Sailing

UmpaUmpa said:Sure, but you're still out there standing all by yourself.

Look, you could always just choose to skip the beers, pass on the BBQ, and hold off on the hookups for an hour or two.😁 😁

George Morgan3 said:I mean, I watch these guys and they think they look so "cool," right? But honestly—half the time they’re just standing there, getting ready to actually catch a wave... like, it takes them forever! And don't even get me started on the fact that they always need a buddy tagging along just to help them out. Then comes the actual "struggle"—the sail just drags them through the channel and ends up hauling them right across the beach. It looks exhausting! 😱 Gravel vs. asphalt... man, what a nightmare! Honestly, just thinking about it gives me a minor panic attack—total stress fest!

I honestly feel like most kite surfers aren't even actually controlling their boards—they’re basically just praying for survival at this point! Like, seriously. One minute you're cruising, and the next, you've caught a gust, launched ten feet into the air, and slammed onto your back. At that rate, you might as well just say goodbye to the ocean for a few months... or forever, if you're unlucky! Honestly? Kite surfing does absolutely nothing for me. In fact, it sounds pretty terrifying. I'll pass!

George Morgan3 said:I gotta be honest—when I’m out on the sailboat, I’m not really doing it for anything specific... I’m just doing it for the pure vibes and the meditation aspect of it all! You know what I mean? Like, you just drop the sails, fire up the grill, and let everything else fade away... it's just total bliss. 😁

I mean, honestly, you could just stab at just about anything! If you hit up the used markets, you can find some seriously decent boats for under $22k—and yeah, we're talking over 30 feet too. There are tons of gems from the 70s just sitting there. You just gotta do your homework, you know? Check if the fiberglass is dealing with osmosis issues or if the wood is starting to rot, and if it passes that test, you’ve basically scored a killer boat. Sure, hauling one all the way from the States would probably cost as much as the boat itself—which is kind of a bummer—but the markets over in Greece, Turkey, or Cyprus have similar price points anyway. Just do a little Google digging and you'll find some beautiful stuff. One thing though—if the boat is over 23 feet, most places are gonna require you to have a permit. And man, getting a skipper certification around here takes forever and runs you about $2,500. I just don't have the bandwidth for that right now—seriously, my schedule is a mess. Maybe one day I'll just grab a few months of vacation time and knock the whole thing out in one go!

If you’re actually into working with wood—like, really getting your hands dirty with it—you seriously need to check out what Dudley Dix is putting out there. He’s got some killer plans for boats that would look right at home in a big-box retailer like Home Depot if they sold blueprints! Seriously though, Dix is the real deal. His Shearwater 45 actually snagged both the cruising world’s Best Traditional Voyager and Best Overall cruiser back in 2000—so he definitely knows his stuff. I was thinking, if he could just find one more person willing to drop something like $22,000, they could probably team up to build a Didij 38. He mentioned that building the hull itself—including the cabin and all the interior woodwork—only cost him about $7,000. Then, once you add in the sails, the electronics, and everything else needed to actually cross an ocean (and believe me, he’s done transatlantic races in a Didij 38 more than a few times!), the whole setup comes to around $45,000. That's a steal for a blue-water cruiser! He estimates the whole project takes about 3,000 hours of work—which sounds like a lifetime, I know—but he also sells kits with pre-cut wood, which honestly makes the whole process way faster.
Check out this site—http://www.dixdesign.com—it’s actually pretty slick! Honestly, I was just scrolling through and ended up down a total rabbit hole, but man, some of these designs are just... wow. Just thought I'd toss it out there for anyone looking for some fresh inspo!

Look, I’m gonna be real with you—3,000 hours is just way too much grind for me! Like, seriously! If you’re pulling ten-hour shifts every single day, you’re looking at a whole year just to get that boat finished. A whole year! My brain can barely handle a marathon movie, let alone a year-long project like that... haha!

George Morgan3 said:Look, sure—you could technically hold off on the beer, the BBQ, and the... uh... "extracurricular activities" for an hour or two if you really wanted to.😁 😁

I mean, I guess it all depends on what kind of sailing you're doing! Like, for the beer situation, you already saw—it’s doable. And yeah, you can't exactly fire up a grill on a catamaran without making a huge mess, but you can totally pack the gear and have a massive cookout once you hit the beach. As for the last part of the comment... well...
http://www.thebeachcats.com/modules....view_album.php
😬

Brian Moore67 said:It really all comes down to what kind of vessel you’re running. You already saw how it works with the beer—look, you obviously can't be firing up a grill on a catamaran—but you can certainly pack your gear and have a cookout right there on the beach. And as for the latter...
http://www.thebeachcats.com/modules....view_album.php
😬

Wait, what do you mean you can't grill on a sailboat?? Heh, you seriously need to fly back home to America to see how incredibly resourceful people actually are. In my opinion, the absolute #1 solution—and I witnessed this with my own two eyes—was when some folks took the drum from an old washing machine 😁 and mounted a grill grate right on top of it. S A V E D . 😁 Believe me, you just have to be a little creative.

Brian Moore67 said:Look, 3,000 hours is just too much labor for my liking. If you're pulling 10-hour shifts every single day—which, let’s be honest, is exhausting enough—you're looking at an entire year just to finish one boat.

Just imagine what it feels like once you actually have something like that under your belt...
I remember watching this great documentary about a guy from Santa Monica, I think... he built a 40-foot Bavari out of steel entirely by himself, following some blueprints. He left the business to his son, and then he just set sail and circumnavigated the globe. That project took him maybe two or three years to complete.

George Morgan3 said:Man, how can you say you can't grill on a sailboat?? hehe—you seriously need to fly back home to the States to see just how creative people get around here... honestly, I’ve seen the ultimate hack with my own eyes—someone literally took the drum from an old washing machine 😁 and mounted some grill grates right on top of it. S A V I O R S 😁 believe me, you just gotta have a little imagination!

I've seen those store-bought grills, but on a racing catamaran? There’s way too much grease splatter for that, plus the whole boat bounces around so much. You’d basically have to glue your burgers down just to keep them from flying straight into the ocean.

George Morgan3 said:just imagine having something like that under your belt..
it was this killer documentary about a guy from Santa Monica, I think.. he built a 40-foot Bavari out of steel entirely by himself using just some blueprints.. then he handed the business over to his son and just sailed around the world.. took him maybe two or three years to build the thing

I mean, yeah, plenty of people have done stuff like that, but honestly? I don't think I'd have the patience to spend two hours every single day after work for like two or three years straight. Just can't see myself doing it!

Remembering a legendary sailor and a truly great friend who left us two years ago.

Santa Monica, June 2003😢 If any of you knew him personally, please light a candle in his honor.

May you always have fair winds and following seas,

I used to be quite a promising young windsurfer, though a series of unfortunate events has kept me off the board for over a year now. To make matters worse, I just sold my Mistral board—which, if I’m being honest, I managed to wipe out on twice in its lifetime—just as I was finally starting to find my rhythm with jumps. It feels like right when I was gaining momentum, everything just ground to a halt. I still have a solid grasp of the fundamentals, and part of me thinks I should just rent some gear in seven-knot winds and head out to catch a quick loop to see if the muscle memory is still there.🙂

Is anyone else out here sailing Lasers at Central Park? 🙂 It was an absolute blast today—the wind was absolutely howling, though unfortunately, everything just died down right around 5 PM...

What absolute madness at Central Park today! The sky is pitch black and the wind is howling like crazy 🙂))) just gliding through the Laser 🙂 and catching some flips here and there 🙂

casualfox9 said:Anyone here sail Lasers at Central Park? 🙂 It was pretty awesome today, wind was blowing like crazy, though it died down around 5 PM...

I was out sailing back in May, maybe we even raced together. I spent some time swimming in the Zeta 😁 , which was nice... if I actually had the time, I'd probably head out there just to get a few laps in. 👍

I happen to sail the 420—so, if anyone has any questions or needs a bit of insight...

Is anyone planning on heading out to Central Park for some sailing these days?

So, I’ve been looking through some sailing school websites lately... they offer a one or two-week beginner course, then an advanced class to get you ready for solo sailing, and finally the skipper certification...

Does anyone else think that seems a bit rushed? Like, is a week really enough time before someone is out there on their own? Even getting a driver's license takes way longer than that. 😁

Balkanijan Pig said:I’m just wondering... I’ve been looking at some sailing school websites. They offer a one or two-week beginner course, followed by an advanced module focused on solo sailing. Then you move on to skipper training...

Don't you think it's a bit reckless for someone to head out on their own after just a week of training? Even getting a driver's license takes much longer than that. 😁

In my opinion, spending about four weeks in structured courses should be sufficient for the average person who starts with zero knowledge of boats or maritime navigation. Of course, if there's someone else in your crew who already has some experience on board, that definitely makes things easier.

If every single person renting a boat had completed at least one solid week of proper instruction, the water would be a much safer place. 😁 😁

casualfox9 said:It would be such a dream if everyone renting a boat actually had at least a week of solid training under their belt first. 😁 😁

I mean, come on—is someone really going to rent a sailboat without ever having stepped foot on one before? Besides, you're supposed to have a license... though honestly, those permits seem to be handed out like candy these days, even for just being a boat skipper. How much coverage does that actually provide? And can you take out a sailboat over 22 feet, or what's the limit on those things?

Balkanijan Pig said:Surely a person wouldn't just rent a sailboat without ever having stepped foot on a boat before... besides, they’re supposed to have a license... though honestly, those permits seem to be handed out left and right... at least for small boat operators. How much does it cost, anyway? Can you rent a sailboat if it's under 7 meters or what's the limit?

hahaha, you have no idea the kind of people who go out and rent sailboats😁 😁 precisely, either they've never been on one or they were tossed around like a ragdoll during their first trip...

People rent these boats without having the slightest clue how to even raise the sails🙂 then they just give up after the very first attempt and spend the whole time running the engine, usually causing absolute mayhem at some marina, crashing into docks, needing a tow, and so on.😁

Looking for some crew (2 people, maybe 3 if we have the space) for the America's Cup.

It’s going down Friday, Nov 4th through Sunday, Nov 6th. We’re looking at two legs of about 23 nautical miles each (basically a run out to the coast and back) plus one overnight stay. There's also a chance you could jump on the crew for the Jabuka race (Nov 18-20) or even look into joining us as permanent crew for the 2006 season.

Shoot me a DM if you're interested.

I would request that anyone involved in sailing or interested in the sport take a moment to review my thread over in the other media subforum.
thanks