First Cruise

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john_k
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First Cruise

Post by john_k »

Hello All -

I've been sailing close to 20 years, on various day sailers from 10 to 17 feet.

Last Fall I bought my first "big" boat - a Catalina Capri 18.

After doing some projects last fall, and a quick test sail, I'm planning an actual cruise for the summer. Nothing too adventurous for our first trip. My plan is to rent a slip at the Suttons Bay Marina on the Grand Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan). Rent the slip for a week, use Suttons Bay as a "home base" to explore the bay.

I thought that would be safer than to try to reserve one night in Traverse City, one night in Suttons Bay, one night in Northport, etc. Because if the weather looks bad we can get in the car and go to a movie and we don't have to be someplace by nightfall.

We have sailed in the Grand Traverse Bay before, but we have never slept on a boat, or stayed in a marina.

Any advice??

John
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wdscobie
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Re: First Cruise

Post by wdscobie »

small boat cruising is like backpacking ... you just don't have to haul a heavy backpack! if you have backpacked the transition is easier and your bed is flat and doesn't have a rock right in the middle of your back.

i'll add - don't cook with a white gas stove! my thoughts on safe stove cooking on a small boat -

https://sagemarineblog.wordpress.com/20 ... what-with/


besides the above there are some excellent books on 'boat camping' (you can get them from SCA ... give Josh a call, or order through the SCA www-site) -
  • 'Cooking Aboard a Small Boat' by Paul Esterle
  • 'The Dinghy Cruising Companion: Tale and Advice from Sailing in a Small Open Boat' by Roger Barnes
  • 'The Gentle Art of Pottering: Sailing the P-15' by Dave Bacon
didn't find this CLASSIC in the SCA store (please note if you do have it Josh) -
  • 'Frugal Yachting: Family Adventuring in Small Sailboats' by Larry Brown (one of my first purchases, long ago, when i moved into small cruisers and well used)
another comment -

be careful about over packing! i guilty of doing this and it is very easy to do.
--
:: Dave Scobie
:: Liveaboard: Baba 30 DEJA VU
:: Owner M6'8" dingy
:: Former SWALLOW - https://saulboatswallow.wordpress.com
:: Former M17 SWEET PEA - https://m17-375.com
:: Former M15 SCRED - https://m15namedscred.wordpress.com/
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Michel
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Re: First Cruise

Post by Michel »

I agree at 100% with Dave about the small butane stove. They work great and I even have one with two burners!
The only thing about small boat cruising is being ready to move stuff in order to get at stuff!... ;) It is less a problem in a solo cruise because you can use a side for the stuff and the other to sit or sleep.
It is good also to have a tarp or something to make a boom tent or shelter for the night. The small cabin becomes bigger! :)
Don't forget about the night bugs and how to shelter from them. ;)
Michel Boulet
Ex: "Mari-Bell" Sandpiper 565 (18.5367454 ft)
Now: "Papou" Tanzer 16 dinghy
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Art Haberland
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Re: First Cruise

Post by Art Haberland »

I have that origo stove. It puts out a decent amount of heat, but nothing like the other alternatives. I bought it for the simple reason that alcohol does not collect in the bilge and go boom
lustyslogger
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Re: First Cruise

Post by lustyslogger »

Another two books that may prove useful are
"Practical Dinghy Cruiser" by Paul Constatine. This book is British but water is water and coastlines are coastlines. The Brits tend to look at small boats with a much more affectionate eye than we do. You will learn a lot from this book.

Beachcruising and Coastal Camping by Ida Little.

I believe both of these books are available through Small Craft Advisor

I used to go backpacking on my motorcycle. When I went back to sailing I merely took all the backpacking equipment and transferred it to the boat. If you can get a tent, sleeping bag, air mattress, single burner camp stove and a small ice chest on a motorcycle you can certainly find room for it on an 18 foot boat
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Michel
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Re: First Cruise

Post by Michel »

Even in a 15 or 16 foot boat!
BTW, I really enjoyed the "It's complicated" article in the last issue! It's about the truth! :)
Michel Boulet
Ex: "Mari-Bell" Sandpiper 565 (18.5367454 ft)
Now: "Papou" Tanzer 16 dinghy
Montreal
"Let the world say what it will"
~~_/)~~
john_k
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Re: First Cruise

Post by john_k »

Hey all, thanks for the advice.

The projects took longer than I thought, as of Friday I was doubting that we would actually sail this summer (standing rigging replacement seemed so straight forward!). But the boat is ready and one week from today we will be on the water.

We have done a fair amount of backpack camping, and also bicycle camping, so we understand packing light. In fact, the cabin seems both way too small and huge at the same time. The v-berth is too small to sleep on, but it would hold a tremendous amount of crap if we allowed it to.

This year we are keeping it really simple (and spouse friendly). Grand Traverse Bay will be a kind of "town to town" cruise instead of "secluded anchorage to secluded anchorage." We are planning on two nights sleeping in the boat at the marina, 2 nights in a b&b. No cooking on board means a lot less stuff to pack. Snacks on board, meals at charming waterfront restaurants.

If this goes well, Michigan's upper peninsula is on tap for next summer. That would be more of a mix with villages, parks and wilderness. Couple days in the Bays De Noc, back on the trailer, and a couple days on the keewanaw peninsula.

Really looking forward to this!

John
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Art Haberland
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Re: First Cruise

Post by Art Haberland »

I will add "in shoal waters" and "biggest boat I could afford" for a taste of dinghy cruising
lustyslogger
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Re: First Cruise

Post by lustyslogger »

Art Haberland wrote:I will add "in shoal waters" and "biggest boat I could afford" for a taste of dinghy cruising

Someone once said the only difference between a big boat and a small boat was the height off the water the deck may be. The view and the experience is the same for either.
john_k
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Re: First Cruise

Post by john_k »

We had a great time on Traverse Bay!

Wind was usually light most of the week, so we didn't make it as far as we thought we would, we decided we'd rather putter around than fire up the outboard.

Thank you for all the suggestions about not over packing. @wdscobie said, "pack like you are backpacking." So I told my wife, "pack like we are backpacking."

How'd we do?
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