# Blue Water??



## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

In another thread, SailorTJK1 questioned what % of sailnetters actually have blue water experience. So here's a little poll for everyone to participate in. 
For purposes of this poll...Blue Water will be defined as sailing as captain or crew in the open ocean with the boat more than 24 hours away from any landfall. 
Should be interesting. 

Check:

1. I have blue water sailing experience
2. I do not have blue water experience but hope to one day.
3. I do not have blue water experience and have no desire to.


----------



## I33 (Mar 5, 2007)

*I'm a 2!*

I've been in blue water, but only as a passenger. Hope to be there again someday on our own boat.


----------



## capt.stu (Oct 5, 2004)

I have the great lakes to sail on. I'm a 3


----------



## goose327 (Jun 11, 2001)

Good poll George. I haven't but will someday.


----------



## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

I checked no.1 based upon cam's "open water 24 hours away from landfall" definition of bluewater. I've done this many times. 

I was under the impression "blue water" meant beyond the continental shelf, or in water thousands of feet deep.


----------



## Neises (Feb 24, 2007)

I'm stuck with green & brown water right now. You haven't lived til you've scrubbed an Ohio River dirt ring off your boat. 

Hope to do the blue stuff in my retirement years.


----------



## sailhog (Dec 11, 2006)

I'm a 2, hope to be a 1 this summer. Great idea for a poll, by the way.
Sailhog


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I'm a 2, but as the old David Gates song said:

"I would sail around the world
Look for gold and dive for pearl
But I know I will never get to go"


----------



## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

TB...since this is an international poll and the continental shelf doesn't exist everywhere, I decided to keep the requirements minimal and just make them beyond normal coastal cruising. I suppose I could have constructed something more rigorous. Maybe we can do another one after this one is over focused on passagemaking.
No "3's" so far!!??


----------



## I33 (Mar 5, 2007)

*No Negativity!*



sherrod01 said:


> I'm a 2, but as the old David Gates song said:
> 
> "I would sail around the world
> Look for gold and dive for pearl
> But I know I will never get to go"


Trade that negative attitude in for a positive one! If you keep that Gates song as a motto, it will be a self-fulling prophecy.


----------



## christyleigh (Dec 17, 2001)

camaraderie said:


> 3. I do not have blue water experience and have no desire to.


 Island hopping is fine for us.


----------



## scolil (Mar 9, 2007)

I see two people voting #3 but their votes do not show up on the poll


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hopefully bump uip to #1 this summer, when I'm back on the water!


----------



## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

Yep, been there. It really is not a big deal and is not that bad. We find it relazing not having to constantly look around for being run over by Sea Rays. Of course, things change on the first big storm offshore...


----------



## kennya (Jul 10, 2006)

I am a 3, landlocked, but, I’ve been in blue water, but only as a passenger. I lean more too costal and Island hopping.


----------



## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

No. 1 (limited)


----------



## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

Some years back, I was sailing, loving life about 50 miles off the coast of Delaware, when out of nowhere came this storm. I honestly at the time thought it was going to be my last minutes on earth. I think that was blue water, sure felt like it.


----------



## Alden68 (Mar 21, 2007)

Right now I'm a jack stand sailor. Number 2 right now but doing Bermuda later this year as crew.

As to the people who claim no blue water in the Great Lakes I'm sure the crew of the Edmunds Fitzgerald would have disagreed with you!!


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I'm a 2. The farthest I've done so far is Block Island.


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Crewed yes, skippered no and that's my next move. Sydney, out to Lord Howe Island and return. Hopefully before winter sets in but maybe running out of time so it will probably be in our Spring.


----------



## ccam (Dec 17, 2006)

It's a 2 for me. I hocked a newspaper for my current vessel, to be able to enjoy this very thing. 

Your not counting military are you Cam?  (that would be 60 x 24)


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

I'd be interested to hear from the three (so far) threes. Why would you NOT want to go offshore ? Even if only the once ?


----------



## Boasun (Feb 10, 2007)

Definitely a one. Spent all my adult career on ships & boats. Some sail, but mostly power vessels. Sailed as Captain, 2nd mate, 3rd mate, and A/B commerially... Retired Boatswain mate from the Navy. Yeah! Deffinitely a one.
Have taught sailing and am now teaching the 100/200 ton Mate/Master NC. Unfortunately some of those I teach I don't even want near a sextant let alone pick one up. Aside of that most of my students are serious about upgrading to a license. Something about a $150 daily pay raise if they make it from the companies that they work for.
I stress Safety, Safety and More Safety along with all of the other skills I teach.

NC = Near Coastal


----------



## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Don't know if I'm wild about the criteria. There are some boats that could sail for more than 24 hours and not be more than five miles from shore. (Not that I'd want to be aboard one like that, of course.)


----------



## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

Love it, the serenity of ocean sailing is one of the greatest joys on this earth.


----------



## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

*I'm a three*

Hello,

I'm a three. My sailing area is the Long Island sound. For me to be further
than 24 hours from land requires that I head east and keep going.
Why would I want to do that when there are great destinations close
to land such as Block Island, Newport RI, Montauk Point, the Elizabethen 
Islands, etc.

Even if I go further north like to Boston, Cape Cod, or Maine, I would
not be more than 24 hours from a safe port.

I guess the only reason I would head off shore would be to go Bermuda
or the Caribean, and I have NO plans or desires to do that.

Barry


----------



## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

paulk said:


> Don't know if I'm wild about the criteria. There are some boats that could sail for more than 24 hours and not be more than five miles from shore. (Not that I'd want to be aboard one like that, of course.)


I had that happen when I fell asleep on a ride at Six Flags!!!


----------



## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Paulk...the criteria is 24 hours FROM land...not 24 hours at sea. In other words...the boat would have to be at least 24 hours away from the NEAREST land. Hope that clarifies things. 

So far I am surprised at the lack of #3's in the poll. Certainly does not jibe with the majority of boats that are being sold today! Maybe our dreams exceed our pocketbooks? Or perhaps the demands of our lives make being able to get away for the "dream" unrealistic so we just settle for a boat for "today" but keep the dream alive for "someday"??


----------



## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

Cam 

I think the big hand brake is time, here in Oz, 4 weeks annual leave is normal, some have a lot more, my last job gave me 6 weeks annual leave + 5 days accrued leave becase of working sundays and public holidays ( that could be worked into the roster as 15 days away from work) then there is the 12 days shift workers leave and with correct rosterinig you can make that 21 days away from work. In total 86 days. THEN you have long service leave which is 2 weeks after 10 years service and 2 weeks for every year there after. now thats time to go sailing.


----------



## Giulietta (Nov 14, 2006)

Hi...my name is Giulietta, and I haven't touched boose in 5 days...  

I was not sure between 1 and 3, so I chose 1....

I would like to start new poll:

DO YOU HAVE RV "BLUEDIRT" EXPERIENCE??

1) YES (this i for people that actually left a city that has a 7-11, a Mall, 2 Gas Stations and a well)

2) NO BUT I HOPE ONE DAY (once I sell my boat, to buy gas to do it....Cam does not spend $3 on wine wht would he spend that much on gas??)

3) NO AND I HAVE NO DESIRE TO (this is me.....no question!!!)


----------



## bestfriend (Sep 26, 2006)

4.) I lived in Phoenix at one time and could ride my dirt bike out the driveway and into the desert. It was the one thing that kept me sane during my time away from the Ocean. But, I have no plans on going back. Road trips these days consist of packing up all the surf gear and heading down the coast, sleeping in hotels.


----------



## kptmorgan04 (Apr 10, 2007)

not on a sailboat, but have been across the atlantic and many other foreign seas quite a few times on board 1000 ft ships


----------



## Giulietta (Nov 14, 2006)

Well this is interesting....my conclusion at 4:40 pm Portugal time...

YES...39% This means that at least 39% here lie about goiing bluewater

NO BUT I HOPE.....56% Sissi sailboat dreamers that never leave home without kissing the wife, and are too affraid to fart in public

NO....4.35% That can't read or did not understand the question....but are honest...


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

> in the open ocean with the boat more than 24 hours away from any landfall.


That's a very broad criterion, and doesnt take into account boat speed. I tacked back and forth from pt. magu to the east end of anacapa for twenty six hours attempting to make landfall at Channel Islands Harbor, 15 miles away as the crow flies.

Besides that, soon after buying my present boat, went 28 hours due south west, stopped and drifted for a day and came back. GPS wasn't used, only compass and radar. Just wanted to see what I could do and if I could navigate using basic instruments.

Everything else I do is between 20 and 45 miles offshore which I consider coastal cruising.


----------



## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Ian...well if your boatmakes 4 knts...that 100 miles offshore...if it makes 6 knots thats 150 ...I figure blue water in a smaller boat is closer in!! (G)


----------



## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Well, after this little trip, I think I can qualify as a 1. One thing I know for sure, that water sure was blue  

I would say though, that I think most people think of passage making when they say bluewater. Going to a destination that's over a day offshore, and more like weeks. But really, if you're more than a day away from land, and unable to anchor, stands to reason that would have to be bluewater, in my opinion.

Mostly though, I don't really care what category I fit in, as I think the main thing is to do something you enjoy. I know, coming into Tampa Bay in the middle of the night was much more stressful than 3 days out in the Gulf between Destin and there (no rigs to contend with).


----------



## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

camaraderie said:


> Ian...well if your boatmakes 4 knts...that 100 miles offshore...if it makes 6 knots thats 150 ...I figure blue water in a smaller boat is closer in!! (G)


Does that mean if I take an Opti I only have to go out 100 yds. ????


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Offshore is a world of pure bliss for me. It will happen someday but to date I've never been seriously belted by the weather out there so I have no scarey tales to tell. The worst weather I've faced at sea was off Northern Australia when every morning around 0500 a tropical squall would come through, regular as clockwork. Out of bunk, onto deck, reef main, steer by hand for half an hour then shake out the reef and go back to bed. When the water is as warm as it gets up there we didn't even bother donning wet weather gear. Shorts and t-shirts were dry again in a matter of minutes.

Other than that we entered Sydney Harbour one evening after sailing back down the coast and beat a South Easterly Gale that closed the port for three days, by around 30 minutes. We ran for shelter in a small cove behind North Head and were stuck there for the three days. The attached pic is of similar conditions. Yes it was taken inside the harbour.










ps - that ferry is 224 feet long.


----------



## chris_gee (May 31, 2006)

Very old ferry mate. Lucky you didnt catch it.


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

chris_gee said:


> Very old ferry mate. Lucky you didnt catch it.


Chris,
Amazingly enough this black and white was the only pic I could find of an old Sydney Harbour Ferry going across the heads in a big blow. You are dead right about her , this type of ferry (built in the 1920s) went out of service in the late 1960's. There are only two of them still surviving of which only the venerable old South Steyne (now a floating restaurant and convention centre) is still serviceable. Baragoola is still afloat but is a rusting hulk with bugger all chance of survival. South Steyne btw is steam (oil fired boilers) driven. She was built in Scotland and sailed to Australia under her own power. Wonderful old things that made the trip from Sydney to Manly a major event in the life of a kid who didn't live anywhere near the harbour.

Somewhat embarassing to admit but the only time I have ever been sea sick was on the South Steyne.

I believe the pic is of the Baragoola.


----------



## orthomartin (Oct 21, 2006)

I am a 1. Four trips in Atlantic in all


----------



## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

When Giu busted his boom and sat adrift for 24hours off the coast, did that count as a 1?


----------



## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

He must be French after all. Took 24 hrs. to remember he had an engine!!!


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I'm definitely a 1. Cruised the eastern and southern Caribbean for 5 years. Plan to do the western Caribbean in a couple of years.


----------



## eryka (Mar 16, 2006)

Okay, I'm a 1 who wishes to be a 3 in future ... after 34 years of being awakened while its still dark to go to work, I'm not willing to do it again after retirement! (i.e., no 24-hour watchstanding passages)

but I've got a lousy memory


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Blue water*

Put me down as a solid 2. I can't think of anything more exciting than turning that hope into a reality.


----------



## haffiman37 (Jun 4, 2004)

I would guess crossing the Atlantic and Pacific on own keel would qualify for a '1'.


----------



## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

I voted #3, because at this time coastal frog'n is just fine, lots to see & do between the Gulf of Santa Catalina and the Gulf of Califonia, could spend the rest of our lifes just exploring these areas

Besides, just a few miles out, it all turns blue


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I'm a 2. But I yearn for 1.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I was a 1 and am now a 3 (Great Lakes don't qualify as blue water - you're never more than a half hour from some marina...). Note to the 2's - GET ON WITH IT ! You're not getting any younger ya know !


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald might disagree.


----------



## Pamlicotraveler (Aug 13, 2006)

A 2 now. A lifetime Coastal cruiser/sailor, NC waters and Chesapeake, but heading to Bermuda in the Bermuda Cup (Norfolk-Bermuda) on June 20th, so God willling, will be a 1 after that.


----------



## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

In the end, all that matters is that you sail whatever waters you can.

_Currently at Indian Key, Florida_


----------



## Sialia (Feb 14, 2006)

I am a 1. But landlocked right now!


----------



## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

I'm a 1.

About 9000 miles with crew and around 5000 miles alone. All in the Indian Ocean.

New (used) boat coming in ten days (YIPPEE) then from US across the Pacific to New Zealand. Can't wait. That'll add another 6000 miles to my log book and a whole lot of real fun to my life.

Andre


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Too much*

There should be a 4th option in your poll - Yes, but I have no desire to. I'm circumnavigating & I have to say, the multi-day (not to mention the nights) crossings are the least enjoyable part of it. Cruising is most enjoyable when the anchor is down!


----------



## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

It's all well and good speaking about BLUE WATER, but why, when at sea do we hope to keep the GREEN WATER out of the cockpit and definatly out of the companionway. And your God forbid any incursion of WHITE WATER  and we hope the BLACK WATER stays where it is stored.  GREY WATER can be recycled.


----------



## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

....and keep your tether on when geting rid of YELLOW water over the side!! (G)


----------



## svNorthernLight (Feb 14, 2007)

Camaraderie;

Great Poll. 
Put me down as a #1, been there, done that.

-Capt Dave-
Galveston Bay, Texas


----------



## winterbuoy (Apr 8, 2007)

Well I said no but if any of you have been in the middle of Lake Ontario with a Tornado warning coming up behind you from Toronto well?? Lets just say the swells and cross winds scared the crap out of me but we had to keep moving forward or sail right back into it. Easy 20 foot sea's maybe bigger, didn't have my tape measure


----------



## Jaxxon (Jan 24, 2007)

Guess I'm a 1. Crewed on a boat from the Canaries to Barbados.


----------

