Coyote Bay - 2012 SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES

This morning's anchorage view prompted me to *'ponder some' with my coffee...and then go for an aspirin....and back to my viewing chair.

*(And I know better than to ponder more than... 'a bit'.)






I was thinking, "The clock is ticking. If I were to cease being a landlubber and become a liveaboard, which would be the best boat type/design?"


Power or Sail?




Decisions - decisions..so many variables in this question.

Hmmm...I know these sailors below very well...and their boats. All of them (2 trimarans - 1 pilothouse cutter ketch) have sailed from Baja to the South Seas and back...is that important?








Which would be best for me, I wonder? ....so many variables in this question.. sooo many...sigh..




I'm tending to lean towards a high fuel bill....and a larger beer fridge.



The FB motoryacht below is Jim & Laurieboats new way to explore the Cortez..and beyond. A floating condo with twin diesels. Her name is "Uno Mas"





Below: It's a buyer's market right now..and lots of Marine Trader trawlers like this one in Seattle are priced very low....but you still have to pay at the pump.

I was daydreaming and this one kinda reminded me of my old diesel, "Pompano"...so I wrote in a new boat name.

(Think: 'African Queen'.)

A funky trawler to go gunkholing around the Cortez and then follow the Uno Mas wake to..the other Baja.



WELL, HEY..DAY-DREAMING IS FREE.


"Make Voyages! Attempt Them! There is Little Else."



HOW ABOUT YOU? WHICH WAY WOULD YOU GO?

POWER....OR SAIL?

Power!!! One hand to steer and push buttons, talk on the radio and such, the other arm, the one connected to the Pacifico to put around your sweeties' shoulder.

A Jimmy Buffett kinda adventure.

nena

Quote:

Originally posted by Natalie Ann Quote: Originally posted by Skipjack Joe I would sail to the South Seas and island hop from one atoll to another across the Pacific and back. A Jimmy Buffett kinda adventure. nena

No boat for me! I get seasick .... onshore

Well, that's what you get traveling the south seas in "Got Soap".

dreaming of sailing this one................




Zenji- recently in San Diego during the America's Cup Trials

http://www.charterworld.com/index.html?sub=yacht-charter&...

Two weeks ago we encountered this beauty in St. Barts, Caribbean. It belongs to a Russian Tycoon who is running for president against Putin. The helicopter was off to lunch on another island. Not sure it would fit in Coyote Bay.

Sorry about hijacking your thread Pompano, you can have it back now

These muti-hull boats are catching on all over the globe..

Here are some images of the new China class aircraft carriers coming to a sea near you in the next ten years

Vince, sure enough....I remember 'Ralph' (Montana) playing his piano aboard his tri, "Sunshine"..and his first mate, Dawn Wilson. (I think Dawn came afoul of the rules and regs of prescripton drug possession. Do the crime..and if you don't pay the mordida... do the time.)


Here's an old post I made with more mention of Ralph.



San Fransquito Info Please

"We first set foot there almost 30 years ago when a buddy and I flew a 180 onto the beach. At that time there was not too much around except for a fishing camp. Around 1978 JWBlack and I drove the washboard in after rummaging around El Arco mine area and met some other explorers camped there. Many years later we motored my old 'Pompano' up there to visit an old amigo, Ralph, on his tri, 'Sunshine'. (Does anybody but me remember Ralph? He had a piano onboard his sailboat and was a fixture on the Baja sailing scene for 40 years...last 10 years his 1st mate was Dawn Wilson?) By this time there was a couple of permanent residences, small store, etc. Also I remember a gemstone worker living there. He cut some fire opals up for me with his speciality saw. Don't know if he is still there or not?

Around 1976-77 a friend and I were asked by a local panga fisherman's wife to please go look for her long overdue husband. She told us her hubby had gone north with a few other boats looking for the motherlode of jurel (yellowtail), but now she was afraid for his safety, and our plane could cover the water quickly.

We were always ready for another adventure and we were airborne immediately and started flying the coastline north..looking for a lost blue panga with an eye painted on it's bow..named El Tiburon.

We covered the coastline all the way to San Fransquito and there it was..up on the beach with about a dozen others. We set down on the strip and walked on down the beach to rescue the poor fellow.

Only thing was, he was pretty drunk as where all the other fishermen in the group. We told him he should sober up a little before talking to his wife on his return to Mulege...as we were going to give her the fuel bill for our flight, about $100 worth of aviation gas at the Serinadad. I think that sobered him a little!

We didn't give that bill to his senora, of course, but we did let her know what he had been up to with his cronies at San Fransquito.

I'm sure the neighbors heard her lecture when he came back!"

[Edited on 4-27-2005 by Pompano]

Hmmm??… and even WOW!….those are some pretty high dollar live-aboard choices, guys.

Hey, I’m game…, BUT…to offset the price tag on that righteous Russian rig …I just went out and bought a ticket for the world's biggest lottery - 1 billion dollars. $1,000,000,000.

The phone will ring any second now...then we can go pinto-fishing in that sea-going Ruskie palace, okay Vince?

You bring the vodka, I’ll call Tasha and Nikita.




BACK TO THE MAIN POINT OF THIS THREAD:



Ahem...However, I’m gonna have to forget La-la Land, and get back to reality.

I'm thinking of an affordable, live-aboard cruising boat that is slightly smaller, within the budget, and cheaper to operate than those floating resorts shown above.



First, I can draw one conclusion: leaving for a sabbatical year (at least!) really is worth it.

LEAVING: “WHAT IF ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS DARE?”

We all dream about it: leaving our reassuring, but so predictable daily routine behind, to sail to the other side of the ocean, to see if ‘lagoon blue’ is a real colour, to discover the wonderful islands lined with coconut trees, to take advantage of the time left with a loved one… To live and sail with no other constraints but the ones we fix for ourselves.

More and more men and women are making the dream real, by leaving for a year or more, to sail around the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, or even the world. This is a dream which is not just for millionaires or experienced sailors.

A sabbatical year aboard a catamaran – in the end, perhaps you just have to have the courage?....or…nothing to lose.

Potential long distance cruisers are all different and have had various careers. The one thing they have in common is their desire to set off as a couple (or even alone) to live differently.

Once the budget has been defined and some destination or lifestyle set, everything must be planned so
that things work out for the best. How do you prepare to leave forever? Is your Co-pilot agreeable? Do you HAVE a Co-pilot??

You must also perfect your training, so that all members of the crew are capable of steering the boat and picking up a ‘man overboard’. There are courses organized on multihulls, for a reasonable price, which allow all those aboard to learn the minimum skills required to cope with the unexpected. It is essential to have a good first-aid kit aboard, and having attended a first-aid course is a real plus.

And then, if your route takes you to remote places, you must be able to repair easily anything which can break down and spoil your cruise: a diesel mechanic’s course is a good idea…and in the case of a million-to-one shot, maybe a quick course on delivering a baby?


THE CHOICE OF THE (RIGHT) BOAT

My choice of hull and power?



Multi-hull motor and/or sail for sure.... and preferably a newer designed catamaran, rather than the older, but still good trimarans. For many reasons, which I would be glad to discuss.

Yup, to leave, you must have a boat.

Choosing a multihull seems to me to be the solution… Stable, comfortable, faster than an equivalent monohull, offering privacy for each member of the crew/family, easy to manuever; the catamaran is THE ideal solution for a sabbatical year as a family. The proof is that I know monohull fanatics who have gone over to multihulls, but the opposite is much, much rarer. Maybe you have, too?

When you have tasted the delights of the catamaran, it is difficult to return to a boat which is narrow, which leans, and whose draught bars you from the best anchorages.…

But within the multihull family, the choice is huge: although the trimaran is not ideal for a long-distance cruise as a family, the catamaran market offers an abundance of choice. New or second-hand; production cat or one-off; in ply, sandwich or aluminium; fast or faster; accepting a greater or lesser load: there is something for all tastes and all budgets (from 25,000 to 3 million…but forget that 3 mil, I’m sticking to my budget of ‘cheap’). It is therefore above all a question of personal choices.

Nowadays, the majority of cruisers opt for a production boat, equipped more or less for ‘ocean cruising’. They are easily found on the market and can be resold easily after the voyage, as long as the boat is in good condition and the price asked is coherent. This part of the preparation requires the most work, as during the cruise the boat chosen will become your home. It must therefore meet the wishes and needs of the family - sufficient number of cabins, ability to carry the necessary load - as well as the crew’s nautical skills.

There is nothing worse than having to put up with a heavy boat if you and your first mate or family are sport catamaran racing enthusiasts. Whilst in the opposite case, constantly having to maneuver, adjust the dagger-boards and play with the spinnaker sheets can quickly become boring for some…The choice will therefore largely depend on your crew and the program. This must be defined carefully so as not to make a mistake and spoil your dream! You will need to love each other’s faults.

Destinations?

For those who want to travel for at least three years, there is the mythical round-the-world trip via the trade winds. A beautiful adventure, made up of ocean passages, wild, remote anchorages, unique encounters and destinations…but also very difficult to envisage crossing the Atlantic aboard an 8-metre catamaran. Why impose an Atlantic crossing on your wife who suffers chronic sea-sickness, or is terrified once the land disappears over the horizon?

It would be best to have a good trip round the West Indies, where everyone would be happy, rather than imposing a schedule that your crew can not follow…

Over the years here in Baja Sur, I have spoken to many cruisers anchored in front of my beach home for weeks at a time…who took the step from part-timers to full-timers. They are unanimous, even those who experienced lots of problems, that this change in their lives was EXTRAORDINARY.

A special time of serenity, a feeling of living life to the full, and especially, a plus which for most of them allowed them to begin a new life, much fuller and richer than the one they had before they left. In my case, I am blessed already with a full lifetime of Baja events & memories, but I am a Sagi...doomed to wander.. and time is fleeting to see what’s over those far horizons …
A bit of courage and take the plunge: it seems that the only step that counts is the first one!

So, that’s agreed, then! Co-pilots?…pack some bikinis and lots of sunblock. We leave this shore soon!


Again…Why multi-hulls?

I learned from experience over the last 4 decades of boating on the Cortez. On board my own mono-hulls and making comparisons to mi amigos in their various mono and multi-hulls.

Here's some examples: These boats below all belonged to a good friend, John, who moved in succession from:

57’ Constellation Express cruiser trawler/mono-hull mostly kept in a San Diego marina as a home. I stayed on it a few times, much better than a motel...nice for me, but John said it was way, way too much work after it's novelty wore off. Being an avid aviator who loved the 'wind in your face kind of freedom', he was not thrilled with this style of boat.




..to a custom 36' Trimaran (Meshack) John’s own design. A better sense of freedom…for the lure of the Sea of Cortez and it’s magical places. I had a ball as a guest/crew for some voyages in the BOLA to Loreto areas. Sleeping in the netting between the amas is really exciting when the porpoise swim beneath you…and romantic when the moon comes out.










Below: Dad (blue cap) was visiting and joins us for an afternoon sail around Conception Bay...renewing his love of water & boats. Later, John gave him the helm and his expression said it all. He kept a cutter on windy Lake Superior for many years.




John's last multi-hull was the best…a French-built catamaran. A truly top notch cat.... John skippered her in a few races here and there.


We sailed on the 44ft cat called "Bright Wing" to some gorgeous bays and anchorages along the Baja Coast of the Cortez. Those trips were what convinced me of the plus side of multi-hulls..and cats in particular.
Here she rests in the La Paz marina.






Here are further examples of sailing ‘cats’




I like this one below…A Leopard 44’.



Upper deck - flybridge

Lower deck – salon, staterooms, galley






Power cat…no sails.

This is a very viable choice, too. Proven economy, no rags!










Ahh...BOATS…sigh..

What would we do without them?

Pompano, Do it!!!

boats

Hola,pompano, ask any cat owner,,its the way to go !!power or sail.......K&T

Hola Vince, I'm guessing if Ralph is still this side of a Dirt Nap, he would have dropped the hook in Coyote... for more of his favorite food...Montana venison.

Your sailing cat trip to the Carib sounds ideal with your good amigos, and hope we all get a chance to visit about it before I bug out. I'm plotting the same kind of adventure ..but will name it 'homeowner research' ...

I look forward to a comparison of motoring v.s. sailing on separate charters.

Sails:

- Ocean to cross. I know if I were to do a lot of bluewater crossings, I would go sail. You never know when those pumps are going to shut down in today's PCC...political chaotic climate.

- Ambiance. Sailing both exhilerates and calms the soul.


Power:

- The great thing about a power catamaran is that they are the most fuel efficient of all motor-cruisers. Surprisingly economical when cruising the coast because the low drag of the narrow hulls, no bow wave to speak of and no heavy wake...and can carry extra fuel for a long crossing between fill-ups.

- The beefy motor sounds? I'm still a Harley fan and love to 'Rumble through the Hills'..

- Lower profile for bridges, overheads, etc.


Well, you know I am a hopeless romantic, so it might end up a cat motor-sailor. We'll find out soon enough.


Size:

Vince, I've targeted 40-50 ft as my ideal length range..so your 47' charter sounds very nice...I'll need the extra space...

for Co-pilot to walk the dogs....and me.




[Edited on 1-27-2012 by Pompano]

Roger

Well Vince, it's way early in the planning stages, and still have room on the crew roster. If Pat gives you a kitchen pass, you're good to go.

My amorous amigo, Dusty, volunteered to help me interview the applicants for 'crew'. We've been at it all day on my sea wall.

Dusty is teaching them necessary & essential nautical stuff...like how to signal the nearet beach cantina to the bridge..."PACIFICOS TO PORT!"

Why are they all wearing the tin-foil bikini bottoms..?? Who knows?

Maybe a clue... they all came direct from Roswell, New Mexico..and that's all I will say about that....

You shoulda been here, Vince!







[Edited on 3-28-2014 by Pompano]