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Popeyethesailorman

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Hi there, just thought I'll introduce myself, I have bought a Marcon Cutlass 27 about 2 years ago and have been doing her up since then outside my front door on dry land, but she will have to be ready to go back in the water for July at the very latest.
My intention is to get as much experiance as possible this year and then do a bit of cruising next year. I have very limited sailing experiance, probably spent a grand total of 3 weeks on 2 sailboats and a laser dinghy throughout my lifetime, but I managed to sail that laser better than a man that had sailed his yacht half way across the Indian ocean to Mauritius where I was on honeymoon at the time and that has to count for something!! ?The other was a 17 foot boat on a lake in South Africa that I sailed as often as time allowed and my biggest sailing adventure has been sailing from Cape Town to Langebaan and back with a friend, a compass and the sight of land to the east when I was 20. I can repair almost anything mechanical or electrical, I am the all round handyman on the farm where I live and fix everything here, on the side I run my little workshop that repairs cars, 4x4, bikes, trucks, strimmers, kettles and hairdryers. Back when I was 20 I knew as little then as I do now, but I'm self taught in everything I do and have managed to make it to 36 without killing myself or anyone else, however with age comes mistakes and with mistakes comes experience and then long after comes wisdom, so being a bit wiser and feeling very much older I would like to hear from others that had set off solo into the wild blue yonder on small boats with little money and little experience.....if there are any left alive.
 
Ah, popeye, i'm new here too. Not much of a welcome here. A bit unfriendly i would say.
I hope you dont mind me saying but you sound a bit of a liability to me.

I imagine that you need to complete the yachtmaster ocean with commercial endorsement before the great and good here will deem to raise their pointing finger to strike a key in your general direction.
Good luck with your cutlass and love and kisses to olive. Tell her i'll be over to see her as soon as you push off to sea.
 
Bloody marvellous! You try to edit a post on a tablet and the whole thing deletes itself!

Are the Time Inc techies still in short trousers?

I can't be bothered to type all that lot again so I'll just say welcome Popeye.

Richard
 
Cutlass eh. Nice boat.

It depends on how blue and how yonder your voyage is going to be. Most of us start small, but on the other hand, Chay Blyth seemed to manage alright and he hadn't a clue when he started.
 
Welcome, my second ever sailing boat was a Marcon Tomahawk and I remember aspiring to a Cutlass. It was a very long time ago but one thing has been constant..... I have never ever managed to complete every job on "my to do list" prior to launching. I did think I'd cracked it a couple of times and then something broke just before lift in. :D

So don't lose too much of the season trying to complete absolutely everything.

I'm certain that someone else will be along shortly to give a more detailed list of forum rules. As a starter, you won't be taken seriously until you have started a thread about the best anchor, another on replacing Cutlass bearings (the spelling is very important) or correct flag etiquette (blue ensigns or better English/welsh/Scottish version of red ensign).

If you can manage all three of the above you will truly have arrived (though expect a baying crowd with pitchforks to head for your home). :D:D
 
Welcome. We were all new here once. whatever else it is, this place will help you discover everything you need to know to fulfil your ambitions. Ask anything and you will get an answer.
 
Welcome.

I would say 'go for it'. Sailing is relatively easy and not as risky as many 'old salts' (marina hogs) like to make out. There are loads of mistakes to make and experience to gain. Try and make the mistakes close to rescue and gain the experience before getting to the middle of nowhere. It is worth learning from others mistakes too so maybe talk to a local club or get someone you trust as a skipper to go on a few trips. You can get all the bits of paper if you like that sort of thing. A book or two will prove useful and the odd bit of safety equipment. You will probably find that you break before the boat does.
 
Good man. Look forward to hearing about your time afloat.
Ignore the grumpy old sods who think that the only possible boat to buy should cost north of 100K+ and that 40 foot is a starter boat, we of the real world know better :)
 
Welcome popeye, great - go sailing!
I did vaguely similar, setting off solo in a 33' after a few seasons sailing a 27'.
Go for it, the sailing bit is quite easy, but bluewater it's all about maintenance. A good passage isn't about speed but about getting to the other end without breaking much :)
So you sound well down the DIY road already :cool:

Doin an RYA dayskipper of yacntmaster coastal class theory course might be a good idea, or at least learn the things covered in that course, that will cover most of the navigation etc you'll ever need.

Where are you based?
 
Good fun.

It's like a bad school playground here. After a while you get to recognise the various groups.
The numptys, the never mind the question here's my opinion, the bullies, the I will argue with anyone about anything - they usually appear after the sun has passed the yardarm.
Then there are the majority who are really nice guys who share knowledge and the complete bottom parts, who mock your desire to learn.
Anyway, enjoy the boat.
Make a priority list, starting with items that if they break you might drown.
Assume responsibility for getting yourself out of whatever scrape you get into.
Do the land based course so you understand tides, can do the simple sums, work out the best time to leave and arrive, what all the symbols on the chart mean.
Then try not to make the same mistake twice.

Finally, respect the sea and do not turn your back on it. Given the chance it will bite you in the ar$e.
 
Popeye,

Welcome to this site. I am fairly new here too. I spent a long time reading these posts when I started running my own boat and then asked questions when I got stuck with something. I have always had a great experience here and found everyone helpful. I have been boating for 50 years (started at 4!) and I still learn something new every day. For me, like you, as we both sail single handed it is to self risk assess everything. Think forward and know that we are most likely the problem not the boat. Be aware of tiredness and rushing, trust your feelings and intuition. The best thing I ever did about 25 years ago was my Yacht master coastal, theory and practical. Although I thought I knew a lot I soon learned I didn't. Then a few years back at 50, I went and did my dingy, keelboat and powerboat instructors courses. Mainly to help in the sail-ability I was involved in. Although I never taught professionally it was fantastic and I taught many volunteers; but above all I learnt more. Enjoy as its an amazing place to be, on the water.
 
Mistroma said:
Welcome, my second ever sailing boat was a Marcon Tomahawk and I remember aspiring to a Cutlass. It was a very long time ago but one thing has been constant..... I have never ever managed to complete every job on "my to do list" prior to launching. I did think I'd cracked it a couple of times and then something broke just before lift in. :D

So don't lose too much of the season trying to complete absolutely everything.

I'm certain that someone else will be along shortly to give a more detailed list of forum rules. As a starter, you won't be taken seriously until you have started a thread about the best anchor, another on replacing Cutlass bearings (the spelling is very important) or correct flag etiquette (blue ensigns or better English/welsh/Scottish version of red ensign).

If you can manage all three of the above you will truly have arrived (though expect a baying crowd with pitchforks to head for your home). :D:D
Click to expand...

You forgot to include ANODES ;)

Welcome to you Popeye
I started here five years ago, with less knowledge and skill than you have - and also less ambition, but had sailed a fair bit a long time ago.
I can now confidently say that I am much more skilled and learned and can now make a complete balls of a job rather than just a part balls.
The difficult bit is sorting through the conflicting ideas and advice.!!!!!

Good luck, and enjoy your sailing.:encouragement:

PS Any pics of a Cutlass? My Javelin was built by Marcon (circa 1978 - woe betide any rocks I hit with her :eek:
 
Thanks for all the welcomes, although it has to be said that I would have loved to buy a boat in the region of 40' or just a newer small one the budget unfortunately do not allow for such things, the main disadvantage is the fact that I am 6'7" tall and built like ....well lets just say I'm a rather large chap and the room down below in my Cutless is rather limited, but I have thought it's probably best to start small and maybe get a slightly bigger one later, I'll see how I go.

I'm busy reading a number of books on the dynamics of sailing, but the things I have sailed have all been pretty self explanitory and I didn't find it too difficult, I have a background in flying model aircraft so at 12 years old I have learned most of the basics of aerodynamics and the I worked for a fishing company in Cape Town harbour repairing all their land based stuff, but I have been out a number of times on fishing trawlers in the southern ocean, so I have seen a swell or two in my time there!

I would post a couple of pictures on of my project, but can't seem to find a button on the forum to enable me to do so. Any suggestions on how to do that would be appreciated.

Thanks again for the warm welcome from some and to the others I'll just say that I'm sure that each and every guru or expert also started at the bottom just like me.?
 
Just to add, yes I will be doing a few courses before I set off, I have a skippers licence to 1nm off shore that I had to get in SA for using my little 14' speed boat on a lake, but I no less than nothing about navigation or how to talk radio lingo, I do however understand the theory of how to sight stars and the sun with a sextant, but I have never held one in my hand, I can work the satnav in my work van and have bought a Raymarine chartplotter which I will get my head around pretty quickly, but that one doesn't seem to want to take me to tesco...must be broken or something ��
But yes, I will go and do a navigation and day skipper course along with getting a radio licence before I put the boat back in the water.
 
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