Been doing this since 2015 now on a 40ft mono(hull). Currently wintering in Sicily. Picked up a wife along the way.
If you aim to do this on a budget like us, you best be good at fixing things. Plumbing, rigging, engines, fibreglass repairs, more plumbing, sewing, electrical and electronics problems, etc.
The reward is remote anchorages where you're away from everyone else and getting absolutely unenthusiastic about yet another spectacular sunset.
Also dramatic moments in storms, dragging anchors, other boaters being incompetent and inconsiderate, many great friendships and a spirit of community amongst other liveaboards like none other.
This is my dream (especially the part about sailing around the Med). I bought a 34' boat two years ago, however I still work full time and have a six-month old. The best I'll be able to do this summer is go on a three week long trip on Lake Michigan, which is a great start but a far cry from sailing around the world for years on end. I have a few rental properties but not nearly enough to sustain my family without a job.
If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? Do you still have a job or freelance? Or are you living entirely on savings at this point? Did you buy the boat in Europe or sail across the Atlantic?
Ken and Roberta Williams (of Sierra fame) spend most of their time sailing around the world, and blog about the experience: https://www.kensblog.com/blog-2/.
Blogs like these convinced me to start doing my yachtmaster qualifications. We're a good 15 years away from all the kids moving out but I can think of much worse ways to spend retirement.
When I was a kid, I knew a kid who lived on a sailboat with his parents for a while and sailed around. It's definitely a possible thing to have a traveling lifestyle with young children!
My aunt and uncle did this. My uncle worked for uncle sam as an engineer of some sort, spent the last few years before retirement building a sailboat, and then retired at 55. They lived on their boat about 10 months out of the year for the next 15 years. They stuck to the east coast of the US. They loved it.
Slightly unrelated, but why does Open Street Map display location names using the native language of the country? Japan for example has the names displayed in Japanese, China in Chinese, Russia in Russian, etc.
That means the map is basically useless for anyone who isn’t fluent in every single language on the planet. Imagine you’re traveling in Japan and you’re looking for Kyoto. If you use OSM, you’re screwed unless you can read Japanese.
The osm.org main site is primarily intended to be used by mappers, not end users. So for this purpose it makes sense to use local languages since most people doing the mapping will be locals.
Other renderings such as the maps with me app use the appropriate names for the users language if available.
The problem is that the local volunteers feeding the data into OSM don't necessarily speak your language. Google can afford to hire translators and/or use machine translation for the regions they cover. That same isn't true for a volunteer-driven organization like OSM.
The Benford designed boats are really interesting. They're dories, so they have a flat bottom, which seems daft, but under sail when they heel over, the chine presents as a "V". You can put either a full keel or a wing keel, or I think I've read that twin wing keels work as well.
Annie Hill has a book, "Voyaging on a Small Income" that talks a lot about their Benford dory "Badger". The layout is really smart, it doesn't try to jam in 9 million sleeping accomodations, the galley is large, and there's a ton of storage.
And with the junk rig, it's really easy to build, maintain, and repair yourself. Blondie Hasler (mentioned in the For Sale ad), put a junk rig on a Folkboat, which doesn't seem sane, but he made it work. The design of the junk rig is very forgiving of not-very-precise sailmaking. Reefing in a blow is particularly nice, as you don't have to struggle with it. The weight of the battens just naturally let the sail drop.
That's amazing! Last year was the first year that I sailed, and I just fell in love with. I live in Croatia, so Adriatic sea is my first sea to sail. And I really started seriously consider to sell my flat, buy a sailing boat and just live.
Consider looking around your area for a sailboat racing team that needs some extra crew (almost all of them need crew). Aim for a team that is not too serious and a boat that is not too big (10-15 meters maximum, perhaps).
It's a fantastic way to learn a lot about sailing in a very short amount of time. You will especially learn about dealing with problems!
There are a few yacht clubs near me that group together and have a "Wednesday night beer can racing" league [1]. The prize for winning a race is a bottle of rum, so nobody is trying too hard. And for most of the crew, you spend the majority of your time on the water as ballast - sitting on the windward rail watching the scenery and chatting with your friends.
In the middle of the ocean you're generally not going to be getting much work done due to the time required to look after the boat and yourself. Plus theere's the motion, needing lots of sleep as it's tiring and the need to interact with other people on the crew. Some people do manage it, but I'd not count on it.
Where Starlink will really shine is when you get somewhere. Sitting at anchor off a small uninhabited Carrribean or Bahamian island though, or even just to boost your chances of getting a zoom call to work when the wifi at the local marina is spotty, that's where it's going to be most useful.
Not yet. Systems like Inmarsat Fleet One can cost $1K a month to get an OK connection. Many sailors make do with the good 4G connections when they're near shore and use satelite to get weather files and send/receive text messages.
As I understand it Starlink forces you to use a specific sector of coverage. I assume because they have capacity limitations per sector (you can only have so many users per satelite cluster before you start deteriorating speeds). Might be a different story for their priority customers (Military)
Basically with Starlink you can go remote but not itenerant.
Eventually, yes. They need more satellites with laser interconnects. Until then you can only go around 500km from the nearest ground station until you lose your connection.
In practice there are other issues yet to be solved but those are likely to be smaller.
Not yet. But we use Iridium + predict wind. Unit cost $1,000 then you pay $250/year for Predict Wind (weather prediction and routing) and $200/month for unlimited data.
Video streaming non stop: find yourself another hobby
For people interested in sailing you could do worse than check out some of the more popular sailing YouTube videos out there. That's how I got started. The first step was realising that "regular" people like me could do it and it wasn't just the preserve of yacht club douch bags (they're still out there I'm sure). The fact that Brian from Delos turned out to be an (ex) programmer was also a pretty big inspiration to me.
It's important to realise that not everything these people do is always a "correct" or good practice, but watching all of these people /definitely/ helped me get my qualifications down the line, and I still enjoy the escapism of watching someone sail around the Bahamas on a cold winter evening (my boat is up on the hard in N Wales, UK. The Bahamas it isn't).
For me (YMMV) another thing that helped was joining the local dinghy sailing club. I'm really not interested in racing, but it was cheap (they rent out boats, or you can crew on someone elses), and a lot of what I learned about sailing there was directly translatable to the 43ft (13.1m) boat I now sail.
There is also a sailing slack run buy a couple of tech people that you might be able to join if you're interested in getting started and want some more pointers.
Watching Delos made me realize that the actual mix of activities in this lifestyle is about 50% boat maintenance and tinkering, 40% sitting at anchor somewhere looking for things to do, and 10% actually sailing the boat.
The Delos folks have some presentations on their channel about the finances of it and the #1 message is basically “this only works financially if you do all the work yourself.”
My takeaway is that it seems like a fun lifestyle for people who like to tinker with things constantly, but it’s maybe not as relaxing as it seems from YouTube videos (which are edited, after all).
MailASail itself is interesting too. They provide stripped down email hosting for cruisers on low-bandwidth connections (satellite internet, SSB* with pactor modems). HTML, attachments, signatures are stripped away.
The blog hosting is designed for submitting short text updates by (satellite) email, optionally with low-resolution photos, which are converted into blog posts.
* Seems the SSB service is no longer there, or maybe I'm confusing it with sailmail.com
Paul Lutus went from no experience to spending three years sailing around the world in 1988-1991. He wrote a book about it which he published on his web site:
I'm actually planning to move full-time into a sailing yacht either this year or next, though the fact I'm doing this while working a full time job (remotely of course) will mean it's a rather slow rate of travel! I'm hoping to buy a forty footer of some description (probably a ketch but that could change between now and then) and do a lot of the work making it a comfortable place to live and work myself.
Here's a great site over two nomads that sail around the pacific. They have some interesting reads, here's their advice over internet + sailing: https://100r.co/site/off_the_grid.html#internet
> The Evelyn Roberts, a Hans Christian 42, almost directly opposite to me decides to sink. The owner is stuck in the USA and is not allowed through Malaysia's closed border. He has no insurance!
> The cause of sinking is simple. The hose on the galley sink came off. That is why boats have seacocks. By turning a handle through 90 degrees the Evelyn Roberts would not have sunk.
I would love to do this too. My wife romanticizes about doing something like it also. Alas, she has severe motion/seasickness so anything involving boats that is beyond a 15 minute ferry ride across a calm river is a no-go.
Are there sailboat owners offering ocean crossings as a paid "experience"? This is something I'd love to try without making it my entire lifestyle immediately.
[+] [-] sdfjkl|4 years ago|reply
If you aim to do this on a budget like us, you best be good at fixing things. Plumbing, rigging, engines, fibreglass repairs, more plumbing, sewing, electrical and electronics problems, etc.
The reward is remote anchorages where you're away from everyone else and getting absolutely unenthusiastic about yet another spectacular sunset.
Also dramatic moments in storms, dragging anchors, other boaters being incompetent and inconsiderate, many great friendships and a spirit of community amongst other liveaboards like none other.
[+] [-] hnuser847|4 years ago|reply
If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? Do you still have a job or freelance? Or are you living entirely on savings at this point? Did you buy the boat in Europe or sail across the Atlantic?
[+] [-] thom|4 years ago|reply
Blogs like these convinced me to start doing my yachtmaster qualifications. We're a good 15 years away from all the kids moving out but I can think of much worse ways to spend retirement.
[+] [-] novok|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ryantgtg|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bogwog|4 years ago|reply
That means the map is basically useless for anyone who isn’t fluent in every single language on the planet. Imagine you’re traveling in Japan and you’re looking for Kyoto. If you use OSM, you’re screwed unless you can read Japanese.
[+] [-] OsmMapper|4 years ago|reply
Other renderings such as the maps with me app use the appropriate names for the users language if available.
[+] [-] exhilaration|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] samatman|4 years ago|reply
It's an enormous volunteer database, OSM doesn't display anything, the client does, and there isn't a single sensible default for that data.
[+] [-] volent|4 years ago|reply
It's not about languages but about alphabets. Translating names doesn't make sense.
[+] [-] paulsutter|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] heldtec|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] deltarholamda|4 years ago|reply
Annie Hill has a book, "Voyaging on a Small Income" that talks a lot about their Benford dory "Badger". The layout is really smart, it doesn't try to jam in 9 million sleeping accomodations, the galley is large, and there's a ton of storage.
And with the junk rig, it's really easy to build, maintain, and repair yourself. Blondie Hasler (mentioned in the For Sale ad), put a junk rig on a Folkboat, which doesn't seem sane, but he made it work. The design of the junk rig is very forgiving of not-very-precise sailmaking. Reefing in a blow is particularly nice, as you don't have to struggle with it. The weight of the battens just naturally let the sail drop.
[+] [-] csunbird|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ct0|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zriha|4 years ago|reply
Captain I wish you calm see and happy voyage!
[+] [-] Kon-Peki|4 years ago|reply
It's a fantastic way to learn a lot about sailing in a very short amount of time. You will especially learn about dealing with problems!
There are a few yacht clubs near me that group together and have a "Wednesday night beer can racing" league [1]. The prize for winning a race is a bottle of rum, so nobody is trying too hard. And for most of the crew, you spend the majority of your time on the water as ballast - sitting on the windward rail watching the scenery and chatting with your friends.
[1] https://www.chicagobeercan.org
[+] [-] pettycashstash2|4 years ago|reply
"Adventure before dementia..."
[+] [-] unixhero|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dustintrex|4 years ago|reply
Edit: heldtec@ just posted a link to what appears to be his boat for sale: https://www.sailboatlistings.com/photographs/60853
[+] [-] mastermedo|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] doitLP|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] frontman1988|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wlll|4 years ago|reply
Where Starlink will really shine is when you get somewhere. Sitting at anchor off a small uninhabited Carrribean or Bahamian island though, or even just to boost your chances of getting a zoom call to work when the wifi at the local marina is spotty, that's where it's going to be most useful.
[+] [-] helsinkiandrew|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DoingIsLearning|4 years ago|reply
Basically with Starlink you can go remote but not itenerant.
[+] [-] Tepix|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|4 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] jbkiv|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jackpeterfletch|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] noughtme|4 years ago|reply
You can follow his latest build on https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCptM0nqGDJLz14oP6ROdKRw
[+] [-] leobg|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mastermedo|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wlll|4 years ago|reply
Here's my favourites from my subscriptions.
- SV Delos - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvLc83k5o11EIF1lEo0VmuQ / https://svdelos.com/ - Ex programmer, may have worked at MS
- Ran Sailing - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLYd5EnTTwUKhouIkHoqzMw
- Sailing Uma - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXbWsGV_cjG3gOsSnNJPVlg
- Erik Aanderaa - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUH6fLsV6J7WKEmf7vJKfAw
- Sam Holmes Sailing - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE4vct4tqxSuG4JH6vMVZSA
- Sailing Project Atticus - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF45qzioJ_0FVdZVG2NJTWg
- Christian Williams - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6qLhh5YBeL42HRMh3dc1A
- How to Sail Oceans - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTmJcC_Yw3IL7Bvtf_7nTLw
- Sailing Yacht Florence - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkExLY1E6CE-GPsMCdSjmxQ - The guy is/was an electronic engineer?
- Calico Skies Sailing - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFbz7qMXCm28EPCkZWSMKg
- Sail Life - https://www.youtube.com/c/SailLife - Lots of DIY boat work, but nicely done.
- Sailing Kittiwake - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT9U1fPkHj0mJjC4LWGH26g
- Gone with the Wynns - https://www.youtube.com/user/gonewiththewynns
- Sailing Soulianis - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRqsOR0Y2zru-jXSzLcMcxg
- Sailing La Vagabonde - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdQjaSoLjIzFnWsDQOv4ww
- MJ Sailing - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvJGfEEg7R04-ifkg_FFnaw
- Sailing Ruby Rose - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9rRsBE2nFbnUSjtmv6Jq6w (not so keen on this one now, lots of catamaran reviews)
It's important to realise that not everything these people do is always a "correct" or good practice, but watching all of these people /definitely/ helped me get my qualifications down the line, and I still enjoy the escapism of watching someone sail around the Bahamas on a cold winter evening (my boat is up on the hard in N Wales, UK. The Bahamas it isn't).
For me (YMMV) another thing that helped was joining the local dinghy sailing club. I'm really not interested in racing, but it was cheap (they rent out boats, or you can crew on someone elses), and a lot of what I learned about sailing there was directly translatable to the 43ft (13.1m) boat I now sail.
There is also a sailing slack run buy a couple of tech people that you might be able to join if you're interested in getting started and want some more pointers.
https://join.slack.com/t/sailboatguide/shared_invite/zt-g0b1...
*edit* And if anyone is curious, I post about my boat adventures here https://twitter.com/SYSilverGirl
[+] [-] snowwrestler|4 years ago|reply
The Delos folks have some presentations on their channel about the finances of it and the #1 message is basically “this only works financially if you do all the work yourself.”
My takeaway is that it seems like a fun lifestyle for people who like to tinker with things constantly, but it’s maybe not as relaxing as it seems from YouTube videos (which are edited, after all).
[+] [-] prawn|4 years ago|reply
"Sailing Alone Across an Ocean on a 30ft Sailboat and Losing the Rudder 1000 Miles from Hawaii" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AZXXKj0p0s
Worth skimming through.
I checked your Twitter and something stood out - got Australian family currently living in Aberystwyth!
[+] [-] mythrwy|4 years ago|reply
- Sailing Nahoha - https://www.youtube.com/c/SailingNahoa
- Project Atticus - https://www.youtube.com/c/ProjectAtticus
(edit, on second look Atticus was included)
[+] [-] wingworks|4 years ago|reply
also recommend, Gone with the Wynns, love their videos.
[+] [-] gvb|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mongol|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gregn610|4 years ago|reply
https://youtube.com/c/FreeRangeSailing
[+] [-] sdfjkl|4 years ago|reply
The blog hosting is designed for submitting short text updates by (satellite) email, optionally with low-resolution photos, which are converted into blog posts.
* Seems the SSB service is no longer there, or maybe I'm confusing it with sailmail.com
[+] [-] js2|4 years ago|reply
https://www.arachnoid.com/sailbook/index.html
https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=lutusp
[+] [-] BoxOfRain|4 years ago|reply
I'm actually planning to move full-time into a sailing yacht either this year or next, though the fact I'm doing this while working a full time job (remotely of course) will mean it's a rather slow rate of travel! I'm hoping to buy a forty footer of some description (probably a ketch but that could change between now and then) and do a lot of the work making it a comfortable place to live and work myself.
[+] [-] pabs3|4 years ago|reply
https://100r.co/
[+] [-] hiidrew|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fnord77|4 years ago|reply
> The Evelyn Roberts, a Hans Christian 42, almost directly opposite to me decides to sink. The owner is stuck in the USA and is not allowed through Malaysia's closed border. He has no insurance!
> The cause of sinking is simple. The hose on the galley sink came off. That is why boats have seacocks. By turning a handle through 90 degrees the Evelyn Roberts would not have sunk.
http://blog.mailasail.com/wildfox/posts/2020/11/15/559-evely...
[+] [-] stvkoch|4 years ago|reply
He sail across the North Atlantic ocean in some wild conditions.
[+] [-] decafninja|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ngngngng|4 years ago|reply