Retiring aboard a Legend 36

[Danthegorrila]

Great that your doing it we're coming to the end of our second year, it truly is a great lifestyle. We have been in the Med and the Algare (hi Stingo), travelling slowly to get to Greece and then in April we are going to check out Croatia.

A couple of thoughts;
We have a watermaker, but have not yet switched it on!
The points every one has made are valid, you can generally get good water and you can not use the watermaker in Marainas or harbours and once on you have to use it every other day or pickle it whisch is a bit of a performance. However further east we are told there is less water availablity and for ocean crossings etc it will be useful. The biggest advantage is in the mind, we know we don't need to worry about finding water, even though our westerly has capacity for a month.

The next point is not so nice for you! We have made friends with 2 couples on Legend 36's, one is'nt happy but are only living aboard for 2-3 years and are putting up with it the others sold it after the first season to get a more suitable boat. The problems have been: swept back speaders causing problems down wind (as you hoope to be going), its overall internal size and carrying capacity (who said every liveaboard sits 4" lower in the water, there are no exceptions!) and the general quality of the interior which people have said is not up to the knocks and bangs of full time life onboard.

The stuff people have said about dinghies very true, a rigid dinghy worth its considerable weight. Anchor, you can't have too many or too much chain.
Other advice I would recommend ensuring your power generation system, power is more critiacl than water! and a cockpit tent for the extra room, we have had -1 this winter and loads of rain! but being able to sit in the cockpit is wonderful.

Best wishes

 

[peteandthira]

Danthegorrilla

Thank you for your post! I am not sure about the gloomy news about the legend 36- it was by far the roomiest 36 footer we looked at and the only one that I could stand up in throughout AND walk around the wheel in the cockpit without standing on the seats.

As for storage, well we looked at that too and still found it came out on top. Having said that, we did want NEW. We could have bought bigger but older, preferring to keep to a manageable size.

As for the B&R rig, I am not too concerned about that. It is wonderfully uncluttered and I don't mind tacking downwind, since I don't plan ever to be in a hurry. The autopilot does it for me, and I have not often wanted to go truly downwind anyway.

I am in complete agreement about cockpit covering and am currently looking into that. As it stands at the moment, this boat is streets ahead of similar vessels that we tried, including the bavs , bens and jens and that includes build quality down below. we will have to adapt to any newly-discovered shortcomings later, but I feel that would always have had to be the case with a production boat. We are very flexible.

And committed!

More please!

Pops

 

[ColdFusion]

[ QUOTE ]

As for the B&R rig, I am not too concerned about that. It is wonderfully uncluttered and I don't mind tacking downwind...

[/ QUOTE ]
Pops, tacking downwind is called gybing /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

...Taking into account your intended route I wouldn't be overly concerned about the doom and gloom merchants - just be aware of your boat's limitations (along with your crew's) and you'll be fine. At least one forumite has sailed across the atlantic in a boat that many said was completely unsuitable.

 

[peteandthira]

[quote

Pops, tacking downwind is called gybing /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

ColdFusion

I knew that!

However, if you do a google of "tacking downwind" you will see that I am by no means alone in the use of such nautical prose. I still call "standby to gybe" rather than "standby to tack". I am no expert yet, and am prepared to review my use of such terminology if the weight of opinion lies firmly against me!

This must surely be worthy of good banter from other forum readers. CAN you tack downwind? Watching this space!

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Yep, you can tack downwind...... you can't if you take the term literally, but its common parlance amongst the racers with big asymmetric sails to head up a little from dead downwind to get their VMG as high as possible, and therefore zig zag downwind.... and refer to this as tacking downwind......... english and sailing teminology are both living languages after all.....

 

[DaveNTL]

quite right too! i made a triangular paper hat and shouted 'hard a larbour'd' after watching Master and Commander - great fun! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[dart]

I would agree with Lemain's comments about weather forecasts, and I'll add a bit. In my opinion (and OK I'm biased) if you want to get the most out of your trip and avoid marinas as much as possible you need good long range forecasts (eg 5 days). I use these to try and anchor in good weather and be in marinas (or rock solid anchorages) in bad weather. You also get to sail in nicer weather. Navtex doesn't give you long range forecasts so you need weatherfax or the Internet. Also Navtex doesn't always work. If you get the weather forecasting sussed you will have a much better trip. I have often seen cruisers heading out into rough weather only to return later which I've not had to do yet. I have found wave height forecasts very useful. Wave heights are highly predictable but aren't in many forecasts but are very useful for avoiding unexpectedly choppy seas. Good luck.

 

[peteandthira]

Dart

Some good sense in your post, methinks. I am assuming therefore that the only option is the long range radio course and the purchase of yet another expensive new toy? Yum yum! I must get swmbo to read these posts and become convinced.

Any more strong recommends for expensive SSB radios and a LR course?

Erm, does anyone use that NASA Weatherman thing? Is it the same thing without the ability to transmit? (ie good enough for 5-day forecasts)

An excellent line spotted on another forum somewhere near here: "if it flies, floats or f***s it's cheaper to rent it."

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
Any more strong recommends for expensive SSB radios and a LR course?

[/ QUOTE ]If all you want is weatherfax and RTTY you don't need to be able to transmit so you don't need an expensive set, ATU, insulated backstay, or LRC. Best to get an SSB Rx that can be controlled by your laptop so you can programme all the faxes, RTTYs and Naxtex to be tuned and received automatically. You'll need to reseach which receiver is best. I use MScan software which I bought, other use freeware. If you are not going the ham route then marine SSB is questionnable for your route as about the only time you will be outside VHF range (i.e. Sea Area 2) is when crossing Biscay, and then only for a matter of hours. Though you could use SailMail with a marine SSB SailMail

 

[AndrewB]

Pops,

What's coming across from this thread is an odd sense of your priorities, i.e.

1. Loads of lovely accomodation.
2. Bags of flash electrics.
3. Err ... does it sail?

Depends what you want the yacht for of course, but its beginning to sound like you might find a Winnebago better value!

 

[peteandthira]

Are they "flash" electronics? I think they're more a logical set of bits and pieces designed to give me a safe and comfortable operating environment in most conditions. I have to admit to liking toys, but I don't think there's anything on board that isn't regarded as useful for this sort of life. My apparent glee in the possibility of buying an SSB was rather tongue in cheek.

As for sailing, she is a dream to handle solo with very few strings to pull and very little effort required (we don't even need a winch handle in less than 20 kts) - another logical step when one is approaching one's less firm years! Priorities - well, that's to chill out more or less permanently until we get bored with it. Where and when we move is not so important to us as knowing that its reasonably safe to go!

Our biggest concern is indeed experience, and I make no assumptions about our ability and skills. We venture out as often as we can and are gradually stretching the umbilical. If it sounds like we are interested only in toys and not sailing, that is probably because most of the posts were about those things and their suitability. Incidentally, we weren't originally planning to live on this boat, that decision came about when we became so delighted with her. as a result of her sailing ease and evident comfort. Does that sound a little better? Thanks to all so far for their tips and suggestions - please keep them coming!