Many people wonder how big a boat they must have to take a “cruise” on. In fact, I have met many who have spent literally decades saving money for the “big” boat so they can take off. Most of these people are shocked when they find out that my husband and I lived and traveled aboard a Cal 2-34 for six years. “Wasn’t that kind of small?” almost to a person they ask.

 

No. A 34’ boat is not too small to take cruising, if the boat is sound. Lynn and Larry Pardey took their first trips on a boat much smaller than 34’ and were quite happy! And safe! The same is true for Robin Graham on Dove.

 

Size does not make a boat safe. Seamanship, based on experience, is the big factor in boating safety. I must hasten to add, however, that the gear on the boat, including the rigging, rudder, and overall composition of the boat is vital to the boat’s safety in passage making. I have seen incredibly unlikely vessels, however, make it across oceans. I once saw a lake sailor that had sailed across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific to Fatu Hiva. The fact that a few people row across oceans says something…either about luck or…well, I won’t go there.

 

I have had numerous people tell me they have a 34 footer that they day sail, but wonder if they need something bigger to spend several months on. Egads! I suppose it depends on how much stuff you want to lug around with you, how many kids you take, and maybe how much personal space you need.

 

When my husband and I traveled, I will admit we were one of the smaller boats in any foreign port or anchorage we visited. We did not, however, have to pick up people along the way to crew for us. Either of us could single-hand the boat if the other were sick or injured. The boat was well-rigged, with the mast and rigging off the Cal 46. And we had prepared for crossings by doing lots of coastal cruising to learn the limits of our boat…and ourselves. The boat proved to be much tougher and more resilient than we were!

 

So do not let size keep you from your adventures! Go now while you still have the strength and stamina to do so. 

Read more cruising advice in Life Was A Cabaret: A Tale of Two Fools, A Boat, and a Big-Ass Ocean.

 

 

 

 

            Coastal cruising experience is a must for any serious blue-water sailor, yet it is an often neglected facet of many sailors’ experience. Before plunging into the deep blue headed across the big puddle, take some time for coast cruising to really learn your boat’s limits…and some of your own.

 

            Learn your buoys and rules of the road. Be forewarned that in many areas sailors no longer have the right of way! So don’t expect that the tug and barge or the large ship bearing down on you are going to yield and change their course. Learning to read ships’ lights is paramount to safe passages, and the coast has an abundance of shipping traffic, especially as one approaches places like the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the Columbia River, and other large ports. You don’t want to be in the middle of the North Pacific wondering about the exact direction of the freighter you see looming in the distance.

 

            Coastal cruising demands that you know how to read tide tables and currents. Many of the entrances to ports along the West Coast require one to cross river bars. These entries can be perilous with the confluence of river and ocean currents, and they are especially treacherous on an ebb tide. Do you know how to handle these? When to proceed? When to stay at sea? 

 

            Listen to your VHF for Coast Guard bar reports. You don’t want to call them begging to be towed in.

 

            Coastal cruising allows one to sharpen navigational skills. You won’t have to wait a thousand miles to see if you are right! A GPS is so desirable for coastal travel. My husband and I just made our first trip up the Oregon/Washington Coasts with our new GPS. It was fabulous. Even when we had fog so thick we could not see the bow of the boat, there was no question as to where we were! No more Radio Direction Finder! No more hand held compass! But you know what? You should learn to navigate with these anyway. Things have a way of unexpectedly not working on boats, don’t they?

 

            A Coast Pilot is a necessity for coastal cruising. The books are not expensive, and unlike the tide tables, they can be used for several years. They give complete, detailed description of land and headlands. They will describe port entries, hazards, etc.

 

            Coastal cruising allows you the opportunity to test all of your equipment. For example, your autopilot may work fine when you are motoring…or sailing. But will it work if you are motorsailing? Sometimes there is too much torque for the contraptions to maintain a steady course, especially if the seas are big.

 

            There is a wealth of experience and information for the taking if you take some time and do some coastal travel. Staying in the waters of Southern California will be nice, but it is not going to give you the experience you should probably have. Traveling Puget Sound and the Inside Passage will offer you many excellent opportunities to sharpen your skills. Best yet, the trip from San Diego to Seattle will give you all the education you may need!

          Learn more about coastal cruising in Life Was A Cabaret: A Tale of Two Fools, a Boat, and a Big-Ass Ocean.