Hello there! Just found this board googling yesterday, and have already spent a good deal of time browsing. Loads of great info here...
I'm based in California, and planning an extended trip to the South Pacific (Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji), New Zealand and Oz this winter. I was just going to buy a RTW airline ticket, make various stops, and do a lot of diving on the way, but now I'm seriously considering learning to sail, and possibly even buying an oceangoing boat. I don't really know the first thing, only ever sailed a dinghy around the lake in my hometown of Hamburg, and that's decades ago, but the dream of sailing blue water has always remained, and now actually *seems* feasible.
I need to figure out how best to get started learning proper seamanship (what kind of training, where best to go), about boats (what size best for a 2-4 person ocean crossing, fiberglass vs. aluminium vs. steel vs. wood, single-hull vs. cat, cutter vs. junk rigging, electronics, fresh water system, engine, etc.), and last but not least, budgeting a voyage (provisions, fuel, mooring fees, repairs, spare parts, etc.). Hope to be able to use this forum towards that end.
If anyone would like to point me to any other worthwhile books or online articles on any of these subjects, I would much appreciate it.
Thanks, and best regards,
-oliver
__________________
__________________
|