CHAPTER 1
Whose Idea Was This Anyway?
So what drives a person to even consider buying and living on a boat? Two words:midlife crisis.
That's right. Muscle cars and dating high schoolers are so passé. If you'rereally serious about regaining your youth, you buy a boat! I kid, sort of.Boaters are more likely to be middle-aged though (which means between 40 and 90years old these days). By then they've had time to accumulate enough money tobuy a boat, maintain it, and eat and do fun things too—in that order.Whatever your age, you'll want to ensure that you have the strength and energyto do manual yachty things for whatever length of time you want to sail.
Potential boaters might be on sabbatical or enjoying early retirement. "Kids"(under 40) might want to get their wanderlust out of the way before they settledown and start a family. Seniors who have been sailing only on weekends orvacations can finally take off for good. You may even run across a few blokeswho live and breathe the sea and have figured out how to make a living being onthe water. Lest you think that boating is just for couples or men, you'd besurprised how many families you'll see out there with infants to teenagers and,yes, a few hardy solo women ply the seas as well. Folks of all sorts decide thatthey've done what they were supposed to do—they had jobs, earnedpensions/401(k)s/retirement savings, and raised their kids, and so can now runfree. Dogs? Cats? Yep, they're out there too. There's a mishmash of people inthe sailing world, which is what makes it so much fun.
Nothing personifies the idea of freedom more than boating. Just about everyonewe've ever talked to about our experiences says the same thing, "Boy, I wish Icould do that." I don't think they really mean boating—it ain't quite whatthey think it is—but they like the idea of chucking it all and beginninganew. Do any of these people sound like you?
Michael and I were of the midlife crisis variety. We had just turned 40, didn'thave kids, and didn't care about keeping up with the Joneses. We both had great,decent-paying jobs (mine as a technical writer, Michael's as a resort chiefengineer); a small house in a town we loved for many years; and favoriterestaurants, hikes, and TV shows. But we felt dragged down by the monotony oflife. We were sooooo bored! Okay, I was bored. My husband was just fine, but Ineeded something else and didn't have too hard a time convincing Michael that hedid too.
So how did we decide that sailing was the answer?
Well, first and foremost, I was still on my quest for perpetually warm weather.I'd spent my whole life seeking temperatures that only a lizard could love. Ihad grown up in New York City and never liked the cold—ever. College inPennsylvania—brrrr! I dreamt of California, Southern California,and when I finally had the money to do so, I moved there. But 65degrees—not warm enough! Next came Arizona, with summer temps of 110degrees. Perfect—until winter brought frost and sometimes snow. Michaeland I (by then a couple) gave it a valiant attempt, staying there 16 years(Arizona had a lot to like), but eventually the extreme temperatures got to us(Michael's a wimp too). Next?
The Caribbean seemed an obvious place to consider, but how to choose whichisland without seeing several? Even more baffling, how to do that with just twoweeks' vacation? While reading several guides about the Caribbean, I couldn'thelp noticing all those pictures of sailboats anchored in various harbors. Hmm... It dawned on me that buying a boat might be the way to go. We'd be able tosee all the Caribbean islands (and more of the world if we wanted to) withoutworrying about how to get there and where to stay. Even better, we could bringalong our 16-year-old cat, Shaka, while we looked.
I couldn't see any downsides to this idea. We could look for our new home whilehaving a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we might even make a few like-mindedfriends. Until now, no matter what state we had chosen to live in, we found itdifficult to develop friendships. In New York, we were all workaholics; inCalifornia and Arizona, neighbors just pulled into their garages anddisappeared. Nobody wanted to come out and play! I wanted to play!
It took me a year to convince Michael to jump on board, but once the idea tookroot, he got completely behind the concept. Ironically, it's usually the malewho wants to hit the decks and the female who has to be dragged aboard. (I donot recommend this, by the way. Anchorages abound with enough abandoned men tostart a support group.)
Michael and I have never exactly been a "normal" couple. Lucky for me though, Imarried an open-minded guy, who looked at this as a new adventure and trusted meenough to know we'd be okay.
Mistake number one? Just joking.
Of course, you'd think we might have been concerned about our lack ofexperience—Michael none whatsoever—me limited to childhood outings.Pfftt ... a minor detail. We'd just buy a boat and then take lessons on it. Howhard could that be?
How to pay for it? Sell the house. Where to go—east or west? After muchresearch, we decided to start with the eastern Caribbean because island hoppingsounded more fun than sailing down the coast of the Americas. Plus there seemedto be more books on the subject. We'd need all the help we could get.
Now all we needed was a boat. We decided to look for a sailboat rather than amotorboat because we wanted options. Who knew how long we'd be out there andwhere we might want to go? A sailboat would give us more flexibility, providesails as a backup for the engines should they fail, and save on fuel as well.
So that's how two perfectly sane, successful people decided to become cruisers.
Next up? Boat shopping!
CHAPTER 2
Monohulls vs. Catamarans
Before you get started, you have to decide what kind of boat you want. Somepeople are die-hards—definitely monohull or definitely catamaran (not tomention power vs. sail). Some people feel so strongly about their favorite typeof boat that it's tantamount to discussing religion or politics. Be careful lestyou get launched into a dinghy without oars!
Because I feel pretty strongly about catamarans, we bought one; monohulls arelike floating basements to me. Here are some pros and cons of each. To be fair,most of my monohull comments are based on preconceived ideas, observations, andInternet research. Before buying our catamaran, the only monohulls we had beenon were anchored in harbors or marinas and were just fun places to drink beer.My pros and cons are purely subjective, and I may have exaggerated a bit (alot?). Our cons may be your pros. But my comments reflect how Michael and I sawthe boats and why we chose the type we did. If you don't already have apreference, try both types and make up your own mind.
Monohulls
PROS
BOAT SPEED AND ABILITY TO POINT. Monohulls slice through the water morecleanly and can point closer to the wind than a cat, an advantage if the wind isblowing from the direction you want to go (although weight matters, see nextpoint). Some people prefer the monohull's heeled-over, cutting-through-the-wavesmovement, which to them defines the word sailing. The motion iscompletely different on a catamaran. Catamarans have a more seesaw-likemovement. That's good enough for me. If I'm on the water and moving, I'msailing. I don't need to be a purist about it.
ADDING WEIGHT. Monohulls can take on a bit more stuff than a catamaranbefore the weight starts to affect their speed, waterline, or sea slicing. Thatsaid, some newer monohulls are wider and so loaded with amenities (generator,air conditioner, electric toilet) that they cannot sail much closer to the windthan catamarans. (You need to know some sailing basics to understand why thatmatters, but I get to that later.) It is no longer uncommon to see monohullowners standing alongside their catamaran brethren in the boatyard raising theirboat's waterline to accommodate all their heavy stuff, so maybe this is becominga moot point.
OFFSHORE HANDLING/KEEL. Because of their deep, heavy keel, monohulls arebetter for offshore, deepwater sailing. That said, many catamarans havesailed—and will continue to sail—across oceans. In 2010, more than250 boats participated in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers from the CanaryIslands to St. Lucia; 15 of them were catamarans. Had we decided to take theleap, we would have gone via catamaran (the previous owners of our boat hadsailed it from South Africa; the boat could do it again). If you get a catamaranwith centerboards or daggerboards, you will gain the deeper keel advantage of amonohull—but those boards add more work and more things to break, so theywere not on our want list.
COST. Monohulls, size for size, are typically much cheaper thancatamarans. Much.
CONS (NOTE HOW MUCH LONGER THIS LIST IS)
WINDOWS. When you're sitting or cooking in a monohull, you can barelysee out, so you might as well be sitting in your basement in Detroit. Unless youcan see out, a rocking movement can bring on nausea. Sure, you'll likely belounging in your cockpit most of the time, but I found those spaces rathercramped. I've noticed that the cellar effect seems to be changing since morewomen are sailing now. I guess rum-addled solo male sailors didn't mind thedungeon-like accommodations, but women tend to like daylight, so somemanufacturers are installing more and larger windows. Smaller and/or fewerwindows also lock in odors, and we did find quite a few monohulls a bit smelly.Sorry guys. Of course, more windows means more leaks (see cons in the Catamaranssection).
BOARDING LADDERS AND STEEPNESS. It can be a vertical challenge to get onand off a monohull. If that's not enough, you get to tackle another steep ladderor narrow steps to go to and from the interior.
Some newer monohull designs have a flat swim platform and a sugar-scoop reversetransom. These additions make boarding easier and give more outside seatingoptions as well. Apparently designs are also changing to lessen the verticalchallenge of ladders and steps leading down to the interior, so all this maysoon be a nonissue.
LAYOUT. The navigation centers, including VHFs (boat radios), arebelowdeck in some cases. Leaving the wheel to go below to read a chart orcommunicate via radio seems dangerous and badly thought out to me. You'll likelyfind that many well-equipped monohulls now have instrument displays and a VHFrepeater (or a handheld VHF) in the cockpit or on the steering pedestal, so thisis a nonissue on many boats, but if you buy an older boat, beware.
DRAFT. Larger monohulls—over 40 feet—can have a fairly deepdraft, so you should know where you want to sail before investing in one. Atypical monohull draft is 5 feet or more, but 4 feet or less on a catamaran isbetter in shallower sailing or anchoring grounds.
For example, the Bahamas is not the easiest place to cruise in a monohull. Tidesand shallow waters (5 feet or less is not uncommon) may keep you waiting hoursto get in and out of anchorages. If you're not careful, you can groundout—even in places you've been before—due to shifting sands.
SPACE. Sorry, nothing beats a catamaran for space or easy-to-accessstorage. Nothing.
BOAT MOTION/ROLLING/HEELING. Catamarans don't typically have safety potlatches on their stoves because they aren't necessary. Catamarans don't roll orheel like monohulls do. Sometimes we'd arrive at an anchorage with our monohullpals only to watch them pick up anchor a couple of hours later. While we werewondering what we'd done to offend them, they'd radio to tell us they needed tofind someplace more protected, assuming they could find such a thing. We alsogot seasick on their boats, so it was good to have lots of space on our stabletwo-hull so we could socialize. Monohulls can also swing like a pendulum. I'veseen someone clinging to the side of his swaying boat before scrambling over therailing while his partner in the dinghy tried to avoid getting squashed by theirtilting abode. That's no fun!
Monohull owners spend much prep time just making sure that everything belowdecksis secure because forgetting to latch something down can lead to a mess. We onlyplaced one vase in the sink before we took off for a sail. We were also able toset down a full cup of liquid and walk away from it while under sail! Idefinitely have a problem with the thought of having to strap myself into bed.So I don't fall out (I know what you were thinking).
DINGHY STORAGE. Many monohulls don't have a davit system to raise thedinghy out of the water, so some sailors will tow the dinghy behind or take offtheir dinghy motor before hoisting the dinghy onto the deck for stowage (it'soften lashed forward of the mast). What a pain! Creating drag while towing thedinghy is a bummer, and sometimes you need that dinghy with motor to deal with abad anchoring or mooring situation. If you purchase a monohull, make sure youhave a decent davit system or some way to get the little boat out of the water.Get a lighter dinghy and motor or stronger davits, if necessary.
Catamarans
PROS
SPACE! You'll spend more time on your boat than you can ever imagine.Really. So you want space. You want seating options. You want to have friendsover and you need a table big enough to play Mexican Train Dominoes! We had a37-foot boat that was larger than the apartment I had in New York City. We couldhave guests in one hull and never see them. Between the space on thetrampolines, the rear of the boat, and the salon, we could entertain an entireanchorage. We had so much storage that half the spaces were empty. Our monohullpals had storage envy.
LAYOUT. The convenience of the navigation center being a step away fromour cockpit made me happy. The big, multiple windows let us actually see wherewe decided to visit. A big kitchen (galley), up or down, is another plus.Seating is plentiful from the deck's cockpit, candy chairs (optional deck-railseats, located stern and/or bow), and trampolines, to the interior's salon andcabins. How to decide where to sit?!
EASE OF BOARDING. Getting on and off a catamaran is a cinch. Some stairsor sugar scoops are steeper than others, which should be a factor during yoursearch, but at least no one has to cling to a rickety ladder with a bag ofgroceries in order to board.
SAILING MOTION. We liked the seesaw movement of the catamaran undersail. To us, it felt better than sitting at an angle for umpteen hours or tryingto cook or sit in the head at a tilt. We could walk around or play games and notbe worried about a gust of wind sending us into a full-blown tip. I shouldclarify that we liked the seesaw movement on a calmish day. Pounding directlyinto large waves nose first was not a good time on our catamaran, but I can'tsay they would be a blast in a monohull either. We tried not to sail inconditions like that. I always felt insecure under sail on a leaning monohull.Sitting straight up on a double hull felt reassuring to me.
BOAT MOTION AT ANCHOR. At anchor, we could put up with fairly rollyconditions without turning green or drunkenly stumbling around our boat, atleast most of the time. (The anchorages can get rolly once you're south of St.Martin. Location matters.)
DRAFT. Our catamaran got into many places that monohulls couldn't, andmany times with better holding (it can get sandier toward shore). We also waitedfor tide changes a lot less, if at all. If the outgoing tide did ground us, atleast we could just sit there until it came back in. Monohulls would tilt orfall over if that happened.
REDUNDANCY. It was comforting to know that we had a backup to theengine, toilet, and bilge pump. (Two-hulled boats have two or more ofeverything.) Also see Cons.
SAIL AREA. Both a pro and a con. Our large sails usually kept us movingfaster than our monohull friends, sending us ahead sometimes by hours (dependingon their size). Our large sails were heavy. Sometimes it took two of us to hoistthe mainsail. The large front sail, a genoa in our case, could also be unwieldyand was hard to remove for maintenance or storage because of its heft.
MANEUVERABILITY. It's fun (and a relief) to be able to spin a catamaranin a tight, perfect circle in a crowded anchorage or a scary reefy area thanksto two perfectly located engines. Two engines almost act as thrusters whendocking, as well.
CONS
MAINTENANCE. Catamarans have at least two of everything. Two of everythingto break and two of everything to clean. Not only do you have two hulls housingall those duplicates, you get to scrub the bottom of those two hulls plus themiddle (bridge) when your antifouling paint fails. Two heads and four cabinskept us pretty busy. Good thing we didn't have anything else to do all day!
SAILING MOTION AND SLAMMING. If you're going into waves and you're on acatamaran, you will have water slamming between the hulls. Somecatamarans have a higher center than others, but that just makes them top-heavy,and I'll bet they still slam. What I have found, though, is that the sea andwind conditions that cause slamming are also likely to cause boaters not to gosailing that day, so slamming doesn't happen as often as you might think ormight have been told.
(Continues...)
