# An old man want to start sailing!



## sammy112350 (Jan 30, 2010)

Hi all
My name is Sammy, originally from Egypt, I am 60 years old, never sailed a boat before!
I intend to buy a 27-30' boat and sail it across the Atlantic! crazy? Maybe. the question for the experts, what chance of success do I have?
If the chance is 50/50 I like to take it.
I am wide open for tips in any kind.
Please help with as much advices as you can.
Tanks,
PC.This is the like boat I like to buy "1977 CAL 2-27
1977 Cal 27’ Used Sailboat"


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## slowpoke (Jan 25, 2010)

*young fellow*

your just a kid, go for it.


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Study and practice locally. You can work your way up to it.


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## kaluvic (Jan 14, 2009)

Do you have any buddies with any experience who would go with you?
I think your chances are better than 50/50 if you just buy a boat and head off.
Just to put that in perspective, that’s like putting 3 bullets in a six shooter and playing Russian roulette.


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## Stillraining (Jan 11, 2008)

a soild 80/20 at least.....with common sence, a sound boat,some weather and navigation skills and some McGiverisum and good health.. it ain't rocket science...you never learn to sail an ocean till your out there...Go For it!


It's the old formula in reverse were 20% of the people do 80% of the work...and enjoy 80% of the sucess..


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## kaluvic (Jan 14, 2009)

We are talking about single handing right?


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## chris_gee (May 31, 2006)

If you would do something like this with a 50/50 chance you don't have the right attitude to go sailng.
Would those who encourage you be prepared to go with you? 
I doubt that the boat is more than a coastal cruiser and although they are inexpensive you should probably allow $20,000 to equip it and bring it to standard.
Sixty is not too old, but I suggest you do some sailing first to learn something about it.
While people here would help you, the obvious first step, if this was a genuine aim rather than a pipe dream, would be for you to take the responsibility of researching learning all you can from material easily accessible rather than expecting to be spoonfed.
It may be possible to do what you plan, but irresponsible for someone who knows nothing about it.
I would say your chances are much less than 50% at this stage. While your boat and your life have no more value than you put on them, you also put others at risk if they have to attempt to rescue you. Their families may value their lives higher.


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## sammy112350 (Jan 30, 2010)

Thanks a lot for all your interest to reply to my inquiry. 
Take it easy Chris dear, you can submit your opinion fairly without being that harsh.
My plain is not that shallow though.
I intend to buy the boat, fix it, add supply and necessary equipment then try to gain some experience and attend classes for several months first, also, I try to convince my 25 years son to company me. he is about to graduate from pharmacy school, still he doesn't have any experience being in a boat before, but he is in god shape physically and possible to have one or two of his friends with us. 
I really appreciate all your replies and interest.
Thanks a lot.
(please don't use big English words, for as you can tell English is not my first tong.


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## kaluvic (Jan 14, 2009)

Well that plan sounds good Sammy, maabrook...where are you located?


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## sammy112350 (Jan 30, 2010)

kaluvic said:


> Well that plan sounds good Sammy, maabrook...where are you located?


Thanks a lot dear.
I live in Albany, NY. I am retired and have no much friends.
I love to have friends though.


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## kbyte (Jun 6, 2007)

I sail a 1978 Cal 2-27. It is an excellent boat.

It would not be my first choice for an ocean crossing, but I know of a couple that sailed theirs regularly to Portugal, some have circumnavigated, and there are usually one or two entered in the Transpac race to Hawaii.

Give yourself a year or two to learn the ropes and prepare your boat, and you should be fine.


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

Sammy, We were sailing on a felucca with one of your countrymen in Egypt last year.








Sure, you can sail across the Atlantic. Plan carefully. Learn sailing skills. Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## Stillraining (Jan 11, 2008)

James ..I just noticed the name change...so whats the meaning?


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## sammy112350 (Jan 30, 2010)

I am so happy to have discovered this informative site with such nice helpful people like you.
Now please advice me of how to start. Keep in mind that I don't want or not able to postpone my dream to sail for more than a year maximum, which I will use to learn and obtain a boat and maybe get into a better shape physically!

Just advice me on where to start, and which page contains start-up advices for sailing and buying a primary boat or a Dingy as I heard.
Thanks to all of you gentlemen.


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## soulofmine (Jan 24, 2010)

hey sammy,

I am a beginner as well. I have been stuck in the "Learning to Sail" posts for a while now. Lots of great info there. Just absorb as much info as you can, from here, books, friends, anywhere. Practice it, then do it. Common sense is key. Best of luck on your sailing endeavors. peace.


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## kaluvic (Jan 14, 2009)

Stillraining said:


> James ..I just noticed the name change...so whats the meaning?


Hey Scott
My name was taken....Kaluvic is the name I was given when I lived in an Eskimo village in the upper Kobuk valley.
According the old man that named me, it means "the wise fish"
Go figure?


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## mcollins07 (Sep 30, 2005)

*Learning to sail*

I liked the dvd's and videos on sailing. You can find some at amazon.com and bennetmarine.com (?). On the videos, get all levels, not just the beginers; beginers, cruising, racing, heavy weather sailing, and , I saw one on improving sail trim that was very good. It is good to get as many perspectives as soon as you can. Adults learn best in a spiral fashion, not just linearly.

Probably the most important thing is to practice wherever you can, be it in dingy, with another boat, or on your own boat.

Also, If you find a marina where people are sitting around talking, ask questions and listen. It is not as strucutred as videos, books, or courses, but I've learned stuff from talking with experienced sailors in person, that is not found anywhere else. Nice way to make new friends too.


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## sammy112350 (Jan 30, 2010)

Thanks Mcollins
The "videos" link doesn't work.


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## carl762 (Jan 11, 2010)

Good luck on your adventure. 

Netflix has many many instructional videos, Sammy... You can watch some of them right on your computer.


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## potterer (Feb 1, 2010)

sammy112350 said:


> Take it easy Chris dear, you can submit your opinion fairly without being that harsh.


He's not being harsh: he's being realistic.

(I can't drive: I'm planning to buy a Ford Escort and drive across the Sahara)

You need lots of training, lots of practice and lots of planning.


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## potterer (Feb 1, 2010)

sammy112350 said:


> Now please advice me of how to start.
> Just advice me on where to start,
> Thanks to all of you gentlemen.


Some ladies here, too!

Take RYA Theory and Practical courses (start with Day Skipper and progress to Yachtmaster Ocean)


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

First of all, reading your post, and non-analytic approach to this, I would say that your chances of crossing the Atlantic in a year are well less than 50/50%. 

If you had the time and money to methodically and rapidly progress through the necessary study and apprenticeship, with access to knowlegable friends who could tutor you in sailing and boat handling, and if your mindset was such that you were able to methodically outline a course of study, then you might increase your chances of being successful, but the fact that you have set an arbitrary deadline, and picked an arbitrary boat type, and have not researched even the most basic first steps in a courses of study before setting this goal, suggests that it is unlikely that you can accomplish a crossing at anything resembling a reasonable level of risk, at least not within a year's time. 

You need to begin to get vaguely realistic in your planning. For example, there is only a narrow weather window to minimize your risks in crossing the Atlantic in a small boat west to east. The end of that window is less than 6 months away and the beginning of the next window is 15 months away. So at the very least, the soonest you could go is roughly 15 months. 

I know that the dream of voyaging under sail can be a powerful one. Several times a month I receive an email from someone who is considering doing just what you are proposing. I have watched literally dozens of folks go through this. Some are successful in getting 'out there', some discover that they really enjoy sailing and find that they really have no need to cross and ocean; some have discovered that the sailing life is just not for them, and still others have not even gotten past the dreaming stage. 

From what I have seen, typically the most successful have been the ones who have been somewhat systematic about going. There is a lot to learn before one can safely venture offshore. No one would assume that they could buy a jet airliner take a few lessons and be able to fly around the world. I think most rational people would expect to start with a small plane and work their way up doing short hops and then longer more difficult flights. But for some reason people assume that they can just go out and buy a boat, take a couple lessons, read a few books, and then go safely cruising.

While there are people who literally have taken a few lessons, read a few books and went out voyaging, those that were successful going that route are far more rare than those who have done some kind of apprenticeship and worked up to it a step at time. Learning to sail and learning to cruise involves a lot of knowledge and no matter how much you know, there will always be more to learn, but I suggest that you at least plan to take the time to learn the basics. 

If I were in your position, I would start by moving myself to a warm climate, say Florida and taking basic sailing lessons. I would look for a small offshore capable design, (and not try to start with an old, lightly built, coastal cruiser like the Cal 2-27. An experienced sailor could strengthen one and cross and ocean, but you have neither the time or skill to do that.) If you are planning to cross an ocean, you will need a boat with a displacement (weight) of roughly 4,000 to 11,000 lbs per person, so a 27 foot coastal cruiser is too small for two or three people to sail across the Atlantic in terms of carrying enough supplies to feed the crew and carry necessary spares.


To cross an ocean in a small boat, you turly need to know how to sail well. By sailing well, I mean understanding the nuances of boat handling and sail trim in both light and heavy conditions. 

The key to even getting close to your goal will be outline the tasks you need to accomplish in the 15 months that you have, setting a sequence and deadlines and be disciplined in following that path. I would start by sitting down and put together a list of all of the things that you will need to know before I set off voyaging. Off the top of my head, you would at least minimally need to study and truly know the following items and then some:
· Boat handling
· Sail trim
· Rules of the road
· Weather 
· Routing
· Boat husbandry, repair and maintenance
· Diesel/ gas engine maintenance and repair
· First aid
· Heavy weather tactics
· Legal restrictions on leaving and entering foreign countries
· Navigation, (Celestial, dead reckoning and electronic) 
· Provisioning
· Radio operators license exam requirements
· Safe and dangerous fish to eat
· Survival skills 
· Etc&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..

Once you had what you thought was a complete list, you would set up a schedule to try to develop those areas of skill that you are currently lacking. 

As much as possible you will need to try to involve all those on board in as many of these aspects of knowlege as each is capable of understanding. With dedication, high levels of energy, and a lot of focus this process could take as little as a year, but in my experience, more often it takes two to three years. The process itself can be very rewarding and can build the kind of family bonds that are required to be cast away on that oh-so-small island that a boat underway represents. 

Respectfully,
Jeff


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## sammy112350 (Jan 30, 2010)

Thanks a lot Jeff
your reply is the best help and informative article I have read so far.
I saved your thread to read it again and again for the wisdom that apparently shows.
I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks again
Sammy


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## leland515 (Sep 26, 2009)

Hey Sammy,

I understand your dream. I would like to one day sail a very long distance, but I am taking several years to completely understand what all sailing can do to you. 
Remember that you don't have to cross an ocean to have an adventure, come down one day and I'll show you how much fun it is just to take a 3 hour sail to the islands around here. The sights are much prettier when it's not just water everywhere 

Just food for thought- you don't always have to run before you walk.


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## sammy112350 (Jan 30, 2010)

Thanks Lelands for the generous invitation.
I may accept it soon.
Thanks again.


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## sailguy40 (Feb 6, 2010)

Ok I don't feel so crazy now. :laugher He is 60 (i thought when he said old man he meant old man. :laugher I don't consider 60 an old man  )and talking about an Atlantic crossing and has never sailed before. I am 40, never sailed before and was considering a Lake Ponchartrain crossing. I have no choice I am going to have to do it if I get the Cal 25 I was planning on getting. It is on the northshore, I live on the southshore and I certainly am not driving back and forth 30 min a day to work on my boat.


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## Rookee (Feb 15, 2010)

Sammy: congratulations on you goal! I think it is exciting and very ambitious you can do it and if it is your dream you should do it ... with great caution and preperation, I have the same goal and have been taking step by strp sailing classes from a charter boat company in the San Francisco bay area starting with Basic Keelboat then Basic Cruising I will do many charters where I will be the skipper before I move on top the next classes I highly reccommend you take some classes just to get your feet wet (pun HAHA) perhaps take a look at US Sailing or one of the accreditted schools in your area. I will tell you that after the classes I have taken I felt much more confident in my ability to go out and cope on the water, however I always learn that I have allot more to learn every time I go out whether there's a problem on the boat or a thick wall of fog that your in and all you can hear is the surf pounding onto rocks nearby there is frequently situations that occur that make your pulse race and force you to deal with your fear...... I like that part of it ! anyway I have a 5 year goal to get through all my sail training then crew on a boat from somewhere here in CA to Hawaii then with a little more practice I will sail to Spain Maybe by myself more likely with friends I have made who have very much more experience than I hence very much more skill... maybe when I am 70? I'll go all alone. good luck to you and go for it.


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

I appreciate the advice that was given to the OP about needing to be prepared before crossing an ocean, taking time to learn, etc, but I would like to add one thought that I think contradicts all of that - at 60 years old you're starting to think about how much longer you'll be fit enough to do anything, much less sail across an ocean. While I think the advice about preparing, learning skills, etc, is all well intentioned and for a 30 year old spot on, at some point you just have to start thinking that if you're ever going to do something you better get to it. Like they say, life is not a dress rehearsal, this is it.


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## sammy112350 (Jan 30, 2010)

Hi
some of you, mad me look like a crazy fella, but let me tell a real story;
When I was 29 I bought my first car, I hadn't practice driving before that day, but i had theoretical idea, and that day afternoon I learned how to drive with no help or whatsoever, one can tell how hard that was considering that the car was manual not automatic!

What I want to tell is, could sailing be the same as driving a car with no previous experience? 
just try and learn from the wrong.
However, I read a lot now about sailing, still dn't get it but eventually I will comprehend it, still I need to have a boat to practice.

Thanks to all whom might concerned to hep and advise.

Sammy


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