Anyone ever sail the South Pacific?

Shotline

Shotline

Well-known member
Ever since I was a child I had wanted to get my pilots license. I had every flight simulator you could get on a computer and played them constantly. About 8 years ago I realized my life-long dream and finally became a pilot. I even went beyond that and bought an airplane and flew it constantly for a couple years.

Ever since then I have been kind of floundering around for a life goal. Well, I have finally settled on one. I want to sail a boat to the South Pacific and explore. I will either do it myself or get one of my boys to do it with me. My timeline is somewhere around 10 years from now. I don't really want to put a timeline on a life goal but I figure much past age 55 (what I will be in 10 years) and I may not be physically in shape enough to stand the riggers of an open ocean adventure.

So, given BARF's vast collective experiences, I figure someone has to of done this.

If you have ever sailed the South Pacific, tell us of your adventures.
 
T

teg916

Well-known member
No south pacific experience here, but I have skippered a 30 foot sailboat in the bay. Check out Tradewinds sailing club. They put on some good classes, have reasonable prices to sail a large fleet of boats, and organize sailing trips in different parts of the world every year.

One of my sailing instructors there sailed a round the globe voyage.
 
wannabe

wannabe

"Insignificant Other"
My dream is slightly different. I want to spend a month in the British Virgin islands sailing from island to island.
 
Zerox

Zerox

Can I be....frank?
Just charter a boat, what could go wrong?
 

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D

DrSwade

...for limited time...
Good start, planning 10 years early.
Find a discounted way to subscribe to Sail and Cruising World. The latter has many, many tips for safer, better cruising.
Also, boats that are reviewed now may very well be the 10 year old boat you will want or can afford in 10 years. I think you will find the mags a invaluable source of information.
I subscribed to both magazines for $10 a year when the made me the offer to come back. You should be able to get some kind of deal like this.

Also there is a a good book called "Sail to Freedom" which I liked.

I bought a motor home so the wife and I could learn battery power management and water conservation. I think it was a good start for a learning platform.
There are many pros and cons to this dream of yours but remember it is YOUR dream!
Good on ya!
 
oobus

oobus

Dirt Monger
I don't know if I would limit myself to 55 years of age... Two years ago I was with my Uncle George in Fort Pierce Florida heading out to the Bahama's in his 42' Islander and I ran into one of the most interesting/baddass guys I've ever met. He and his wife were sailing their 35ish foot Cat down to New Zealand to get it re-fitted. From what I could tell, this guy really knew his shit.
He was 75 and one of the most fit guys I've ever seen - he started sailing in his 50's when he retired. His wife was younger than him, maybe 50ish. They sold everything and lived on the boat.

The two of them had made TWO cross Atlantic trips from New York to London on their boat - more balls than I have.
Oh, they had stopped in Florida on their way to New Zealand so he could get his hip replaced....

I shared the same dream as you, but mine was going to Cuba and the Bahama's with my Uncle George. Unfortunatly he died last November and without him it just wouldn't be the same.

Baddass guy's boat:
 

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MtnRacer

MtnRacer

Veterinarian
No south pacific experience here but I have a ton of offshore and open sea racing experience. Most of your prep work is going to be safety related, there is A LOT to be done to your garden variety boat to make sure it's sea worthy and properly equipped if it suddenly becomes not-so-sea worthy. Particularly if you are double or single handing it.

What's your current skill level?

Steve
 
louemc

louemc

Well-known member
oobus said:
I don't know if I would limit myself to 55 years of age... Two years ago I was with my Uncle George in Fort Pierce Florida heading out to the Bahama's in his 42' Islander and I ran into one of the most interesting/baddass guys I've ever met. He and his wife were sailing their 35ish foot Cat down to New Zealand to get it re-fitted. From what I could tell, this guy really knew his shit.
He was 75 and one of the most fit guys I've ever seen - he started sailing in his 50's when he retired. His wife was younger than him, maybe 50ish. They sold everything and lived on the boat.

The two of them had made TWO cross Atlantic trips from New York to London on their boat - more balls than I have.
Oh, they had stopped in Florida on their way to New Zealand so he could get his hip replaced....

I shared the same dream as you, but mine was going to Cuba and the Bahama's with my Uncle George. Unfortunatly he died last November and without him it just wouldn't be the same.

Baddass guy's boat:
Click to expand...


Holy Mother of God...That is Not an ocean going cat.

Not sayin the guy isn't baddass or interesting...but...that cat isn't an Ocean going one...even though he has been across the oceans, in it.
 
Silence

Silence

Has bad taste
1. Many cruiser couples/families we meet are well in to retirement age with their kids and grand kids in tow (particularly the catamarans it feels like).
2. Open ocean passages are (should be) far more boring than people think. If it's not boring it probably means it was planned and/or prepared for poorly (timing/route/weather/mechanical/supply/etc) or a freak accident occurred.
3. Joining a yacht club can be a nice way to get a head start. We often get friends from the yacht club to help crew for our passages to and from NZ where the boat is kept. Great way to get first hand experience on someone else's boat.
4. If you have a few good friends, consider making it a joint venture. This will help mitigate two types of pain--financial (initial investment and upkeep) and crewing needs for passages.
 
auntiebling

auntiebling

megalomaniacal troglodyte
Staff member
1) in 10 years you can walk to the south pacific. the trash pile will be huge!
2) there responses in this thread amaze me. barfers have done EVERYfuckingTHING
 
oobus

oobus

Dirt Monger
Yea, he seemed like a wild little shit (5'6 160ish), but he said his wife was worse. Everyone who got on the boat caller her "The Admiral". He was white and she was a Filipino ER nurse. He shared quite a few stories with me over some rum at the marina. Don't want to bag up the OP's thread, p.m. me if interested.

Shotline, this is truly a worthwhile life adventure. I hope you can pull it off: most people just talk about doing something like this and don't have the stones to follow the dream. George had to wait until he was 70 to get his own boat and only enjoyed it for two years.
 
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