"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
Gogarty wrote in
snip.....
The Liveaboard Simulator -.......(c;

Just for fun, park your cars in the lot of the convenience store
at least 2 blocks from your house. (Make believe the sidewalk is a
floating dock between your car and the house.

snip...

Boy...you must be a real 'ray of sunshine' at the boat shows! Do they pay
you to stay away?

Don White wrote:
"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message

snip...

Boy...you must be a real 'ray of sunshine' at the boat shows! Do they pay
you to stay away?

LOL
truth always has been bad for business

"Don White" wrote in
:

Boy...you must be a real 'ray of sunshine' at the boat shows! Do they
pay you to stay away?



No, but my Sea Ray dealer refused to service my crappy Sea Ray because I
didn't pay him $3500 more for it than I paid for it.......a great
reflection on Sea Ray, wouldn't you say?

Two boat shows ago, I took a friend who used to own a Hatteras 56 to the
local boatshow. I told him to please dress in the same clothes he mows his
lawn in, instead of that doctor's suit from Brooks Brothers that would be
SURE to attract the drooling sales wienies to trail us around and ruin the
show. He agreed.

Three dealers wouldn't let us look in their boats. Most of the others,
seeing our jeans and T-shirts, just ignored us as rabble. One young
salesman at Seel's Marine was nice enough to ask us if we had any questions
about the nice Grady-White (with Yamaha 150 Ocean) runabout we were looking
at. He wasn't threatening, wasn't nasty to us like most of the rest and
seemed genuinely interested in selling us this boat. As he came up to us,
I was head-first inside a cabinet looking at the fine fiberglass work the
Grady-White employees had done to a first-class hull. My friend says,
"What do you think, Larry?" I snapped my fingers while still hiding in the
cabinet and said, "Check Book." He wrote the kid the check for the show
price discount, about the time one of the bigshot suits came wandering over
to see if he needed to call the cops to get rid of us. We made sure the
kid got the commission for the sale as he was the only person we would talk
to. His boss seemed impressed...(c;

They brought the boat over that night and we headed out for the Cadillac
dealer to buy him a new Escalade to tow it with....just in case....(c;

I'm afraid I am a little embarrassing at boat shows, however. If I see a
piece of crap, I call it a piece of crap. Most new boats are, you know.
However, if I see a real beautiful machine, like that Hackercraft classic I
couldn't stop running my fingers over, I'm an exceptionally nice and
enthousiastic supporter. God they are beautiful. It almost seems criminal
to float them off the trailer, along with the Hinckleys and
Nissens.....(sigh)

Larry W4CSC wrote in his simulated living aboard
piece

Boats don't have room for "beds", as such. Fold your Sealy Posturepedic up
against a wall, it won't fit on a boat. Go to a hobby fabric store and buy
a foam pad 5' 10" long and 4' wide AND NO MORE THAN 3" THICK. Cut it into
a triangle so the little end is only 12" wide. This simulates the foam pad
in the V-berth up in the pointy bow of the sailboat. Bring in the kitchen
table from the kitchen you're not allowed to use. Put the pad UNDER the
table, on the floor, so you can simulate the 3' of headroom over the pad.
Block off both long sides of the pad, and the pointy end so you have to
climb aboard the V-berth from the wide end where your pillows will be. The
hull blocks off the sides of a V-berth and you have to climb up over the
end of it through a narrow opening (hatch to main cabin) on a boat. You'll
climb over your mate's head to go to the potty in the night. No fun for
either party. Test her mettle and resolve by getting up this way right
after you go to bed at night. snip.... You need to find out how
much climbing over her she will tolerate BEFORE you're stuck with a big
boat and big marina bills and she refuses to sleep aboard it any more.....

I have never quite understood sleeping with my feet at the pointy end.
The first time I ever slept aboard a boat it was a charter, and we
were in the V-berth. I looked at it and instantly decided to sleep
with my head at the pointy end, and moved the pillows to that end.
It's not THAT narrow that both Bob and I can't both fit our heads
there. I'd rather have my head near his than my feet near his feet
or my head at his feet which would be completely unsatisfactory.

This has the advantage that we can crawl in AND back out (without
turning around) and it doesn't disturb the other person. It's MUCH
better than an athwart berth in that respect. Also, I can get one
foot outside of the covers - I can't sleep if I can't get my feet out
from under the sheet. The only disadvantage I can see is that the
reading light on the bulkhead is now at my feet. If I want to read, I
just take my pillow down there and sit at the 'foot'.

On our boat, we have a hatch that is right over the V-berth and if we
leave it open at night and it rains, it rains on your face and alerts
you to get up and close the hatches. Also I can exit the V-berth
through this hatch to look at the sunrise without traipsing through
the main cabin or waking Bob up.

Why don't other people do this?


grandma Rosalie

Rosalie B. wrote:

I have never quite understood sleeping with my feet at the pointy end.
The first time I ever slept aboard a boat it was a charter, and we
were in the V-berth. I looked at it and instantly decided to sleep
with my head at the pointy end, and moved the pillows to that end.

Probably depends on the boat. Many of them are narrow enough that two
people's shoulders wouldn't physically fit, let alone be comfortable.

Pete

Rosalie B. wrote in
:

I have never quite understood sleeping with my feet at the pointy end.
The first time I ever slept aboard a boat it was a charter, and we
were in the V-berth. I looked at it and instantly decided to sleep
with my head at the pointy end, and moved the pillows to that end.
It's not THAT narrow that both Bob and I can't both fit our heads
there. I'd rather have my head near his than my feet near his feet
or my head at his feet which would be completely unsatisfactory.


Rosalie, don't ever crawl into Lionheart's aft cabin with its full-width
double berth covered with that wonderful soft sheepskin my captain loves to
get the girls into.....(c;

Rosalie B. wrote in
:

On our boat, we have a hatch that is right over the V-berth and if we
leave it open at night and it rains, it rains on your face and alerts
you to get up and close the hatches. Also I can exit the V-berth
through this hatch to look at the sunrise without traipsing through
the main cabin or waking Bob up.



It doesn't rain in Lionheart's V-berth or head hatches because we always
put the PortaBote over both to make a little shelter for them. Works
great.

What's Bob doing sleeping in the main cabin, anyways?.....(c;

The reason I can't sleep head-first in a V-berth is my arms flail around in
my sleep too much. It's bad enough for one side to be against the hull.

In article , says...


Gogarty wrote in
:

Great advice. With your implied permission, I am going to publish your
remarks in the March issue of the New York Sailing Club Newsletter.

Oh, my usenet ramblings are public domain...(c;

I don't think I've ever crossposted to uk.rec.sailing before. Nice to meet
all of you...

A few years ago, I got fooling around from a question about how it was to
live aboard a sailboat from someone who was thinking about doing it. So,
late one night I just started trying to be funny and came up with the
"Liveaboard Simulator" prospective liveaboards could try out at home
without wasting money on a boat, just to see if the wife and family would
tolerate it.o "load up" because your boat has limited


(Big snip)

I think I recall that original posting. Did you ever submit it to a paying
magazine? You should. It's great but not really suitable for our Newsletter
though I may print it out for a giveaway at our next meeting. The other piece
was perfect for the nesletter since the New York Sailing Club is all about
getting boat owners and clueless potential crew together.

Gogarty wrote in
:

I think I recall that original posting. Did you ever submit it to a
paying magazine? You should. It's great but not really suitable for
our Newsletter though I may print it out for a giveaway at our next
meeting. The other piece was perfect for the nesletter since the New
York Sailing Club is all about getting boat owners and clueless
potential crew together.




No, I never published it except here. Thanks for the positive comment,
however. Email it to whomever you like....

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 22:32:34 -0500, Larry W4CSC
wrote:

Hi Larry,

[survey info snipped]

Makes no difference. You get there when you get there, if you get there at
all. You are at the total mercy of wind and waves and storm fronts and
your own incompetence.....

You have two problems. Single handed isn't really legal by international
law as you must "Maintain a Sharp Lookout" so you don't run into anything.
Around The World Alone races are simply overlooked because they move lots
of expensive products with the gunwale-to-gunwale advertising, so they get
away with it. NEVER SAIL TO SEA ALONE is good advise. I don't care if
you're a world class triathelon champion, the sea will wear your ass down
in no time at all and you'll think you just can't lift another arm or take
another turn on a winch, having given up hours ago because your arms feel
like lead and you can't keep your eyes open.....This is why we stand 2 hour
watches with the OTHER CREW MEMBERS who've been tossing and turning in
their almost sleep trying to get some sleep before it's their turn, again.

By day 6, noone talks to anyone any more. They're all too tired from being
thrown about, 24/7 for 6 days to talk. If it's calm and everyone gets to
rest, we don't GET ANYWHERE just sitting there with all the dirty laundry
flapping restlessly NOT pulling the boat through the water. If it's windy,
it's rough and sleep is hard, even though you're exhausted.

Now you put it like that, single-handedness is losing its appeal...

TIME......

Time does not exist on a sailboat, whether it's a big slug of a cruising
ketch or an ocean racer it takes 24 people to sail without flipping upside
down. If anyone aboard HAS to be there on Wednesday Night....DON'T TAKE
HIM ALONG! Everyone aboard must have nothing to do and no schedule for the
next 8 weeks, even though we're sailing from S England to Ireland
overnight. A sailboat is NOT A GOOD MODE OF TRANSPORT for modern people in
a HURRY. Never hurry anyplace....unless, of course, you're racing other
sailboats for the big trophy and braggin' rights. If you can't go, neither
can they so it evens it up.

RELAX and watch the waves....We'll get there when we get there.....

I guess that's one thing on my side. Time at least I have plenty of...

I see someone called you a troll. If you are, I've wasted 20 minutes. If
you're not, everyone on here wondered the same things back before they
could tell the main from the mizzen.

Thanks, Larry. I'm *not* trolling but there are some lame-brainers
here who accuse me of it every time I post something. Go figgur. It
makes a pleasant change to get some constructive advice,
notwithstanding much of it is deeply unattractive to here about.
Still, best to be fully-informed over the pros and cons in full of
what I may be letting myself in for, I guess.

Now, here's what you do. First, stow any idea about buying the Contessa,
no matter how smooth the sales delivery was. If you don't know any more
than you profess to, here, you need to CREW on a boat around England with a
knowledgeable owner, like I do. Every yachtsman at your local marina needs
a helping hand to fix his big monster, and an able hand to sail it.
BEFRIEND THEM....None has ever bitten me, at least not yet. Once you learn
the basics and they find out how nice a guy you are, not complaining and
being so helpful by fixing whatever you can fix, your demand quotient goes
WAY up. I'd rather crew on a boat I could never afford with a friendly
captain and his family, than buy the boat I can really afford that's too
small to go anywhere. I'm quite fortunate to be an electronics technician
(demand is high) with marine experience (US Navy) and a fair seaman who
doesn't like to drink the captain into the poorhouse. I'm his "Chief
Engineer". He calls me and wants a new water pump for the fresh water.
"I've left it in the V-berth. Do you think you could install it so we can
go sailing when I come down next Thursday?", he'll hint. Of course I can!
When do we leave?! My captain is "well off", he doesn't need more money.
He's was forever trying to give me money for working on his boat. "I don't
want your money, captain." (MUSIC TO THEIR EARS!) "Well, what do you
want?", he asked me. "Simply take me with you.", was my answer. I've been
going ever since....standing my watches, fixing and installing all the
toys, rewiring what needs rewiring. Last week we moved from our old marina
that's been bought out by some condo shysters to the City Marina which has
free cable TV. So, I had to install a new LCD TV and wire the boat for
cable TV. Now, the neighbor's wife, friends who moved en masse with us to
the new marina to maintain the little community of dock family, has me
scheduled to wire HER boat with cable TV, as soon as she's got the new LCD
TV out of hubby...(c;

Can you:
** Fix diesel engines...or at least troubleshoot one for simple problems?
Change filters? Do dirty things to it? YOU'RE IN!

Yup, I'm pretty good at that kind of stuff, fortunately.

** Wire electrical DC and AC toys up in the boat? YOU'RE IN!

Yep, I'm into radio & electronics like you and a G4 (the *proper* UK
ham licence) so electrics & comms are no problem either.

** Fix fresh water pumps, water heaters, simple plumbing, repair and
refinish wood, fix mechanical things as simple as a pulley on a pin?
YOU'RE IN!

Yeah, I can handle that. Must remember to mention these things to any
prospective cap'n. :-)

You can learn to sail and have a helluva great time while you're doing
it....in exchange for a little labor, your personal expertise and make a
friend for life in the process. Do that before buying anything or just
going blindly into the Contessa with no experience. Hell, if you're lucky,
you'll be on some 55' cruiser headed for the Windward Islands at virtually
no expense to you. My last month-long Florida vacation cost me $90...(c;

Oh, by the way, the adrenaline rush of a big ketch 200 miles offshore with
its toerail in the water just haulin' ass through the ocean in the 12'
swells in a 35 knot "crosswind" is just fantastic! Go for it!

That must rank as about the most informative and helpful reply I've
had thus far. You've sold me on the idea of crewing first at least -
and maybe saved me a lot of money and trouble as well!

Many thanks, Larry.

--

"Suffer no one to tell you what to think."
Martin Smith, the New Conservative Party.

http://www.newconservativeparty.org