration of this marks you as unserious.

 

[Doge]

Berserk man is a dangerous fool who lead other fools to their death. Your apparent admiration of this marks you as unserious.

Do you think the same about people who climb K2 though? The fatality rate is 29%.

 

[Kelpie]

Thanks for the info. I'm no longer looking at the Panama canal. Turns out that Straits of Magellan and the surrounding area is full of giant salmon.. And is free and incredibly beautiful.

I'll be careful around other boats.

At a minimum I would suggest you take a very long look at established routing advice. Most yachts passing through Straits of Magellan do it eastwards.
Jimmy Cornell's books are all excellent reference point.
In a small boat with limited endurance and speed you can't just go wherever fancy takes you. You need to pay attention to prevailing winds and currents.

 

[Doge]

At a minimum I would suggest you take a very long look at established routing advice. Most yachts passing through Straits of Magellan do it eastwards.
Jimmy Cornell's books are all excellent reference point.
In a small boat with limited endurance and speed you can't just go wherever fancy takes you. You need to pay attention to prevailing winds and currents.

They look like great books. Thanks.

One thing I'm considering is getting an electric outboard in addition to the engine. Maybe not right away but once I have my solar panels and batteries set up. I figure it will serve as a backup option, solve the reversing problem on the Vega and give me a bit of extra power should I need it in an emergency.

 

[Kelpie]

I'm not sure how much solar power it's possible to fit on a Vega. One of the downsides of a smaller boat. I'd imagine you could get 150-200w through a combination of guardrail mounted and overhead.

You could go lithium to make the most of your solar, it's a very worthwhile upgrade but tagged a fair bit of research. And you already have quite a long reading list ahead of you...

 

[webcraft]

I'm not sure how much solar power it's possible to fit on a Vega. One of the downsides of a smaller boat. I'd imagine you could get 150-200w through a combination of guardrail mounted and overhead.

You could go lithium to make the most of your solar, it's a very worthwhile upgrade but tagged a fair bit of research. And you already have quite a long reading list ahead of you...

I am going to try to fit one or two on the wind generator pole on Fairwinds when the bearings finally go.

If you don't already have one, you can get a pole for this purpose from Force 4

https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Noa/Solar-Panel-Turning-Pole-Mount-with-Deck-Fitting/

- W

 

[Doge]

I'm not sure how much solar power it's possible to fit on a Vega. One of the downsides of a smaller boat. I'd imagine you could get 150-200w through a combination of guardrail mounted and overhead.

You could go lithium to make the most of your solar, it's a very worthwhile upgrade but tagged a fair bit of research. And you already have quite a long reading list ahead of you...

True. It's something to think about once I actually have the boat. I bet I could upgrade the boat to deal the the strong currents I'll face in the strait for less than the cost of the Panama canal..

 

[webcraft]

True. It's something to think about once I actually have the boat. I bet I could upgrade the boat to deal the the strong currents I'll face in the strait for less than the cost of the Panama canal..

The very fact that you are saying that indicates, sadly, that you understand almost nothing about boats.

Don;t forget to take the tin tacks for the Straits of Magellan though.

- W

 

[Kelpie]

True. It's something to think about once I actually have the boat. I bet I could upgrade the boat to deal the the strong currents I'll face in the strait for less than the cost of the Panama canal..

What upgrades do you have in mind? There's not very much you can do to reduce the size and steepness of the waves that form when a strong wind meets a contrary current, other than buying a bigger boat.

 

[Doge]

The very fact that you are saying that indicates, sadly, that you understand almost nothing about boats.

Don;t forget to take the tin tacks for the Straits of Magellan though.

- W

Would using an outboard and an onboard at the same time on rare occasions be impractical for some reason? I can't find information on it. Maybe its cot commonly done. Still I cant see why it wouldn't work. Two spinning propellers in the water rather than one equals more thrust right?

 

[Doge]

What upgrades do you have in mind? There's not very much you can do to reduce the size and steepness of the waves that form when a strong wind meets a contrary current, other than buying a bigger boat.

Adding the electric outboard.

 

[Doge]

What upgrades do you have in mind? There's not very much you can do to reduce the size and steepness of the waves that form when a strong wind meets a contrary current, other than buying a bigger boat.

From the limited reading I've done on this so far, it seems that the bigger hazard in the strait it getting driven onto the rocky shoreline.

 

[Kelpie]

Adding the electric outboard.

Most Vegas have a 10-15hp engine in them, with the prop down low where it can work well without cavitating.
An electric outboard will add perhaps another 1.5hp with the prop both closer to the surface and aft of the boat where any pitching motion will risk it coming out of the water, so it will not be as effective.
You may notice a slight difference in your speed, but only by a small fraction.
And then you have to power it for several hours continuously. What's the plan for that?

(In case you were thinking solar, you would get something like an hour's motoring time from a full day of recharging, as a rough guess. It's not hard to do the maths for this)

 

[Doge]

Most Vegas have a 10-15hp engine in them, with the prop down low where it can work well without cavitating.
An electric outboard will add perhaps another 1.5hp with the prop both closer to the surface and aft of the boat where any pitching motion will risk it coming out of the water, so it will not be as effective.
You may notice a slight difference in your speed, but only by a small fraction.
And then you have to power it for several hours continuously. What's the plan for that?

(In case you were thinking solar, you would get something like an hour's motoring time from a full day of recharging, as a rough guess. It's not hard to do the maths for this)

Hmm. So maybe not the best solution then.

 

[Kelpie]

Hmm. So maybe not the best solution then.

The best solution is to not reinvent the wheel, and sail along a recognised route. If you are determined to avoid Panama then that means heading east from Brazil towards South Africa, and continuing east at higher latitudes. This is the route followed by the Vendée sailors in their extremely high tech 60ftrs. A very high proportion of them don't make it. It was also the route taken by a very experienced friend of mine. He didn't make it either and was lost at sea. Despite these rather poor odds, it's still a better bet than going westabout.

 

[Doge]

It's not that I'm determined to avoid Panama so much as I really want to go to Patagonia. I thought that when I first saw pictures of it and then when I found out about the salmon there. Plus there's lots of streams with trout. Really really big ones too.

 

[Doge]

Maritime pilotage is compulsory in the strait apparently. So my level of inexperience wouldn't actually be an issue. Then I could explore the rest of Patagonia.

Oh hang on.. What's this Beagle Canal...