# Sailing around the world on a Sunfish - non stop



## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

So, a friend's cousin's roommate has this small Sunfish boat behind the barn on his family's farm in Oklahoma. He is willing to give it to me for free! I will have to have it transported home to me in New York. 

He said it may need a little work and some parts may be missing. He mentioned it also needs a new sail, mast, rudder, tiller, boom, centerboard, and ropes. The hull is in very good shape... just a few holes in the bottom that need patching.

My plan is to clean it up and to circumnavigate the globe - non-stop. Also, I will need to install a refrigerator to keep beer cool during the journey. What size battery will I need?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

You're a loser. A sunfish is huge!

I'm going to circumnavigate on a raft built from 10 popsicle sticks. I'm carrying a package of cloth napkins for sails. If one gets blown out during a storm, I'll just pull a fresh, new one from the package and be on my way.

I find that the popsicle sticks being made of wood, give the vessel a rustic, cozy feeling.
Does anyone know if it's possible to install a wood fireplace on a popsicle stick raft?


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

An energizer 9 volt should do it and the bunny will provide food and 4 lucky rabbits feet to ( well not to lucky for the bunny ) :laugher :laugher:laugher


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## Evongelo (Jul 17, 2014)

Don't forget to bring a bag of party balloons that you can blow up and use as life rafts in the unlikely event of needing to abandon ship.


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

You know what really makes this thread funny? The fact that it is so very close to some of the absolutely serious posts we get around here.


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## chrissailorman (Apr 20, 2010)

Get another one. Tie them side by side and call it a sun-a-maran.. At least it will be more stable...p


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## findrichard (Jan 16, 2014)

I have been around the globe three times on my sunfish already. PM me if you have any specific questions. Ah, scratch that, just ask your questions here.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Evongelo said:


> Don't forget to bring a bag of party balloons that you can blow up and use as life rafts in the unlikely event of needing to abandon ship.


Evongelo, I give you a LOT of credit for having a great attitude and not stomping off in a snit. Seriously. Welcome to the sailing community.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

We leave at dawn!


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## blutoyz (Oct 28, 2012)

Stay north and the water will keep your beer cold enough


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## christian.hess (Sep 18, 2013)

sad sad sad...


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

And juice boxes. Plenty of juice boxes. Like at least a dozen.


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## Boasun (Feb 10, 2007)

Could be done: A few items to think about;
1. He would have to stay on the 'SunFish'.
2. He would need a support vessel to carry his beer and other foods. Unless he really really likes shusi.
3. His supplies would have to be floated off the support vessel for the reason they can't touch but the bikini babes on said support vessel will be flaunting their lovelyness for moral support... or is that immoral support??
4. There are a few other rules; but my imagination is stuck on rule three 'bikini babes.'


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## Sixpak (Jun 18, 2013)

You should learn on just one popsicle stick and only move up after you've spent a few years on that.


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## LessTacksing (Mar 17, 2009)

Do I need classes before I sail on the popsicle sticks? I am leaning towards US sailing....
David


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## nighthawk (Sep 25, 2013)

I happen to know from personal experience that a sunfish is just big enough to hold a full case of beer in the hull with you! You just need to plan your waypoints very, very carefully!


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## Ferretchaser (Jan 14, 2011)

I am going to do one of them circus navigation things in a zodiac. I have heard about the dangers of shipping containers when single handing and to make the zodiac a bit more rugged and not puncture on impact, I have taken precautions and have filled the tubes with rebar and cement. All ropes on board have been changed to chains as well as that stuff don't chafe.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

LessTacksing said:


> Do I need classes before I sail on the popsicle sticks? I am leaning towards US sailing....
> David


You don't need classes, but I recommend you start with a toothpick and work your way up. You can buy a toothpick cheap and they're easily pocketable so you can sail every weekend until you have more experience.


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## shananchie (Jan 29, 2014)

Funny. Since I resumed visiting this site a few months ago, I've had the feeling that a certain number of posters are not really sailors, but people just passing the time on the Internet. No one who has spent significant time on a sailboat could pose these types of questions.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

shananchie said:


> Funny. Since I resumed visiting this site a few months ago, I've had the feeling that a certain number of posters are not really sailors, but people just passing the time on the Internet. No one who has spent significant time on a sailboat could pose these types of questions.


This thread is a joke shananchie. Levity. Don't worry.


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## Ferretchaser (Jan 14, 2011)

shananchie said:


> Funny. Since I resumed visiting this site a few months ago, I've had the feeling that a certain number of posters are not really sailors, but people just passing the time on the Internet. No one who has spent significant time on a sailboat could pose these types of questions.


hey the question is valid .... some of the answers however.


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## Zarathu (May 26, 2014)

I have a friend who sailed from Bar Harbor, Me, to Bristol England in a 24 foot sailboat, hugging the coast as much as he could. We asked him if there was anything that he failed to take. He said that he ran out of scotch whiskey on the 5th day out, and would have replaced a lot of his water with scotch.

Since he also decided it would be a good time to stop his chain smoking cold turkey on in the middle of the Atlantic, its no wonder he needed more Johnny Walker. But if he'd have taken enough Pinch he probably would have traded one addiction for another.


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## Ferretchaser (Jan 14, 2011)

I love the idea of long distance sailing with a toothpick or a Popsicle stick but don't like the look of double enders.


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Make sure to install the granite counter tops.


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

BubbleheadMd said:


> Does anyone know if it's possible to install a wood fireplace on a popsicle stick raft?


No. But the bonehead in "All Is Lost" installed a very nice one in his liferaft. Cozy.


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## shananchie (Jan 29, 2014)

That's why I said "funny." I understand he was making fun of the other threads, like the Catalina 22 around the world. Those are the people my comment was aimed at.


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## saldrich (Oct 10, 2013)

weinie said:


> So, a friend's cousin's roommate has this small Sunfish boat behind the barn on his family's farm in Oklahoma. He is willing to give it to me for free! I will have to have it transported home to me in New York.
> 
> He said it may need a little work and some parts may be missing. He mentioned it also needs a new sail, mast, rudder, tiller, boom, centerboard, and ropes. The hull is in very good shape... just a few holes in the bottom that need patching.
> 
> ...


cool idea lol


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## justified (Jun 14, 2007)

Lets at least make the trip interesting. If you back wind the sail you can can do the entire trip in reverse and then you never have to worry about taking water over the bow.


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## ultraclyde (Jun 4, 2014)

You can get by with two AA batteries for the fridge, but you're gonna need 16 sq feet of solar panels to keep 'em charged.


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Ok, to the OP, you are seriously out of touch... the sunfish is too slow... you need to use a laser... Get cracking... cause this guy is gonna beat you to it...

Laser Record

Yeah, SILENCE... see the OP isn't really that crazy.
(edited to revise the last sentence to add the words "really that")


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## ScottUK (Aug 16, 2009)

You don't have the experience. What you need to do is park the boat at a marina for 7 years. Then you will have the experience as long as you bring a baby, a sat phone and a bottle of Elmer's glue. I think that is what experienced sailors call insurance.


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## christian.hess (Sep 18, 2013)

awesome chicks!

see...its the crazy people that get stuff done, not the naysayers...

there is no such thing as a stupid question some wise person once said...some ANSWERS however

man o man...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

Listen, a bit of sage advice from an old timer.

When you run into Robert Redford out there, don't take his advice. And if you hit a container, don't fix the boat, board the container and finish the voyage.

You'll be fine.

Almost forgot, bring your shaving kit. Whenever the weather looks like it's getting bad, make sure you're cleanly shaven.


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## krazzz (Jul 17, 2013)

capecodda said:


> And if you hit a container, don't fix the boat, board the container and finish the voyage.


I never thought about hijacking a container. Brilliant! I think I would develop some kind of air lock so I can enter into the container and live off it's contents. Hopefully it is full of twinkies, beef jerky, Guinness and a few Wilson volleyballs so I have someone to talk to.


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## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

I was going to say Robert Redford could do it without uttering a word, but Smackdaddy beat me to the All is Lost Reference 
But since we are at it, why couldn't the Sunfish be considered a sportboat  HA Shnool!


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## THEFRENCHA (Jan 26, 2003)

The most crazy thing is that this guy is actually doing it on a hobbie cat 16
Started October already half way
Planning 27 stops for rest and repair and about to succeed

Le défi d'Yvan Bourgnon - Le premier tour du monde en solitaire en cata de sport > 2013/2014


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## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

Mods, is it ok if I start a separate thread titled Sailing Around the World on a Pool Noodle??


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## christian.hess (Sep 18, 2013)

THEFRENCHA said:


> The most crazy thing is that this guy is actually doing it on a hobbie cat 16
> Started October already half way
> Planning 27 stops for rest and repair and about to succeed
> 
> Le défi d'Yvan Bourgnon - Le premier tour du monde en solitaire en cata de sport > 2013/2014


impressive, although its not a hobie 16 but some other type of cat.

they are so much fun...

wish him the best...hes already done so much!


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## THEFRENCHA (Jan 26, 2003)

It is a hobbie 16 but with some added features for seating and storage


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## christian.hess (Sep 18, 2013)

THEFRENCHA said:


> It is a hobbie 16 but with some added features for seating and storage


man its really modified then cause the hulls dont resemble a hobies or the beams or anything, maybe the mast jajaja

in any case looks awesome

wish him he best

I love it


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## juggleandhope (Jun 4, 2012)

Relieved to read the responses. Sometimes on sailnet it seems like people spend too much time crushing dreams instead of encouraging the modern-day Slocums. Well, I mean, we should discourage the alleged pedophile stuff, but not the sailing!


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## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

juggleandhope said:


> Relieved to read the responses. Sometimes on sailnet it seems like people spend too much time crushing dreams instead of encouraging the modern-day Slocums. Well, I mean, we should discourage the alleged pedophile stuff, but not the sailing!


It's interesting that Sail magazine's cover story this month is "Small Boats". Just came in my mailbox today. The letter from the editor talks about a guy named Serge Testa who sailed around the world in a 12 foot, self-built aluminum boat! According to the article, the guy covered 27,000 miles, weathered four cyclones and rounded the Cape of Good Hope. His average speed was just 2.25 knots!


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## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

Here's the boat:


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## nighthawk (Sep 25, 2013)

That thing has almost more motor than boat. I think the boat may actually jsut be a gas tank for the OB. He probably just slept on deck!


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

What! You're going to circumnavigate a Sunfish without a coffee maker? It CAN'T be done!


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## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

capta said:


> What! You're going to circumnavigate a Sunfish without a coffee maker? It CAN'T be done!


Nonsense! Of course I'll have a coffee maker on board. It's where place the coffee bean grinder that worries me. I'm running out of space....you know....with the margaritaville blender and Guiness beer kegorator, I'm simply running low on storage space.


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## nighthawk (Sep 25, 2013)

weinie said:


> Nonsense! Of course I'll have a coffee maker on board. It's where place the coffee bean grinder that worries me. I'm running out of space....you know....with the margaritaville blender and Guiness beer kegorator, I'm simply running low on storage space.


I think you may need to combine systems--I'm sure with a little ingenuity you can build a tow behind device that will roll in your wake and generate electricity, determine speed, and either grind coffe or mix margaritas (depending on what you load it with)! Might even figure out a way to do your laundry in it as well!


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## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

weinie said:


> Nonsense! Of course I'll have a coffee maker on board. It's where place the coffee bean grinder that worries me. I'm running out of space....you know....with the margaritaville blender and Guiness beer kegorator, I'm simply running low on storage space.


Stick the beans up your bum. The pucker factor will take of the rest. Saves space and eliminates taking a grinder. Go simple, go small, go now. Larry would endorse the idea.


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## DonScribner (Jan 9, 2011)

I once cirumnavigated in a tiger striped thong and a wide brimmed hat for a sail. Wiggled my ears to trim. Skipped beer and food, Opted for krill.


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## Daydreamer22 (Oct 16, 2008)

All you really need is one piece of equipment, The molecular compression device from Honey I Shrunk The Kids ! 

Shrink everything, except the sunfish, including yourself and the bikini babes, then it would be just like cruising the world on a 100 footer :laugher


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

Even though your plan is for a non-stop circumnavigation, will you bring an anchor? If so, which one and why?


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## ltgoshen (Jan 5, 2009)

I remember not too long ago, I had a dream. In fact before I started the process of getting my boat, I had dreamed about sailing away for 20 years or more. I read and learned. I watched sailing movies with a great sense of ownership. I have been reading this site for over 5 years and have seen the people come on the board with the dream very much alive and well within them. We would all do well to remember the time we all had the fire. At one point we were all "peter" in the peter pan adventures. Or Bligh, Hook, Edward Teach with his beard a-blaze and twin black powder pistols. I for one don't leave the dock enough. I stay tied up. I check the lines and reset the fenders check the slapping halyards so the live-A- boards can get some rest at night. I check the bilge and the oil in the yanmar. I run the batteries and clean the bird-crap off the deck. Then I go below for an afternoon nap. I still dream of casting off and heading out in that long awaited offshore voyage to a no-name port. I remember being like the honest dreamers that come here looking to find like minded sailors to become part of, To be included with and to learn from. I remember how much I respected the men I met when I first started reading SN and learning the ropes. I tried my best not to look like some people that I now read coming in the first few weeks, asking all the questions we cutup about. I have no problem getting slapped around for being a noob, that being said. We should all do well to remember that place within each of us that make us who we are, Sailors. We are sailors the most of us. We are different than others. We don't think the same way as others think. We all have a bug-out-plan. We have boats. We have this kind of internal knowledge that we can leave when we dang well please, and that we are capable of sailing to places others dream of. We train ourselves handle the elements and to survive. I love the fact that dreamers are alive in well in the world and further more I am honored to be a part and slowly becoming "sailor enough to share me training with others. It makes me feel good to share. I will never forget being new. Thanks guys here on this site that played a part. I still admire you and your knowledge and spirit. I will sail again this weekend using much of what you taught me. Give the new guy's a chance they have virgin sea hearts.


```
To my eye,
Heaven is in the sky
short of that,
Heaven is on the sea
short of that,
Heaven is on the shore
short of that,
Burial at sea
would be 'my way'
to say Good bye.
```


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

capta said:


> What! You're going to circumnavigate a Sunfish without a coffee maker? It CAN'T be done!


It's well known from this documentary that coffee is essential aboard ship.


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## nighthawk (Sep 25, 2013)

ltgoshen said:


> I remember not too long ago, I had a dream. In fact before I started the process of getting my boat, I had dreamed about sailing away for 20 years or more. I read and learned. I watched sailing movies with a great sense of ownership. I have been reading this site for over 5 years and have seen the people come on the board with the dream very much alive and well within them. We would all do well to remember the time we all had the fire. At one point we were all "peter" in the peter pan adventures. Or Bligh, Hook, Edward Teach with his beard a-blaze and twin black powder pistols. I for one don't leave the dock enough. I stay tied up. I check the lines and reset the fenders check the slapping halyards so the live-A- boards can get some rest at night. I check the bilge and the oil in the yanmar. I run the batteries and clean the bird-crap off the deck. Then I go below for an afternoon nap. I still dream of casting off and heading out in that long awaited offshore voyage to a no-name port. I remember being like the honest dreamers that come here looking to find like minded sailors to become part of, To be included with and to learn from. I remember how much I respected the men I met when I first started reading SN and learning the ropes. I tried my best not to look like some people that I now read coming in the first few weeks, asking all the questions we cutup about. I have no problem getting slapped around for being a noob, that being said. We should all do well to remember that place within each of us that make us who we are, Sailors. We are sailors the most of us. We are different than others. We don't think the same way as others think. We all have a bug-out-plan. We have boats. We have this kind of internal knowledge that we can leave when we dang well please, and that we are capable of sailing to places others dream of. We train ourselves handle the elements and to survive. I love the fact that dreamers are alive in well in the world and further more I am honored to be a part and slowly becoming "sailor enough to share me training with others. It makes me feel good to share. I will never forget being new. Thanks guys here on this site that played a part. I still admire you and your knowledge and spirit. I will sail again this weekend using much of what you taught me. Give the new guy's a chance they have virgin sea hearts.
> 
> 
> ```
> ...


If anyone ever tries to say it better, I wish them luck. Here's to keeping dreams alive and well. And to making them a reality one day!


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## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

Hey Weinie, have you ever eaten poor man's oysters? 

If not, l suggest you start acquiring the taste for them. Those in addition to my post solving your coffee bean and grinder location, you should be good to go.

Fair winds


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## djodenda (Mar 4, 2006)

If it's not made of steel, you... are... going .. to... DIE!!!


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## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

djodenda said:


> If it's not made of steel, you... are... going .. to... DIE!!!


Nope, sorry. Not a convincing enough BS impersonation, David.


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## djodenda (Mar 4, 2006)

Classic30 said:


> Nope, sorry. Not a convincing enough BS impersonation, David.


Fair enough.

How about this?

"It should be a wood Sunfish instead of a fiberglass Sunfish, since repair parts/skills can be more easily found world-wide (driftwood, etc)"

(There IS such a thing as a wooden Sunfish.. I used to sail on one in the early 70s)


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Needs a ketch cutter rig, so it can shorten sail in a better manner in higher winds......


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

weinie said:


> My plan is to clean it up and to circumnavigate the globe - non-stop. Also, I will need to install a refrigerator to keep beer cool during the journey. What size battery will I need?


Dude, on a journey that long you need to learn how to brew your own beer from seaweed and urine. On a good day it comes out much better then Miller Lite.


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## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

krisscross said:


> Dude, on a journey that long you need to learn how to brew your own beer from seaweed and urine. On a good day it comes out much better then Miller Lite.


Bear Grylls, is this you?


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## Shredrick McGnarlson (Jul 29, 2013)

Itgoshen said it best... 

just cus most of ya'll are probably too old to have your stupid questions and ridiculous dreams chronicled for eternity on the internet doesnt mean you didn't have them. 

With that said.... it is fun to look back and think how simple I once thought sailing would be haha! and it is hard to try to tell someone their dreams are too lofty without sounding like a total Dk. Little by little they or rather we will figure it out though, all apart of the journey. Sailing is all about the journey for me though... not the destination


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

krisscross said:


> Dude, on a journey that long you need to learn how to brew your own beer from seaweed and urine. On a good day it comes out much better then Miller Lite.


Ah, but is it less filling?

I didn't think so.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

mstern said:


> Ah, but is it less filling?
> 
> I didn't think so.


The 'less filling' part refers to the speed of converting Miller Lite to urine (and potentially the other way round as well) 
Any solo sailor knows you have to recycle everything on long passages.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

weinie said:


> Bear Grylls, is this you?


Tis me, my friend...


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## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

Shredrick McGnarlson said:


> Itgoshen said it best...
> 
> just cus most of ya'll are probably too old to have your stupid questions and ridiculous dreams chronicled for eternity on the internet doesnt mean you didn't have them.
> 
> With that said.... it is fun to look back and think how simple I once thought sailing would be haha! and it is hard to try to tell someone their dreams are too lofty without sounding like a total Dk. Little by little they or rather we will figure it out though, all apart of the journey. Sailing is all about the journey for me though... not the destination


Feel free to dig through my stoopid newbie posts when I first joined on here and started sailing. All in good fun, my man. All in good fun.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

Sorry, I've been gone offline a few days while recovering from total body replacement surgery.

This circumnavigation reminds me of my first time around, which I detailed in the fine book "Hobie Holiday". 
I think you can do it as long as you plan adequately - for instance, at least reduce beer consumption to one case a day. 
You can cool that amount with a peltier type cooler, or go with a sterling engine, the sterling has the advantage of being dual purpose. 
What I'm not really sure of is where you would hang the 5-600w of solar panels you'd need. I'm familiar with the sunfish (although far to smart to ever get on one of them) and I just don't see where you'd go with panels, or how you'd mount an engine. You will need at least a 44 pound thrust trolling motor - then let the panels run that all day while you sleep. After all, a solo sailor has to sleep. 
As to battery size, a couple AAA's out to do. I did my trip on a hand powered generator, a palm tree and a manual water maker. 
Let me know if you have any other questions, I'm sure someone here at sailnet can answer it.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

chucklesR said:


> Sorry, I've been gone offline a few days while recovering from total body replacement surgery.
> 
> This circumnavigation reminds me of my first time around, which I detailed in the fine book "Hobie Holiday".
> I think you can do it as long as you plan adequately - for instance, at least reduce beer consumption to one case a day.
> ...


I just had a great thought regarding solar panels. How about a square rigged Sunfish and make the sail out of flexible solar panels. They might be a tad heavy, but with them on both sides you can take advantage of the morning AND afternoon sun.


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Do not forget the solar stick, may need it for some lectricity!


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## paikea (Aug 3, 2014)

Ok, this was a seriously bad bad idea for me to read this thread while at work. I mean seriously bad idea. 
weinie - I think I just lost my job, can I come with you? 
Warning, I capsized the last Laser I was on.


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

For the record the laser guy might have broken some records anyway, even though he had to bail (Coast Guard required it) on the complete trip...

Anarchy on the Chesapeake Bay: long distance laser trip - Sailing Anarchy - Sailing Anarchy Forums


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## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

paikea said:


> Ok, this was a seriously bad bad idea for me to read this thread while at work. I mean seriously bad idea.
> weinie - I think I just lost my job, can I come with you?
> Warning, I capsized the last Laser I was on.


That was quick.


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## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

joethecobbler said:


> Not impressed, I've already done this trip on a wood sunfish, completed it two years before I was born.
> So as to Garner the youngest circumnavigation in a sunfish.
> Of course there is no record of it due to my inability to get a passport being as I wasn't conceived yet.
> for an added safety measure I got a wood sliver in my big toe the morning of departure in the unlikely scenario that I would need to utilize it as a life raft.


Who gave you the wooden sliver?


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Pshaw, did that back in '79, 15 that is. Before sunfish were invented. In a past life ,it was. On a cedar shingle. Unfortunately ran short of victuals mid Pacific and was resupplied by Sir Francis on the Golden Hind so not really a nonstop circumnavigation .Francis didn't record the rendezvous as he didn't want the Spanish to know where he'd gone after he left Drake's Bay. My loss but we don't do epic voyages to impress others ,eh!


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)




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## clip68 (Jun 26, 2014)

Just don't use a Racnor anchor. It might blow up.

-Chris


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## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

I think I've been outdone:

Yvan Bourgnon sailing around the world in a catamaran


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Holy crap! Crazy f&^%.


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## Tinman55 (Aug 24, 2014)

Well Good Luck to the OP .. should be a great trip. Glad he's not going the toothpick boat route .. I tried that a few years back and well ...

I'm from Colorado and we eat meat .. real meat eaters .. so I of course brought along a cow and few hogs so I could butcher them and have ribs on the grill as I went. Well, of course, what happens when you eat ribs .. it gets stuck in you teeth. So I kept picking toothpicks out of the hull to pick it out and then I sunk.

Oh yea, and I'm pretty sure my bucket was not really blue water capable.


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## rgscpat (Aug 1, 2010)

Don't sunfish spend a lot of time underwater as they swim around? I know they don't have a swim bladder and are pretty slow swimmers; 26 km per day would be pretty painful slow progress, assuming a mola mola would allow a rider. Also, could you be on the sunfish without scuba gear while it is basking on its side? And if they are seeking out jellyfish to eat, how would you protect yourself if they go after jellyfish that have stingers? It also seems you couldn't ride a sunfish around the world because they would not go into cold waters; no self-respecting sunfish would go within a few thousand miles of the horn and if you were trying to ride one through the Red Sea and Suez you'd be a sitting duck for pirates or such.


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

On my first time around.... I used an 8D truck battery as my anchor, and 16/2 marine wire instead of anchor chain. This had the advantages of some chafe protection without having to use chain. True, the lights were dim when I used all 400' of my rode, but I saved a lot of weight this way.

The second time around I used a battery keel. It work well until I ran aground one night on a submerged sewage pipe. Believe me, the sparks and the sh!t were really flying.



Regards,
Brad


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## OPossumTX (Jul 12, 2011)

shananchie said:


> Funny. Since I resumed visiting this site a few months ago, I've had the feeling that a certain number of posters are not really sailors, but people just passing the time on the Internet. No one who has spent significant time on a sailboat could pose these types of questions.


Curses! Found out at last! Before this, the worst thing I've been accused of is sucking eggs and leaving the shells in the nests so it would look like the hens did it.

I was thinking that a Sunfish would make a dandy beer cooler if one were to fill it with ice and beer and put on a deck of foil faced insulation foam. Just lift the edge and grab another cool one whenever the need arises! The mast and master should serve to keep the lid on.

Have FUN!
O'


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## rgscpat (Aug 1, 2010)

The best beer coolers were the styrofoam Snarks.


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## bfloyd4445 (Sep 29, 2013)

weinie said:


> So, a friend's cousin's roommate has this small Sunfish boat behind the barn on his family's farm in Oklahoma. He is willing to give it to me for free! I will have to have it transported home to me in New York.
> 
> He said it may need a little work and some parts may be missing. He mentioned it also needs a new sail, mast, rudder, tiller, boom, centerboard, and ropes. The hull is in very good shape... just a few holes in the bottom that need patching.
> 
> ...


great idea......my boats have always hyad a reputation of always having ample beer so I often have visitors begging beer on hot summer days....lawyer friends even in the winter..

No refrigerator is necessary just stick to the northern latitudes and keep your brew down below for ballast. Make sure you have a couple of carboys to make more brew when you run low


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## bfloyd4445 (Sep 29, 2013)

OPossumTX said:


> Curses! Found out at last! Before this, the worst thing I've been accused of is sucking eggs and leaving the shells in the nests so it would look like the hens did it.
> 
> I was thinking that a Sunfish would make a dandy beer cooler if one were to fill it with ice and beer and put on a deck of foil faced insulation foam. Just lift the edge and grab another cool one whenever the need arises! The mast and master would serve to keep the lid on.
> 
> ...


went fishing at Pyrimid lake in Nevada one time in a boat that was 1/3 full of ice. It had rained and the owner didn't drain the boat. When we found the ice wethought we would have to abandon the fishing trip but I suggested using a hammer to rough up the ice and just put our beer in the resulting hole. Everyone liked that idea so we went fishing and caught two lahoaton cut throat trout under 24 inches. That was in Feb 1984


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

rgscpat said:


> The best beer coolers were the styrofoam Snarks.


Did that at my 50th birthday party. We put it up on a table, with the sail up at first. We used the aluminum shafts from two Fortress FX125 anchors to provide stability. Positioned down low, they made for a lower CG.










Regards,
Brad


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## bfloyd4445 (Sep 29, 2013)

Bene505 said:


> Did that at my 50th birthday party. We put it up on a table, with the sail up at first. We used the aluminum shafts from two Fortress FX125 anchors to provide stability. Positioned down low, they made for a lower CG.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


what a great idea....the captain ties him/herself to a line off the stern when starting off< tropic start recommended>, then as the beer is consumed enters the sunfish to take more direct command. By this time he/she will likely be seeing lots of mermaids to assist with navigation and other chores.

Short story: Twenty years ago I took a couple of Portuguese friends out stripped bass fishing, one was not long for this world with prostrate cancer. We got out there and being Portuguese they had their own private alcohol home brewed which I must admit was very tasty being a cross between 151 rum and red wine. Soon they began to talk about sailing my searay sundancer to Portugal. I pointed out to them that the searay only help 150 gallons of fuel and that there were no gas stations or port in the middle of the Atlantic. That stopped them for a few seconds until they remembered their heritage and reminded me that Portuguese can sail any place in the world and there people have been doing so since before Columbus. If we run out of gas we will simply rig up a sail and we will make it, this is a fine boat with an outstanding crew...well at this point I was about to resign myself to a long ocean voyage but I decided to make one more comment. I said we only have one more bottle of, in between< pet name for their brew> and a case of beer what will we do when we run out of alcohol. Silence reigned, and they conceded the trip at this time was out of the question. Of course at this point they were planning the next trip during which the rubber dinghy would be towed filled with bottles of , In Between......at this point I gave up


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