AboutAndrew Pometti Expertise I am a Level 1 (Small Boat) US Sailing Certified Instructor on City Island (Bronx), NY. I have been sailing since I was a young child and starting racing as a Junior Sailor and continue both now. Racing as a Junior Sailor against the regular club members we won three first place trophies in the club owned boat. In another race we borrowed a members boat and placed third in a race that attracted sailors from around the NY,NJ,CT area.
Expert: Andrew Pometti Date: 11/7/2007 Subject: Sailing from the FL keys to St. John USVI
Question my wife and I are brand new to sailing. We have two months off around March and would like to buy a sailboat, learn to sail and head to St John then return back to the Keys. My question is 1) is it possible to learn the skills to safely complete a trip like this in a few months?
2) we wanted to buy an older 30' Catalina - will this boat be safe enough for the trip or do we need a different one? 3) what books would you recommend to learn about a trip of this length?
4) what would be key items to look for as far as add on's on a boat when planning a trip of this length?
Thanks! Hope to see you sailing!
Answer Brent -
I'm not too familiar with that area of the world, so this is more general advice about long trip cruising. From your note it seems like you want to cruise around, island hop, and see the sights, and not race directly there, so I'm going with that assumption here.
1) It is possible to learn basic sailing for a cruise like that, racing is a much different story though. The big this isn't your skill level, it's your comfort level with your boat. I suggest professional lessons, first on smaller boats (most schools have them) and then on your boat (most schools offer these too).
2) I'm not too familiar with that area, but I know people who race smaller boats from New York City to Bermuda (and sail back), so yes, the boat should be able to handle it. Especially if you are island hopping.
3) I don't know if it's still in print, but Chapman's "Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling" is a great book. It's some times referred to simply as "Chapman's". This has all the signals, and lights commercial vessels use, so you know what they are doing, and can communicate your intentions to them.
4) A basic safety package should be fine for island hoping. Marine Radio, Flares, Flare Gun, Dingy, Fire Extinguishers. I would defiantly have a spare compass (even a hand held) accurate charts of the area, and route. A Radar Reflector would be a very good idea (helps your small little boat show up on a supertanker's radar much better. Consider GPS and a Radar of your own, but those may not be necessary. The trick is things need power, so you need to be able to keep your batteries charged, usually by running the engine, which needs fuel. There are also ways to charge the batteries using solar power or even wind power.
Hope this helps and good luck on your trip,
Andrew
