# Crazy is as crazy does



## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

I have dreamed of sailing and cruising for.....a looooooong time. I am now retired and on disability and living with my daughter. I am normally the furthest one from Crazy, but a few days ago I bid on a sailboat on ebay- and won. Now understand, tho I've dreamed of it I haven't actually done much sailing. A day or 2 on a 24' trailerable 20 yrs ago and a couple days in a 12' plywood pram type 30+yrs ago. So, obviously I am Crazy. Oh BTW the boat is a Bristol 30. Full keel, shoal draft, centerboard. And a 30 hp Yanmar diesel. Some research says the 30 only came with an Atomic 4 so someone upgraded her. She is reputedly in very good condition. I did not have her surveyed- there was no time, and the financial risk isn't terribly high. The craziest part? I live in Illinois- she is in Florida. My dream has been to cruise the ICW, the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. So thats the plan- to bring her up to Chicago via that route. 
I do not reveal my actual location so the guys with the funny coats can't find me. 
Many many many questions. First- do I really need to buy 20+ charts at $20.75 each? OMG!


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

You can probably buy chartbooks that will cover the trip and save some money. You should get a gps with charts in it, a heandheld will do. Be careful and have fun. Those Bristols are handsome, with a reputation for strength.


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## sailortjk1 (Dec 20, 2005)

Buying a boat while living in Illinois with the plan to bring her home one-day is not crazy. Buying a boat in Florida while living in Illinois and never having seen or been on board the boat, well that is a little different. But, you bought a boat with a fine reputation, that is a good thing. If it were me, I would plan on relocating to wherever the boat is for a few months as I refit.

Yes, Wandering Star is correct. Probably get by with Chart Books, Cruising Guides, and a plotter. But it would not hurt to have some better charts of some of the approaches and inlets on the Eastern Seaboard. For the Great Lakes, I have always gotten away with Chart Books.

Let me know when you're ready to come north and if you will need any help. I might just be available as a voluntary crew. (We sail Lake Michigan and live in Northwest Indiana.) Good luck.


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## bloodhunter (May 5, 2009)

Crazy,
Agree with Wandering Star and sailortjk1, but would add that even though Bristol makes very good boats, it would still be a good idea to have her surveyed once you're donw there. That will give you a good idea of what you need to do nefore you take her out. Also it might be a good idea to take some sailing courses either where you are or in Florida.
Welcome aboard and good luck


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. Frankly I expected to be inundated with strong suggestions to take classes. Good advice of course. A survey has occurred to me but being on disability finances are constricting. I thought if I could buy a boat it would be a 26' Pearson or a 27' Catalina- outboard powered. Something like that. So a Bristol is a step up. All this time I have also been doing some research so formed some opinions and preferences.
My tentative plan is to spend the first day or 2 with Lysol, scrub brush and sponge. At the same time inspecting all the nooks and crannies. And proceed based on what I find. Timewise, I hope to be able to depart by mid- May. Its 2000+ miles on this route- 40 days at 50 miles per. And I'm not gonna be in a hurry. Stop and smell the roses pace. If I make Chicago on Labor Day thats just fine. I'll decide then if I'll put her on the hard for the winter or go south via Mississippi-Tennessee R-Tenn/Tom-Mobile.
Sailortjk1 I really appreciate your offer. Ya got all summer?


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## imagine2frolic (Aug 7, 2008)

It's probably *cheaper*, and *safer* to truck the boat home. I type that taking into consideration your situation.... ....*i2f*


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## harryftuttle (Mar 24, 2010)

hi crazy,

i want to do this to. i dont have a boat yet, but am looking for one. florida sounds good because there economy was so bad everyone is selling there stuff. i am going to use my iphone to navigate bacause it has gps bilt in.


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## Capnblu (Mar 17, 2006)

Welcome to the LOONEY bin Crazy, I see your dues are paid, Take a seat where ever ya want, and enjoy your ride!


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

i2f- Safer? It would be safer to never walk out the door in the morning. Life is a never ending series of risks. As for cheaper idk, transport is quite expensive. But all that misses the point. My dream is to cruise the boat. That is the objective of buying it. The fact it is so far away is a bonus. The 'safer' choice will come after I have examined the boat. Can I depart on my schedule or must I perform some necessary repair(s)?


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Hats off to you Crazy! Welcome to the asylum. Live the dream.
There is a lot of free information you will benefit from on the web during your trip up the coast. Download coastal pilot manuals #2 - 4 here: United States Coast Pilot®
As for charts, have a look at this: NOAA BookletCharts
and this: GeoGarage - Route Preparation
For weather, sea state and planning check out the charts here: Radiofax Charts - Boston
Real time sea state conditions are available from buoys: NDBC - Northeast USA Recent Marine Data
NOAA also has real time radar maps for the whole country.
Give a shout when you get up to NYC.
Have fun!


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## marianclaire (Feb 4, 2010)

harryftuttle said:


> hi crazy,
> 
> i want to do this to. i dont have a boat yet, but am looking for one. florida sounds good because there economy was so bad everyone is selling there stuff. i am going to use my iphone to navigate bacause it has gps bilt in.


I might be way behind on the new tech. Does your iphone have charts built in? If so cool. But just knowing your Lat and Lon is of little use unless you have paper charts and the TIME to plot your location or your position superimposed on a chart. Sorry for the hijack. Dan S/V Marian Claire


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## imagine2frolic (Aug 7, 2008)

You say that so easily. There's nothing wrong with taking risk. Except you will most likely be pushing the easy button when the poo hits the fan. Only because you don't have the skill yet. You may get lucky, and make it home unscathed, but the odds are against it. It happens all too often.

Possibly you should take some lessons. Join the boat, and enjoy southern Florida for what it has to offer, and that is plenty. Get some miles under your keel, and then venture off. The Bahamas are a short distance, and an easy sail. Not to mention beautiful. TOO many people underestimate the Great Lakes. They can be much more wicked than an open ocean. BEST WISHES in your adventure. There is risk, and then there is calculated risk. Which one will you be taking?. I type this out of concern, and not to rain on your parade.......*i2f*


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

Thanks Caleb. Fact is, once I leave here I won't have internet access. Chartbooks and GPS handheld is my plan. I found a new site: NOAA's nowCOAST for weather. Check it out!


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## marianclaire (Feb 4, 2010)

Crazy: Map Tech charts and a handheld with Blue water charts on it have worked well for me. If you do get internet try this site PassageWeather - Sailing Weather - Marine Weather Forecasts for Sailors and Adventurers for any off shore runs along with the others suggested. Dan S/V Marian Claire


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## daydreamer92 (Feb 16, 2010)

From an on a budget person to another on a budget person:

An inexpensive netbook with give you some internet access on a budget price. 

As for surveying, unless where you keep her doesn't require insurance, you may have to fork out the dough anyway. On a 30' boat it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg and certainly less than most anything you'll have to get to get her in shape anyway. Assuming she needs more than Lysol, of course. 

Find a good surveyor who'll happily tell you what he/she is doing and why and what the results mean and/or how to address them and that $300 or so bucks becomes a great and thorough introduction to your new purchase, even if she was cheap to begin with. 

Good luck with your adventure!


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

i2f- I don't intend to come across that way. I see risk as a fact of life. And I just hope there is an easy button within reach at the time. I went on a charter fishing trip on Lake Michigan once. A storm blew in- 10' waves, etc. I must respect the Great Lakes. But technology is wonderful. I can easily keep a close eye on the weather and head for port- or don't leave it in the first place. 
I do intend to buy a laptop and an 'air card' to have comm and info. My sticking point is that I wish for video- larger screen and a video card. Which relates to price.
I do have some mechanical ability. I actually built a chopper like ya see on TV. Before they made a TV show about it lol. Rode it for 17 yrs too. 
This boat is a challenge as well as a dream. I am not bound by my intentions. If necessary I can find a boatyard where I can put her on the hard and work on her myself. It would be a drudge but also interesting. And be ready to make the cruise next year.


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## imagine2frolic (Aug 7, 2008)

White squall - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not all weather is predictable, and some even though there is warning you can't get out of the way. I have been sailing my own boats for 20 years with 14k miles of cruising. To this day I consider myself a newbie.

Not all sailing is a slick magazine cover. There can be days of rough weather, and at times it can keep you from making port. Do your reasearch, so you can be better prepared. Whereever the boat is. Take the time to hone your skills. Lessons aren't cheap, but they are hundreds of times worth the cost.

Many teach themselves to sail, and for some it works. Mostly it leads to mishap. I have seen guys get drug away from the beach in the breakers by the C.G. I have seen guys do stupid stuff that sends them to the hospital. Some have never seen a whitecap, but think they can sail. Hell, anybody can out there, and flounder around on a day with no whitecaps.

Cruising is a wonderful dream, and I encourage it to those with a wandering spirit. I have also seen those not prepared to leave thier boats in some far away port with the boat for sale, and broken dreams. Marriages torn apart, , boats abandonded , or injuries.

Once again I am not trying to rain on your parade. I am just throwing in some reality, so you can keep a more opened mind to your approach. Like someone here typed. *It's not rocket science to learn to sail*, but in my mind it does deserve preperation. BESTWISHES in being succesful in your goal!.. ....*i2f*


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

For those who are curious, you can buy a chartlogging app for the iPhone. It's amazing, even shows bottom contours and was quite accurate. NiteFly brought his along when I took him out a few weeks ago.

That said, what will you do when it's pouring rain or taking waves? I don't think the iPhone is weather-proof. A hand-held Garmin GPS is cheap and weather-proof. I understand that you're on a budget- we all are, but cheaping out will get you injured, stranded, broke or all three.

The Easy Button- consider buying a towing service contract in case you get stranded. It's akin to AAA on the water and will save you THOUSANDS in towing costs if you run out of fuel, blow a sail, or bury your keel in the mud.

i2f- "mostly it leads to mishap"? Really? I don't at all doubt what you have seen but I am unsure that those unfortunates that you've seen comprise the bulk of people who choose to teach themselves how to sail.

Crazy- You're not crazy. Ask around in Illinois or down in the area of your boat for experienced sailors willing to come aboard to crew/teach you, and offer yourself up as crew also. Many folks will take you on for lessons for only a bottle of their favorite libation. I expect to be sailing with experienced racers this weekend myself. Read, read, and read some more. If you have Netflix and you're burned out on books, rent The Annapolis Book of Seamanship video series.

There are some folks here that like to tow around their little "cloud of doom" with them, but i2f is right. No matter what forecast you see on the laptop, no matter if you have the VHF weather feed on constantly, you are going to get smacked with a squall, a gust or a wave that isn't predicted. You've got to have your head on a swivel and constantly be prepared.

From one DIY'er, to another.


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## marianclaire (Feb 4, 2010)

BubbleheadMd said:


> For those who are curious, you can buy a chartlogging app for the iPhone. It's amazing, even shows bottom contours and was quite accurate. NiteFly brought his along when I took him out a few weeks ago.


Thanks. I should have known they have apps for everything. Dan S/V Marian Claire


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Go for it! 

Now, if I could only get that damn Seal song out of my head.


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

Yes I planned on finding someone to go out sailing with- a few times at least. This having been my dream for so long I have read many books. Since the internet became available I have done many searches and read much. From boom vangs to sacrificial anodes to....who knows what. I can't bring it up but when I think of a particular situation there it is. Sea anchors, lying ahull, etc,etc,etc. I've been a reader anyway so I just applied that to this field. That is how I came to settle on a modified full keel hull as my preferred one. A Cape Dory or Bristol for instance. And those as the quality brands.


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## imagine2frolic (Aug 7, 2008)

Being self taught is one thing, but jumping out in the ocean to learn mostly leads to mishap. bubblehead are you self taught? If so how many ocean miles do you have? If so did you jump right into something like crazy proposes, or did, and have you stayed close to your marina. Taken some small knocks while learning.

Take Bumfuzzle as an example. They knew nothing, and jumped into the ocean. I am not saying it can't be done. I am saying it's prudent to know how to sail first. They don't put jet pilots in the seat of a jet on the first day do they......*i2f*


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

I believe I know how to sail. But what gave u the impression I'm going offshore? I'm cruising the ICW up to the Hudson to the Erie Canal to Lake Erie and only then going out into big water. B4 then I'll do some sailing. The N. Carolina Sounds, Chesepeake Bay, the Hudson. Well maybe not the Hudson- upstream as it is. I'll be on a easy travel pace and take time to actually sail. Maybe stop by the Bristol Club in the Bay. Somewhere along there I'll spend a day or 4 sailing with others- either their boat or mine.


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## krozet (Nov 29, 2008)

Hey Crazy, Welcome!

I did almost the same thing, I bought a Contest 33 off ebay last fall and will be sailing it back to Canada in 2 months. I did take my ASA 101,103 & 104 courses and feel comfortable with my boat in the Cheasapeak, Deleware, Hudson, Erie Canal and Lake Ontario. I am NOT looking forward to the Atlantic...

Just have a plan, a backup plan and a list of emergency marina's and you will be fine. I head down to do my refit and launch in 21 day. Then back to Canada for 2 weeks, then the big trip starts in early May.

Can I ask, what is your disability? Sailing comes with it's mental and physical challenges, some days more and rum days none.


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

I have a lung disease called COPD. But as long as I take my inhalation meds and not get too active I'm ok. But I'll be 57 in June- I don't get too active anyway lol. Doc says theres a 50/50 chance I'll die of old age b4 this gets me.


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## imagine2frolic (Aug 7, 2008)

They maybe named the Great Lakes, but they are more akin to an ocean, and at times worse. They can split freighters in half, and sink them. Your own words led me to believe you would be doing the equivilant of ocean sailing.

I was under the impression many new members came here to reap the rewards of experience. What I am finding is that some show up with large plans, and minute knowledge. Unfortunately some want to debate the advice given to them. Learning by trial, and error is the hard way to gain knowledge. Look at bubbleheads new thread about his new main. If you don't have a mentor then lessons drastically reduce the steepness of the learning curve. The steeper the curve the more likely of injury to body, and boat. I will add good luck on your trip. Sounds like you may need some. .......*i2f*


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

One um...facet of mining all this experience, is that you have to filter it. You ask a question and you get 50 answers. Not all of them are right, or appropriate to the circumstances of the question. Not only that, there are often many appropriate solutions to a single problem. Not all 50 answers should be taken as gospel.

Different experienced sailors have different comfort zones and so, offer varying degrees of caution.


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

THE DAY is rapidly approaching.... Until I can get aboard and inspect/explore I am limited in what I can do. First of all I think I'm foolish to think a 37 yr old boat will be ready for any extended cruising- inshore or not. Waiting a year, fixing/maintaining and learning is much more likely- and wise. I can also explore navigation- there being nothing but a binnacle compass on board. I read about handheld GPS being the way to go. Chartbooks, etc. But those chartbooks and the SD chips for a handheld are expensive. On the other hand I'll want a laptop- or at least a netbook aboard and NOAA charts can be downloaded for free. With a GPS card wouldn't it be a viable alternative? I could also have a handheld GPS unit but only have the base map- details on the laptop. What do y'all think?


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Crazy, if you want to get some sea time under your belt on a boat on Lake Erie, feel free to hit me up. New crew is always welcome.


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

Thanks bljones but that can't happen. I have things to do and my flight is on the 10th. I am curious about what people have to say about the GPS idea tho. All the charts, etc cost as much as a laptop.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

I don't know about Garmin products or handhelds, but I do know that Eagle chartplotters have US coastal and US great lakes maps built in- no chips to buy, and the cost is in the low $300 range. A laptop is not great for navigation from the helm, since most aren't reliably waterproof or daylight readable.


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## Crazy (Mar 24, 2010)

Thanks for the tip on Eagle. I'll check em out. I'm aware laptops are not waterproof. I intend to be very careful of venturing into stormy conditions- my pace being slow with no pressure to get out and go. Even so, the price of chartbooks, etc is so high replacing a laptop is in the same ballpark. The daylight visibility issue is a problem however.


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

Crazy said:


> Thanks for the tip on Eagle. I'll check em out. I'm aware laptops are not waterproof. I intend to be very careful of venturing into stormy conditions- my pace being slow with no pressure to get out and go. Even so, the price of chartbooks, etc is so high replacing a laptop is in the same ballpark. The daylight visibility issue is a problem however.


All it takes is for one powerboat to get a little to close......


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## catandahalf (Dec 6, 2011)

Hey Crazy, the charts aren't even really the beginning. But here's a tip. You'll need computer - laptop whatever. Download 'SeaClear' it's a FREE chart plotting application - when you have it downloaded, go to the NOAA site and download all the charts you want for FREE.
If you need help with this ask. Understand that most of sailing is the dreaming and planning part. The best part is NOT leaving the dock - it's getting back TO THE DOCK!!! 
Also memorize Jimmy Buffet's 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' ... there's a zen thing in the song.... no - really.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Catandahalf,

This thread started a year and a half ago so he either got down there and the boat was in worse condition than anticipated, or he sailed it back with no problems and no longer wants advice, or...

I would be very interested in knowing how everything worked out.


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## emoney (Jun 2, 2010)

From the looks of it, this was his one and only thread.........ever


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Then my theory is that he was kidnapped by aliens. Or possibly that he is an alien. In any case I'm sure that there were aliens involved.


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## joethecobbler (Apr 10, 2007)

or he tired of the mamby-pamby neysayers, got to florida and met a few people actually doing it and is having Soooooooooooooooooo much fun he doesn;t have time to get online and disparage others dreams.


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