Living on a sailboat - Passage Making

Living on a sailboat is to enjoy best when in a comfortable anchor perhaps with good cruising friends.

But sooner or later, you might want to get from point A to point B.

If the island-hopping up and down the Windward and Leeward's your longest body is Virgin Gorda, BVI to St. Maarten ... approximately 95 nautical miles. No problem, let Bitter End (BVI) by 3 clock you to easily open the drawbridge 5PM Simpson Bay Lagoon in St. Maarten.

Twice in our 8 yearsStay, we went from Margarita Island to St. Croix, about 400 nautical miles. For the first time, it took 72 hours, the next 66 hours. The key is patience while waiting for cruisers Weather ... once we were want for 24 days stuck in Martinique to St. Croix. If you can call in Martinique putting a bad thing.

We would wait Lake 4 up to 6 feet and 12 to 18 knots of wind, hopefully beam. This beautiful broad reach Don Street talks about which we had never seen. If you wait until you Weathermost likely a smooth ride. It can be both peaceful and routine ... We read all day in the cockpit and napped in the night ... in the cockpit, tethered to the boat .. Only stupid down to sleep, to pass on ... the person is going to splash guard, no one hears it. Living on a sailboat means safety first for me and my buddy

Our 2 long passages were very smooth. Getting the boat in the Caribbean was a different matter. The last leg of our trip was 8 days. Marsh Harbor, Bahamason Jost Van Dyke in the BVI. It is very difficult to predict weather for 8 days cover. The mean 4 days 96 hours of misery, sailing as close as possible to wind waves over the spreader no fun ... by all means. But what will you do ... You deal with it.

The experience of the boat in the Caribbean always cured me of any desire for a blue water cruiser. It is a personal thing, and some people love it. In fact, we met several world sailor who think nothing of a 28 daysLeg in the Pacific. Margarita to St. Croix is enough for me, thank you.

Living on a sailboat is a lifestyle most can only dream about. If you are lucky to enjoy this way of life, remember to be patient to allow a place and wait for favorable sea and wind conditions. Why are in a hurry, especially in the Caribbean can no one else will be. Enjoy.

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