OMG - this is getting worse and worse Erin. I need to get you out on Duende so you can learn what its like to sail on a well maintained yacht with a competent crew and captain.
Yeah, this reminds me of my maiden Global Hitchhiking voyage from Virginia to Aruba. My captain bought a 65-foot boat for 20K, and his only plan was to get the boat to Aruba and turn it into an AirBNB. He wasn't willing to invest in all the safety gear and improvements needed for a truly safe boat to sail. No autosteering, no emergency tiller, failed generator, rusted chainplate bolts. Most of the problems we discovered on our trip down the ICW, but we didn't realize the chainplate bolts were rusted until we were halfway across the gulf stream to the Bahamas and the bolt snapped. We were lucky we didn't lose our mast. We hobbled back to Florida to make repairs before heading out again.
I thought you said this boat was supposed to be all electric and there were no fossil fuels on board. Looks like that story changed too.
Yes, I learned a lot on that first voyage. I learned to be pickier in my selective process. I asked about safety features and skipper experience and the list goes on. It's all outlined in my book. Including a safety section I added, for women who crew.
But honestly, the entire time I was on that "unsafe" boat, I was living my best life, just happy to be on a boat, sailing through the Caribbean. Yes, it had its challenges, but the nice thing about crewing is you didn't have to worry about paying for these lessons you were learning. My skipper paid for all repairs. And I got the experience. The last 7 days of that voyage were challenging and discouraging, but otherwise I was just happy to be on the ocean on a boat.
They say the only way to get stormy weather experience is to sail through stormy weather. I didn't really get a lot of that in 3 years of sailing around the world. But it's because my skippers were careful about their passage planning and with today's prediction capabilities, we were able to avoid a lot of the weather. The one exception was going down the Mozambique Channel. We did that passage, 2-3 days at a time, and then hid behind an island or anchored in a protective cove, waiting for the storms to pass.
Hey Erin. That’s the only place it is published right now. I’m fine with you buying an electric copy. I don’t even know where else to publish it. Do you have any ideas? I know Linda publishes somewhere. Let me look into it and I’ll get back to you.
OMG - this is getting worse and worse Erin. I need to get you out on Duende so you can learn what its like to sail on a well maintained yacht with a competent crew and captain.
I know -- so bad, right?! 😱 And it only gets worse...
p.s. We'll make Duende happen sooner rather than later!
It sounds like a horrible experience. Those people aren't sailors, they are a hazard to seafarers everywhere 🤣😎
Yeah, this reminds me of my maiden Global Hitchhiking voyage from Virginia to Aruba. My captain bought a 65-foot boat for 20K, and his only plan was to get the boat to Aruba and turn it into an AirBNB. He wasn't willing to invest in all the safety gear and improvements needed for a truly safe boat to sail. No autosteering, no emergency tiller, failed generator, rusted chainplate bolts. Most of the problems we discovered on our trip down the ICW, but we didn't realize the chainplate bolts were rusted until we were halfway across the gulf stream to the Bahamas and the bolt snapped. We were lucky we didn't lose our mast. We hobbled back to Florida to make repairs before heading out again.
I thought you said this boat was supposed to be all electric and there were no fossil fuels on board. Looks like that story changed too.
Yes, an eco-friendly boat was the goal -- but it never quite got there. Just another bit of marketing.
I'm amazed that Captains take these types of risk with boats in disrepair. I guess there are more unscrupulous skippers then I thought.
Yes, I learned a lot on that first voyage. I learned to be pickier in my selective process. I asked about safety features and skipper experience and the list goes on. It's all outlined in my book. Including a safety section I added, for women who crew.
But honestly, the entire time I was on that "unsafe" boat, I was living my best life, just happy to be on a boat, sailing through the Caribbean. Yes, it had its challenges, but the nice thing about crewing is you didn't have to worry about paying for these lessons you were learning. My skipper paid for all repairs. And I got the experience. The last 7 days of that voyage were challenging and discouraging, but otherwise I was just happy to be on the ocean on a boat.
They say the only way to get stormy weather experience is to sail through stormy weather. I didn't really get a lot of that in 3 years of sailing around the world. But it's because my skippers were careful about their passage planning and with today's prediction capabilities, we were able to avoid a lot of the weather. The one exception was going down the Mozambique Channel. We did that passage, 2-3 days at a time, and then hid behind an island or anchored in a protective cove, waiting for the storms to pass.
"They say the only way to get stormy weather experience is to sail through stormy weather." -- Love this! And applies to so many area of life.
And same was true. Aside from some (very scary) bits, we all had a rollicking time on the CoBoat!
Feel free to drop a link for your book here in the replies. I'd love to check it out!
Hey Erin,
Here it is. It's self-published on Amazon: https://a.co/d/2NDU4ix
Thanks Matt? Can I buy a digital copy? (No where to mail it to! 😉)
Also, I avoid supporting Amazon - can I buy it direct from you or an independent bookstore?
Hey Erin. That’s the only place it is published right now. I’m fine with you buying an electric copy. I don’t even know where else to publish it. Do you have any ideas? I know Linda publishes somewhere. Let me look into it and I’ll get back to you.
Scheiße… that sounds pretty crazy! I’m curious how this story continues 😱
Unfortunately, there's two more parts, each one progressively worse… 🥺
Oh boy… 😱