Daydreaming about sailing long distances

[WASP18]

What you'e really saying is that you enjoy "telecommuting".

I suggest you pursue a computer science degree and after some work experience, contract your self out to industry. $60 - $90 per hour is not unusual if you're good and have a good name with good references. You'll have to pay a self-employment tax of 15% which is actually Social Security and you need to send the IRS an estimate of your income taxes on a quarterly basis. You can deduct part of your home for office expenses, etc. and you need to keep meticulous records regarding tax deductions.

[Retcoastie]

1200 miles should be doable, especially with an agreeable mate. I did the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers with their locks and bridges, 1060 miles in 21 days, solo.

Lets us know when the trip time is set. You may have company for all or part of the trip. That would really make it interesting.

Good Luck

Ken

[vizwhiz]

Thank you all for your responses, I'm a bit paranoid now though. My boat should be able to handle a bit of coastal day sailing in the gulf of Mexico, say about 50 miles north of Tampa, right? I was sort of looking forward to sailing a week or so solo, just exploring a bit of our coast and a bit of adventure (just not too much adventure, I'm a noob). I more than likely, would remain as close as possible to land - which would probably be three miles where I live as it is shallow according to a few charts I saw online.

What I really would like to do, is get a feel of what sailing is like and if it is something my wife and I may be interested in pursuing a bit more in the future. If she likes it, and it is as much fun as I imagine it will be, then we would go for a bigger boat some point in the future and do a bit of cruising on our summers off.

Unless I win the lottery, I still have at least a year to fix up my boat, trailer, get a suitable vehicle to tow, and an outboard. So, this is all still mostly a dream than anything.

ZB- there are several people on this board who live over on the west coast of FL and can give you more info on the area you asked about north of Tampa. Obelix just moved over there too, so maybe the two of you need to hook up...might be a nice sailing opportunity. I'll be sailing Tampa Bay eventually (big sigh) and will gladly work something out with you guys once we have a little time under our tiller.

Also, Florida has hundreds of miles of coastline to explore, including ICW and other interesting features like the St. John's River. Then there's the Florida Loop, which includes cutting across the state through big Lake O via the St Lucie River and Caloosahatchee River (with locks). Plus there are the Keys, and even the Dry Tortugas for the adventuresome. You can also head up to Panama City and Pensacola/Destin, etc. You can literally travel 1000 miles just going from your side to the panhandle side of the state without trying too hard...and always have good seafood to go with it!

[DaveB]

Thats correct, WCTSS will have again our Cruise to Cayo Costa for a 4 day event. Last year we had 32 boats on the inside spit N. pelican bay and will have another this Nov.16th thru 19th.
Also another trip Launching at S.Dade marina for the Dec.28th thru New Year for Northern Keys.
Here is info.
http://members.ij.net/wctss/wctss/dates.htm
Come and join us and sit by the bon fire telling your story.
Dave

ZB- there are several people on this board who live over on the west coast of FL and can give you more info on the area you asked about north of Tampa. Obelix just moved over there too, so maybe the two of you need to hook up...might be a nice sailing opportunity. I'll be sailing Tampa Bay eventually (big sigh) and will gladly work something out with you guys once we have a little time under our tiller.

Also, Florida has hundreds of miles of coastline to explore, including ICW and other interesting features like the St. John's River. Then there's the Florida Loop, which includes cutting across the state through big Lake O via the St Lucie River and Caloosahatchee River (with locks). Plus there are the Keys, and even the Dry Tortugas for the adventuresome. You can also head up to Panama City and Pensacola/Destin, etc. You can literally travel 1000 miles just going from your side to the panhandle side of the state without trying too hard...and always have good seafood to go with it! [/quote]

[Obelix]

We tried to make the Cayo Costa meet, but I'm far behind on upgrading and prepping the boat.
We did not hit the water since we moved to FL
I hope to get the in the water during the next few weeks.

Obelix

[robbarnes1965]

Tell us how you make your living online and I'll tell you how to do this.


First forget about offshoreing it. Leave that for the big girls.
You can peek out from time to time from one close inlet to another on nice days.
Forget about night sailing. It's too stressful for a family in nearshore waters. Ships and other boats require constant lookout. Try it a few nights but don't plann on it.
Forget about doing it all at once. The idea is to have fun and say wow what a time not holy crp what were we thinking??!
Research the rought. Take your family for a month or however long it's fun but don't worry about making Milage. Put the boat someplace cheap in the Carolina's until the next year. Then do the rest or another portion. YOull soon find out what kind of sailboat you want. Maybe even find one cheap on the way. They are literally giving older sub 30 ft boats away or cutting them up for salvage in some places.

The last option is to install a 20 hp engine on the back and be willing to burn fuel. You should be able to make 10 k to keep the trip manageable time wise. Sail for serenity motor for Milage I always say. At least in small boats like the Mac.

I wish I could credit who I stole this from but it's great: http://www.yachtingmagazine.com/cruisin ... nid=255732 No point sailing by these places.

With kids and most admirals, you will have to pull in often. Can the kids handle it? My 6 year old would not, but there is one member at our yacht club who has 2 and 4 year old boys who can sail an optimist on their own!

Ixniegh is bang on. All his suggestions are great. Park the boat where you give up and take a bus back if you need to.

Is now the time? If you are very young, get it going BEFORE a good career bogs you down. People and experiences along the way may even lead you to one. My cross Canada motorcycle trip when I was 21 got me into the stock market 26 years ago (albeit in a very roundabout way). The experience will be a good topic of conversation at the very least. Waiting until later is a possibility, but time, willingness to live small and health are all most abundant young. If you are older, do it now. I am only 47 and I can't believe how many of my friends have already had heart attacks or cancer...

[DaveB]

Sorry you can't make it. Maybe the spring cruise.
The Keys cruise is still on for Dec. 28 thru Jan. 1st.
Dave

We tried to make the Cayo Costa meet, but I'm far behind on upgrading and prepping the boat.
We did not hit the water since we moved to FL
I hope to get the in the water during the next few weeks.

Obelix

[Obelix]

We pretty bummed out since we were looking foreward to this meet already when we left CA, but too many home-related honey-doo's stalled the work on the boat.
We're sure you guy's will have fun and we're looking foreward to reports with pictures and videos.

Have fun

Obelix