First off, excellent post OP. Thanks for doing this.

My wife and I had jokingly talked about doing this a few years ago, and I recently read a story about this guy who went sailing in the Indian Ocean. Your post rekindled my desires to sail the world, so thank you.

I am like you were, I have never sailed before but I grew up around boats who ventured in Puget Sound near Seattle.

Just a few questions.

1) Boat selection. Any recommendations? How much should I budget for a boat, I have seen 40 ft monohull boats between $80K and $200K+.

2) Living in the Bay area now, I have already found a number of 'sailing schools'. Many of them offering US Sailing Certification classes. Did you take anything like this?

3) I am confused, on your last leg of your journey you made the decision to sail 35 days straight without hitting land. Why did you not make a decision to stay closer to land, and make landfall every couple of weeks? Why did you not at least make a stop at St Helena or Ascension? Just curious your thinking.

Again, loved the story... Thanks!

Regarding the falling overboard and being as good as dead...

Aren't there GPS transmitters that can be worn at all times? I think I remember something about it with The Deadliest Catch TV show. Not sure what the cost would be, but seems like it would be worth whatever it costs as a precaution.

EDIT: Found a site with some options. Looks like they are affordable. Seems like something that should be a must-have for an around the world trip...

http://boatingsailing.suite101.com/a...erboard_alarms

Best thread I've read since the first time I saw those Moshzilla pics. Freaking awesome. Thanks Cap'n.

What was the one thing you missed most from back home? (besides family/friends)?

yes, but it is hard to make a recommendation w/o more info. if you are interested, i would need more information regarding your plans, # of people, budget, preferences, etc. will gladly try to point you in the right direction. you can get a nice capable boat in the price range you mentioned.

i didn't take any courses, i am self taught, i do think a few courses would be a good idea. i have friends in the bay area that circumnavigated that are instructors.

it was actually 50 days, & we needed to get home, etc., etc.. sailing closer to land is not a good idea -it is more dangerous. you are much more likely to have a problem close to land.

there are so many precautions that can be taken. if you continue to prepare for every possibility & purchase every piece of safety gear available - you will never leave & your boat will sink from the weight off all the things you buy.

we were not on an unlimited budget. when you have a budget you have to make hard choices. honestly, this really did not seem like a high priority to us. just don't fall overboard.

a good pizza would be right up there!

1. they exist,, but no, they definitely are not your average sailor. pick up a copy of cruising world, or lattitudes & attitudes mag. to see your average sailor & get an idea of the lifestyle.

2. it is in st. thomas, mostly. there are some tourists, but mostly regulars - lots of well off jewelers. i would tell you more, but then i would have to kill you.

3. it is possible to go west to east - this isthe direction most around the world races run. the problem w/ going west -east is that you pretty much have to go around the horn & you will be always sailing at lower lattitudes. this means much rougher waters, colder weather & fewer enjoyable ports. almost all cruisers sail east -west.

4. the auto pilot steers the boat so you don't have to hand steer 24 hrs a day.

if not for fun, then what would you risk your life for? i know now that my chances of survival were much higher, but at the time i had never sailed anywhere, really knew very little & it seemed pretty risky.

obviously solo free climbers would put their risk lower. 1. they have a good deal of experience before going to these extremes 2. you have to be pretty self confident.

of course i never told anyone i might not come back. i am saying late at night when i couldn't sleep, those are the real odds i would give. i would bet there are some solo free climbers who, late at night, when no one knows would puts their odds this low, of course you will never really know. you either have the balls to risk everything or you don't & believe me i am sure some of them are not sure that they will live - but they have balls the size of your head.

what odds would you give yourself to: get online buy a boat & sail around the world in the next 5 years? greater than 65/35? i am assuming you have never sailed before, for this equation to work.

uughh, i just got home, had a good night, nice win & have had a few drinks to unwind. when i reread this, it seems to come off as beligerant- this was not my intention. i am trying to explain the thinking involved, sorry.

This thread was linked on P5's. I just signed up on here so I could thank OP for this great thread.

wow, thank you.

Wow...just incredible, I've read every post in the last few hours and love the story and thread.

I have 2 exams this week, a paper to write, and much more reading to catch up on; yet I've had eyes glued to this thread when I should be sound asleep.

I'm only 18, and this is something I definitely want to do in my life. I have a word document with places I want to live, places I want to visit, and things I want to do in my lifetime. This was promptly moved towards the top of my list. I failed at BR management after making a solid amount of money playing poker the past few years and gave up the game as a result. As a result, I've pretty much resigned myself to working a 9-5/6/7/8 job after college to make some bank, but ideally I'd like to do this for no more than 5-7 years, and then begin living more on my terms, doing things I want to do.

Thanks for sharing captain, threads like this and adsman's regarding his travels have helped reaffirm my desire to see the world and live what most would consider a more unconventional lifestyle than that of the 9-5 bubble which I could easily be destined for otherwise.

I was going through your brother's pictures and had one question. Did you guys get souvenirs at your various stops, or did you basically limit yourselves to pictures so as not to take up valuable space aboard the boat? Looking at, for example, the picture of the masks towards the end of the trip, I found myself thinking about how hard it would be not to load up on items from the different places you stopped.

this was my brother- he was the "smart one" w/ an incredible corporate job after college. i ruined him. when we got back he was supposed to go right back into the corporate world w/ a job that payed really well, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

we definitely got some souveniers. interesting side story: when we were in south africa gf came to visit. we went to some of the most incredible boutique wineries - incredible wines you can't buy unless you visit & personally ship it home. you simply can not buy it in the states. we purchased many cases of fine wine for me to bring home via boat. the plan was we would have a nice addition to our collection & on special occasions, bring out a bottle we had saved, to share w/ friends.

the passage home went from 35 to 50 days & by the time i got home there was little wine left to put in the collection. gf was pissed!

I have sailed before so the answer is zero. I was drinking beer and smoking hash in a cafe in Ibiza. One of the dudes at the table was in the process of sailing solo from London to Isreal. He wanted a companion for the leg to Sicily. I volunteered. Made it as far as Mallorca before I decided I'd had enough. The boat was so small it only had a tiller, no steering wheel or auto-pilot. The first night this massive storm hit and I was white knuckled for hours with one hand on the tiller and the other hand on a railing so I wouldn't get washed over board. After the first hour I resigned myself to the fact that I would probably die. Then it wasn't so bad. What killed me was when morning came and the wind completely died. so friggin boring. Thus ended my sailing adventures.

I am also from p5's and I signed up just to tell you that this is hands down the best thread I have ever read. I have read every reply and this thread definitely delivers.

Here are a few questions for ya.

1) Space browies?? Where did you get them? Did you bring them from home? Did they make you paranoid on the waters?

2) You have already said what the worst experiences were with the storms. But what would you say was the best experience (minus the fact that you sailed around the world)?

3) What legal obstacles did you have to overcome to go? Did you have to get special permits or a special license or anything to chart in international waters?

4) What country that you visited had the best looking women?

Thanks again OP..this is an amazing thread.

hey man, cool thread. thx!

u wrote, that u didnt leave ur boat for long, because u were afraid to "lose" it.
are most ports too unsafe to leave the boat there for a couple of days while touring? I mean I understand that this applies to some island-ports with no real infrastructure, but even western city-ports like sydney or so? arent they guarded?
it must suck a bit to be in a foreign country and not able to travel into it - just staying in the port mostly guarding the boat...

Sweet thread! Pretty inspiring. While I don't want to sail the world, I definitely want to go to some of the places on the way.

I had no idea about the whole falling off the boat=very bad thing.

1. Trip report of your best day
2. Any fights with your brother?
3. Tell us more about why you disliked austalia and why you loved s. africa.
4. Worst run in with authority besides US coast guard and panama
5. Not gun debate related: You said that you just said you ahd no guns or drugs on board and that was fine. What abt the one time they did the throrough search?
6. Where did you find the prettiest and friendliest women? Any good stories?
7. Any other criminal incidents beside the panama mugging?
8. Did you ever have to bribe people on the journey?

Probably the coolest thread I've ever read on a message board. Kudos on an amazing trip.

I, too, am adding this to my list of things to do before I die.

This is an awesome thread. Thanks for putting this up, OP.
I've got some new goals in life now.

Didn't see this question asked... How did the relationship with your gf fare with you gone for 13 months? Saw that she flew into South Africa to see you, was that it?

you will have to admit you got a pretty cool story to tell for the rest of your life!

one mans fear is another mans excitement & one mans boredom is another's solitude. it is not for everyone.

1. you make brownies. brownies should not make you paranoid. if they do you are making them wrong.

2. best experiences were visiting so many foreign countries & experiencing new cultures, also meeting other sailors & the social aspect.

3. no legal obstacles. no licenses or permits. you had to post a bond to stay in french polynesia & you had to fill out necessary paperwork upon arriving in each country.

4. panama

if i said i was afraid of losing it i misspoke. if iwas afraid of that we never would have gone. i think if anyone takes their home (major asset) & everything they own to sea & foreign countries you will probably be very cautious. there is the possibility of theft or loss due to weather. also when anchored in a strange place weather & tides can change very quickly increasing the chance of losing your boat to the elements.

another major reason to stay on the boat was to cut costs. you also have to figure in the fact that we would be at sea for weeks at a time, arrive & have about 2 weeks to prepare to leave again. during this time we would have to make all repairs,find parts, sew sails, clean the boat, reprovision, plan & prepare for the next leg & try to sightsee as much as possible.

How did you cook the fish on the boat? Was there any risk of a couple days going by when you couldn't catch fish, or was that never difficult?

1. one of the best days was renting motorcycles in rodriguez & teaching my brother to ride & then exploring the whole island for 2 days. when i get a bit of time i'll try to write up a post on this, it is a pretty good story.

2. not really, we aren't really the fighting type & it will do no good as you have no options but to get along & keep going.

3. australians have many rules -they wouldn't fill our jerry jugs or propane tanks because they were not australian approved & many other problems w/ authorities there - some of which i am at fault for. ausralia is a whole story of its own.

4. australia

5. the australian gov. now owns that gun.

6. panama. yes

7.no. although my brother had his shoes stolen a couple of times when we left them sitting out. we can't really feel bad about that, we met some very poor people.

8. i had to bribe the guy in australia to fill our propane tanks. he wanted $50 aus. i got all of my autralian money & dug through my backpack for change & only came up w/ a little over $48 & he almost wouldn't do it. we left australia 3 hrs later.

she came to tahiti for a couple weeks & south africa for a couple of weeks. i think our experiences more than made up for the time away. we are both very independant & supportive of any thing the other wants to do.

i play poker & sometimes i get lazy, don't want to go, just want to stay home & hang out - she will say aren't you going to work? you should go play. how many girlfriends say that?


last year she went to italy for 3 months to go to culinary school there - i said see you when you get back. we are pretty laid back