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Yacht for solo trip to Hawaii?

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Blue Ghost, Feb 24, 2015.

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  1. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Don't forget the Anchorage Yacht Club. Located in Lake Forest, IL.
  2. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    Yeah, whenever I've been out on the ocean in both the Atlantic and Pacific, it's always my own home waters that really toss around whatever boat I'm in.

    On the upside the strong winds up here in SF make for some rocking sailing.
  3. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    Quick question; is fishing a good or bad option to supplant a food supply for such a trip?
  4. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    ...it depends on if you're good or bad at fishing.
  5. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Can people survive for 66 days on the fish they catch? Absolutely if they're good fishermen and have the equipment and bait. Can they survive on rainwater? That depends a lot on how much it rains and what they have to collect it.
  6. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    You would be very foolish to rely on catching fish to supplement your stores. If you catch some it is a good bonus but if not you don't want to starve.

    You should also bear in mind that while sailing unless you want to tack or drop the sails you will always be moving ahead, this adds to the drag on any fish you get so your mahi mahi will soon be skimming along in the surface and your tuna near the bottom - the jaws of neither are really as appetizing as the rest of the fish

    I prefer a heavy handline on a sailboat
  7. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    ...yup. Boatline rig with a shock cord. Haul it in while continuing to make way.
  8. Kevin

    Kevin YF Moderator

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    Catching fish on a sailboat is not really that difficult...

  9. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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  10. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    I am not sure that thread should be used as an example of what can happen after a mishap leaves you drifting for 66 days at sea. There is quite some chatter on the web about the guys physical condition and story after so long living on the hul of his yacht.

    Normally after 66 days on your own on an upturned hull if your lucky enough to survive you would be either cooked to a crisp or a lot more bedraggled than what has been shown on the goggle box so far.
  11. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    I thought I read that he was inside, but got rolled several times. Am I wrong? I sense an undercurrent of speculation that this whole thing is a hoax. Pretty elaborate if it is. Either way though it stands as a cautionary tale about just getting in a boat and setting off thinking about calm seas and blue skies.
  12. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    I figured, but didn't know either way. Every account of someone crossing the Pacific to any of the islands keeps telling stories about fish or sharks nearby. Some guys have flying fish landing on deck during the night.

    To be honest, I'm not big on fish. I haven't cleaned a fish since I was a boy, so even if I did go out tomorrow or whenever, I'd probably be packing a case load of canned food and mac and cheese.

    Thanks for the replies. :)
  13. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Pasta, canned stuff , bottled water and long life milk and you can stave off starvation for quite a while.

    Sailboats do not travel in straight ( well almost) lines like motor boats so be prepared to take a lot longer to reach your objectove whilst saving all that fuel.
  14. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Don't forget a jar of peanut butter. Great nutrition, great energy boost, and it sticks with you.

    My first ocean transport (Lauderdale to Nova Scotia) I'd have to clean the flying fish off our decks every morning. Lots of them. They'd fly wave top to wave top 20, 30 + feet, and meet the side of our house in the dark.
  15. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    His physical condition appears that he spent 2 days on top of the hull of his sailboat. Also, how do you drift for 66 days and stay 200 miles East of where you started from if the current is 3-4 knots Northward. He should've ended up by the UK according to the current in the Gulfstream......the story is extremely fishy.
  16. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    Nul and void. I can read a road map, but I guess there aren't many bridges from SF to Hawaii. Ages and ages ago someone taught me to use a sextant in cub scouts, but geeze, what was I, like six or seven years old or something? I wouldn't know what to do with one now.

    Yet another class to take and bone up on.
  17. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    You will do the same with one today as you would have done 50 yrs ago, point it at a heavenly body you can identify ,record the observed altitude and time and get to work with your sight reduction tables and nautical almanac several times a day, keep an accurate distance log and good DR's and your intercepts won't put you in the southern hemisphere ( not in the first few weeks anyway).
  18. daysgoneby

    daysgoneby New Member

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    It has long been known that single handed sailing for more than a day or so is, necessarily, technically illegal. Rule 5 of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) specifically states that "Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing," and this is simply impossible to do while sleeping.
    http://cruisingoutpost.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1845
  19. Opcn

    Opcn Senior Member

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    The EU does not control any of the waters in between the US west coast and Hawaii. So that doesn't really change much. If you have redundant collision detection systems the traffic out there isn't so great that it's an unreasonable risk to do it alone. Occasionally people even cross the whole way without ever seeing a boat anywhere but AIS or Radar until they get within day cruising range of the shore.
  20. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    So what happens? do you get cited or something?

    I don't know, even if it's on the books it does sound like a law that has all the potency of tearing off a tag on a mattress or pillow before buying it.