Planetary Alignment

[waterdog]

It seems to be exceedingly difficult to line up all of the planets at once.  We would like to go to Mexico and cruise for a while - a long while.   To do that we need a few things.   1) a boat  2) a weather window 3) a source of income 4) no home-based encumberances that prevent being away - ie. a job.   In an ideal world 3 & 4 could fuse together in a single event and line up with a weather window.   However, the likelihood of that happening is exceedingly small.   So increasingly, I find myself wondering about other ways of finding myself in a boat in a tropical climate in the correct season without having to make a left turn out the Straight of Juan de Fuca in say January and head south on the tail of the last gale blowing through.

So I was talking with a good friend last night who happens to own a shipping brokerage and he says, "Why don't you throw it on the deck of one of the tubs I have going down to Long Beach.  There is nothing between here and there anyway."   I suppose there are people in three states that would take exception to such a notion, but it has some appeal.   

"It's not that simple," I replied.  "I would have to build some kind of a cradle.  It would be easier to go by truck."

"No you don't.  Stevedores build cradles.   It's cheap.  People do it all the time."

Is this true?   Anyone have any experience moving their sailboat on the deck of a ship?  Any disadvantages relative to trucking?

I don't know if Stu and Jon and I would have any fun sipping cocktails in the cockpit nestled among deck stowed containers, but it would be fun to point at the Golden Gate as we go by and say, "You see, there is nothing here"...     

[Rick Johnson]

I would suggest the following site if you really wanted to send the C34 by ship.  They have a schedule from Vancouver down the west coast.

http://www.yacht-transport.com/

Cheers,

Rick

[Craig Illman]

Steve - Norm Root, a C36 & C42 owner down in Blaine, hauls boats. You might see what he charges.

norm root <slvrnblkraiders@hotmail.com>


Craig

[Ron Hill]

Steve : Look in your owners manual and there's a page 5.2 that shows a C34 in a cradle with all of the cradle dimensions.  The first year my C34 was put in the water (1989) from winter storage it was in that shipping cradle and the cradle w/boat were lifted by a fork lift. 
So I don't see any reason that that cradle w/boat couldn't be lifted on to a ship!!!

[waterdog]

Thanks!   I've seen the Dockwise transport approach before.  I think its a great way to go with a larger boat, but I believe it's pretty expensive starting at 10K plus.   Trucking is a reasonable option at $4 to $6k.   My friend Bob's suggestion has appeal because he books whole ships and fills them with bulk cargo so I might be able to hitch a ride on deck for not much more than the cost of loading and insurance.   I'll see where the quote comes in and have a look at that cradle.   I also asked him to give me a quote through the canal anywhere on this side of the Atlantic.  What the hell, the Caribbean has nice sailing too... 

I would just wait and take my time puttering with the boat and leave late next summer working my way down the coast, but I may have an exit opportunity from the work treadmill open in the next month or two.    If so, I'll be tempted to pack up and go fast because I know I can spend buckets of money here whereas a cruising kitty will last a lot longer where the tax on rum is lower...

[Jeff Tancock]

I too have thought about shipping our C34 down to Cabo on a freighter for a season or two. I have to admit that the cost has been a deterent for me.

[waterdog]

The cost thing is funny.   If you're just thinking about it as an alternative to sailing your boat in the Gulf Islands or Desolation, then you look at the cost and conclude that sailing locally June to Sept with maybe a charter somewhere in the winter is much more cost effective.  Particulary if you have to fly back and forth a couple of times.   

But if you decide you want to go, then the question is which alternative is best.   I had concluded that sailing down would be most cost effective.   But there is a limited window to head south in comfort and had sort of reached the conclusion that I didn't really want to take Foster and Tracey down the Oregon Coast.   Not so much because I fear for their safety, but more so because I'm trying to suck them into a lifestyle and the last thing I want to do is finally hit Cabo and have everybody so done with boating that they want to fly home for a bit.   I'd rather have them step off the plane in Cabo and say "it's hot here, let's go sailing..."   

Anyway, it's a long story, but the conclusion is that I would actually still have to fund the whole household expenses for the duration of the voyage south.  And the long and the short of it is we have no problem spending $6 to $10K a month on land, but we spend a fraction of that (<2k) when we go boating.    So the quicker I stop driving and insuring cars etc etc. the better.   I'm actually better off financially if I pay $5 or $6k to transport the boat at speed, even if I value my time at $0.   

Now if I go offshore and push hard it could all happen more quickly, but I'm not sure I will have the window for that.  How did I end up with a copy of Cornell's World Cruising Routes 6th ed in my library anyway?  This sailing thing is a disease...

[Jeff Tancock]

I think you are wise to avoid taking your family with you if you sail down. I have witnessed a few dreams of a life of sailing crushed by a difficult passage after turning left at the mouth of Jaun de Fuca. Beaten up boats, mechanical/rigging failures and unexpected storms can have serious consequences....and that was on bigger, heavier open passage boats. It can be a nasty bit of ocean. Get the boat there (truck/ship or sail it) and fly them into Cabo for a season and then see how they like.

[Stu Jackson]

I'd written earlier about George Benson's Cruising Guide to the NW Coast and his good website, with the concept of inshore sailing with ports no further than 70 miles apart.  I'll try to find that, but search on Benson and my user name Stu Jackson (huh?, too simple!).

Assuming you've gotten the electrical thingy covered, then there's this:

Long offshore and Mexico require the need to start thinking about aqua.  Watermakers have been rarely mentioned, but Juan on Ciao recently asked about it, figuring he'd use his starboard tank space to install one.  Don't know if he ever did that.

Anytime, and any how you get here, let me know and we'll take great good care of you and yours.  Correct about Cabo over the Washington & Oregon Coasts for "starters!"