how large a boat does one need to consider cruising?

[Koinonia]

Preperation is key!! On our last trip to south fl in our27 I had things like extra water, fuel, engine water pump, starter, even injectors . After making spaghetti we discovered we had no bowls or spoons. Go figure!

[Bob23]

Reminds me of a surf trip I took ages ago...remembered all the camp gear and pancake mix except the spatula for flipping the cakes. We used a skeg from a surfboard.
Improvisation is one of the fun side-trips to any trip.
Bob23

[ontarioSuncat]

I cruise with my wife for three- four weeks at a time with only an over night stop at a marina every 7-10 days. This is in a Sun Cat.  We do have a custom boom tent that provides cover from rain and excessive sun. We do not use refridgeration and cook with a butane stove in the cockpit. We take 10 gallons of water in two 5 gallon containers, and a 24 case of bottled water for the time spent at anchor. We top up the supplies from our truck that we leave in the marina that acts as our central base. If we were to travel to a different marina we would have to rely on buying the supplies. All neals are caned or back packer meals. Harvest foodworks is a good one with tasty meals for two. We find precooked bacon and eggs last 4 days then we go to individual cereal boxes. We use tetra-pac milk. Lunch is canned meats and crackers or bread.
We have a lot of experience canoe tripping and the Sun Cat is an extension of that, using many of the same concepts.

[jthatcher]

wow..  so much good information!   
Allen and Suzie.  what a kind offer!   i am already looking forward to meeting you guys!   -  and  meeting up with you on Champlain as well...

ontario  ( sorry i don't know your name)   i think that we are like minded    i see the boat as a backpacker's dream !  so much space to pack things that otherwise would have been in my pack..  and i don't have to carry a tent or set it up each night..   i will probably go with an ice chest.. i love milk in my tea and with my granola      also like cheese with my crackers       raman noodles with peas and corn..     

i just discussed with my wife that i plan on spending 5 or 6 hours max  traveling ( and only on nice days )   the rest of the time i will spend exploring - rowing my dinghy, visiting sites..     getting plenty of exercise      probably a fair amount of reading as well ! 

koinonia - thanks for sharing the story about the bowls..   that is priceless..   jt

[shamblin]

giving up refrigeration/ice allows for a smaller simpler boat. 8-)

[Bob23]

Jt: you could reinvent and improve the

e Jack Benny cooler.
bob23

[mandolinut]

I am enjoying the posts. I read the man's blog where he clocked 8000 mlles in a 15 1/2 foot boat through the Eastern U.S.  The boat looked like a sailboat but I never saw sails. If that is the case, that is one heck of an advertisement for Mercury outboards.
Also enjoyed the connie mcbride article of foods requiring no refrigeration.
In my younger sailing days, I wouldn't think of sailing off for a week without an ice chest full of ice and beer.  Now, a little glass of wine at room temp  at the end of the day  is just dandy. ......and, I do not have to use the "head" nearly as often :0)

[jthatcher]

good morning mandolinut...  the blog you mentioned may well be the same that i linked to  at the beginning of this thread..  it was a very interesting read.    i am glad that you are enjoying the comments here...  good advice and very interesting perspectives..   the biggest problem that i am experiencing right now is  how to get excited about preparing to teach rules of exponents  in the dead of winter when a month long cruise from NJ to VT  looms just over the horizon       well,  i can allocate a few moments of our snow delay this morning to thinking about sailing through new york harbor - in fact,  i just spent half an hour on a blog that is all about that very topic..  the rest of the time..  i guess i had better start to think about exponents     jt

[HideAway]

I read somewhere that the size of the accommodations on board are meaningless because you tend to get used to the space you have.  My wife and I are comfortable with our 23 on cruises of a week or 10 days.  I have to stop at a marina every other day, especially in the summer, or I ll be sailing alone though.  We are currently planning a spring cruise - end of April or early May- from Gulfport to Anclote Key/Tarpon Springs.  Our fellow sailors in their 30-35 footers think we are nuts but we are very pleased with our little HideAway. 

Some one commented on the West Coast Trailer Sailor Assoc.  earlier -   I was the one that lured Ron Hoddinot away from his 27 Catalina when I took him sailing on my sea pearl. He sold the 27 and bought whisper -- the rest as they say is history.  When our big boat days are done I may just build one of those boats they had at Cedar Key this year and join fun    Matt       

[jthatcher]

hi Matt,  good to hear from you!    It sounds like you have plans for an interesting cruise in mind..   i certainly agree that the 23 is a pretty comfortable boat, at least as far as my limited experience is concerned.   i will let you know what i think after spending some significant time aboard       I  appreciate the tips that you have offered here on the site, and look forward to hearing about your upcoming trip!  jt

[Bob23]

JT:
   I think a copy of this is indespensable:
http://www.amazon.com/Eldridge-Tide-Pilot-Book-2013/dp/1883465192/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358465409&sr=1-1&keywords=eldridge+tide+and+pilot+book+2013
   Your 23 will be fine. There really is a lot of room down thar.
   Here is some info on the couple that cruised 52 days in a CP 16...motorless!
http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=4154.0
   Lookin' for a crew? Bob23

[mikew]

JT, your trip to Lake Champlain sounds interesting. I live in the Albany NY area and have explored parts of the canal system with my cp-16. As you approach Albany on the Hudson river you will need to drop your mast, secure it and rig for motoring through the Champlain canal. The canal starts at Waterford, and continues to the southern part of Lake Champlain in Whitehall, it is a 60 mile run through 11 locks. There are marinas, town walls and lock walls to overnight on. The locks are contacted on marine channel 13, so if you have a masthead antenna you may have to rig an alternate one or use a handheld radio. You should be able to singlehand the canal and locks without a problem.
The town of Waterford is a popular stop for Loopers as it is the east entrance to the Erie canal as well as the southern
entrance to the Champlain canal. The town allows free dockage for 2 days along with power, water, showers and wifi. It is a short walk into town to eat if you don't want to cook.  Like Eagleye I could lend a hand for support in the area, if you have specific questions my e-mail is good in the profile section, glad to help.
Mike

[jthatcher]

hi Bob.. how was your trip to Florida?  did you get over your cold?    it is going around school like crazy, and i have i now    thanks for the tip on  eldridge..     it will be good to have "old style" navigational aids along..   i  don't even have a smart phone!   

i think that i read about the couple's 52 day adventure on the cp16..    i visited their site and saw that they documented 4 adventures..   the sailing trip was the last one..  hmmm.   maybe 52 days on a 16 foot boat was just a bit over the limit!!

of course,  you would be welcome aboard Adagio anytime..  i will let you know the dates as we get closer to  summer.    i am hoping to shove off sometime in the last week of June..    I know that is a busy time for you.  but maybe you would like to join me for the northern barnegat bay,  leg of the trip

Mikew..   thanks for the info and the offer of support!    i bought a copy of the publication about  cruising the canals of new york..     it makes for great reading on these cold winter nights    let's make a point to get together for  breakfast or lunch along the way.     i heard back from the fellow with the 15 and a half foot boat who sailed both the great loop and a 3 month trip in europe.    he said that in all of his travels there was only one lock that required him to have a crew member to lock through and that it was one of the ones on the champlain canal!   not sure which one..  do you happen to know anything about that?      where do you do most of your sailing?     jt

[mikew]

jt, no problem to get together for lunch along the way. The canal should be OK singlehanding, I see kayaks and jet-skis do the trip. I believe north of Lake Champlain on the canal in Canada, they require 2 people on board to go through their locks. I sail my 16 on Saratoga Lake about 25m north of Albany. I was going to add- a leg of your trip to watch would be "outside" from Manasquen inlet to Sandy Hook bay. Definitely pick your weather for that one. I helped deliver a Catalina 30 from South Amboy, NJ to Annapolis and if the weather acts up, it's no fun.
Mike  

[Bob23]

JT:
   Seriously: Maybe I could assist in the leg from the Point Pleasant Canal, through the inlet around Sandy Hook and into Raritan Bay. I'll echo Mike on his warning about the outside leg. I have not sailed there but have read enough and talked to enough folks to be cautious about it.
   It's true that it's a busy time for me but let's see how things go. My cold was an upper respiratory infection...fancy soundin, eh? The Florida sun helped out greatly...think I need a refill on that prescription.
  Eldridge's is helpful if for no other reason for it's info on tides and currents in New York Bay.
Bob23