Day dreaming again.....Atlantic crossing

[reg]

I'm currently reading 2 girls 2 catamarans again, James has a lot to answer for.

I've always liked a bit of a challenge, and I really want to sail the Atlantic, U.K to Caribean.

After a couple of missed opportunities to do it on other peoples boats, I keep coming back to doing it solo in a small boat. Reading about Cooking Fat hasn't helped to discourage me, in fact it just gets me more fired up.

  So the big question, what size Wharram would be a reasonable boat to do it on. I recently looked at a 28' Tannenui which looked like plenty of boat to be comfortable on.  So probably smaller would be possible.

I'm not looking at setting records less than 6' boats don't interest me, but I also don't want to spend 10 years building a boat that's more than I need. Bearing in mind this might be a one way trip for the boat, sell/burn and fly back kind of deal. Don't think I can afford to take too much time off work and away from the family etc.

thanks for looking

[reg]

What... no naked women waiting on the beach for the intrepid adventurer....that does it, I'm not going now.

More seriously my request for good books was more to do with worthwhile books on the trans-atlantic routes,  navigation, sailing etc. etc.

the noonsite has proved very useful, thanks.

[Robert Hughes]

Trips like this can sometimes result in naked women, but they're not usually waiting for you on the beach!

When I first met my wife (27 years ago) my chat-up line was "How do you fancy spending a year sailing to the Caribbean and back?"  She'd never sailed before so she didn't know what she was letting herself in for, so much to my surprise she said yes...

[Shaun]

Well my adventurous life began in sea kayaking and wilderness canoeing, I met my wife whilst on a training programme, me an instructor and she a client. No,.. nothing inappropriate took place........at least not at first.
My line of choice was "nah, sorry I live in that bongo van with all the kayaks on the roof", apparently that was attractive 'cose ten years and many adventures down the track we are still laughing about it. Well at least I am.
My point is my work and play have taken me along many pieces of Australian coast line and funnily enough there has been quite a few naked and semi naked ladies prancing about, granted some needed more grog than others but the fact remains the fantasy does exist,....if you look in the right places.
May not be the norm, but normal is highly over rated!!!
Cheers and DO NOT,... EVER underestimate the dream!!!
Shaun

[paul anderson]

Wharrams,grog and women, what's not to like?

[Shaun]

Hallelujah brother, Hallelujah

[Russell and Janet Puryear]

I'm going to buy Shaun's guidebook

[paul anderson]

A book that i have read that deals with the likes of our cats is one by Thomas Firth Jones; Multihull Voyaging.

[Russell and Janet Puryear]

Multihull voyaging is probably the best book I have ever read on the why of selecting your boat.

Alas, no naked girls, I'm sticking with Shaun's book for that

[Raf]

Whats all this business about naked women weighting for the yachties on the beach? No one has ever mentioned that, as a reward after an ocean crossing. It happens though, admittedly not often but, some time it happens. A few times I drop the pick in a secluded little bay, one of those places I never been before and to my surprise, discovering a nudist camp ashore and YES, there they were, lovely yang women, star naked, playing volleyball. To my disappointment they didn't invite me to play with them BUT....

[andy solywoda]

I guess this is as good a place as any to post this:

"those who see sailing as an escape from reality have got their understanding of both sailing and reality completely backwards"
from:
http://www.moq.org/forum/Pirsig/cruisingblues.html

[Galway Bay]

Thanks for the link.Yes really worth reading the whole thing through.

   Don Dodd's book "This is modern Cruising under Sail" is good on the reality of cruising. His experience of real cruising is evident in his comments on "Failure" ie. the abandoning of cruising plans prematurely. One attitude he associates with failure is an expectation that cruising will be like an endless vacation.  

  This is I think behind much of what is in the Group - "Why do so many Wharrams rest in a graveyard ?" Or is that boatyard ? And Is there any difference ?

[reg]

Thanks for the link.

Many true words written there. It's a similar story from expats buying a "dream" home in Spain or wherever, many move back because they haven't escaped their "problems" they've taken them with them. The problems can actually become magnified due to language/cultural barriers etc.

I spent most of my youth wanting move away from Cornwall, I now spend my working life dreaming I was back there.

The reality is, when I go back to Cornwall, its completely changed and I'm having a great time doing what i'm doing, regardless of where.

p.s I might have some news soon regarding my daydreaming,.......