New Conservative wrote:

First of all, what's a "survey" - when is it necessary and how much
does it cost?

What it costs depends on the surveyor and the size of the boat.
Usually is priced per foot of length. It something like what we over
here call a home inspection and is done any time you are paying more
for the boat than you can afford to lose if it turns out to have
serious problems that you didn't see.

Next: How long would it take to sail single-handedly from S/England to
the Windward Islands given average weather conditions at a reasonably
favorable time of year in a Contessa 32 or Nic 32?

No idea.

Next: If one ends up in some distant safe harbor somewhere abroad;
what right (if any) does one have to simply tie-up at a convenient
mooring and go to sleep for say 24hrs? I'm thinking here about an
analogy with a deckchair dude; do you just 'park-up' and wait for
someone to charge you for your stay? And what prospect of getting a
space in such a harbor?

When you go to a foreign country you need to be prepared to check in
through customs and immigration. Part of being prepared is knowing
what the requirements are for that country. It's different in
different countries.

You probably can't just take a mooring. Sometimes you can anchor
while you take care of business but sometimes you have to tie up to a
quay or dock (and pay for that).

Usually you have to check in within 24 hours, and it is usually better
to do this during business hours.

For instance.

If we go from the US to the Bahamas, we come into the harbor (one of
the harbors that has officials available - you have to check on this
in advance to know which ones are possible) flying the Bahamas
courtesy flag and the Q flag (the quarantine flag which is yellow and
indicates that we have not yet checked in).

Then we tie up to a dock one person (the captain) goes to check in for
everyone with the documents (like passports) of the crew and all the
other persons on board with him/her. After the documents have been
checked and approved, and the entry fee has been paid then you can
take down the Q flag and the other persons can go ashore.

Finally, what's the difference between a "berth" and a "cabin"?

A berth is usually the bed and the cabin is the room it is in. A
cabin may or may not have a berth in it.

A berth can also be a place for a ship at the dock, or a job. You can
say "I have a berth on that ship as a cook" That's not referring to
the place you sleep, but to the job..

Also sometimes people refer to the forward cabin in the bow as the
V-berth. That's because it is V-shaped and has one or two beds in it.

I realize these are stupid questions, but beg your indulgence.

grandma Rosalie