Sailing takes courage… to follow your dream, sell the house, buy a yacht and sail into the blue sky.

I was heading out on my first trip to the high seas on a friends yacht, it was the annual regatta from Auckland, New Zealand, sailing to the Pacific Islands. The yacht club was buzzing as captains and crews gathered for a pre-trip briefing.

I saw a couple who had worked for several years on their yacht, every weekend they barely sailed when it passed by their berth, they were working hard and they said ‘next year we go’… But the yacht always ‘needing’ a little more team, there was always another excuse.

I looked at them full of excitement… “Well, they have one of the best equipped yachts on the high seas in the marina. I assume they will be in the Regatta this year?” “Nope!” was the answer. I kept pushing for a reason until she stopped me in my tracks… “I just found out I have bone cancer, so I’m not sailing at all!” None of us know what is around the corner, she was only 40 years old and her dream had been postponed too many times.

Many people dream of quitting their job, selling their house, buying a yacht and sailing the world.

When is the right time? They will say… When they retire! Or when the kids are grown… or when they find the right partner, or when they have enough money! Unfortunately it never happens. After a lady’s divorce and 20 years of dreaming, she was asked ‘why didn’t you fulfill your dream of sailing?’ Her response: “We procrastinated and were too cautious… It’s better to just do it!”

It takes courage to go on a cruise!

Letting go of everything that is labeled as security is not easy. Throwing out the good job or the boring and stressful job where you are tied to 9 to 5 hours and often have to work overtime. The house with the mortgage and is under maintenance. Accumulate more money and possessions for when you retire in the hope that your health will allow you to enjoy it!

And then there are friends and family who can’t be convinced and think you must be a little crazy! They have all the arguments! It is easier to become a ‘grey nomad’ and travel in a UV or caravan than to go sailing on a yacht with all the dangers they will tell you. Real!

So why go on a cruise? When is the right time?

Why? Sometimes you will have all the answers and you will be bubbling with excitement remembering your adventures and the wonderful feeling of freedom, achievements and incredible places you visit… and sometimes you will ask yourself the same question! Why?

You have your yacht, plans… and your dreams… So when are you ready to go? The answer is that you are never ready to go… nobody is! Moored in marinas everywhere are sailors with the same dream who haven’t taken off yet or come so far and stopped and now only live on board.

But if at the end of your days you don’t want to look back and say if only I’d had the courage to cast off my moorings and just step out onto the horizon and, as the Nike tagline goes, “just do it.” !’

your yacht! Your Security!

So does this mean you should throw caution to the wind and just be silly? Absolutely not!! You head out into an ocean that can be unbelievably beautiful at times, but also unforgiving and dangerous.

To be prepared! You, your crew and your yacht!

There are safety regulations that govern the condition of your yacht to sail on the high seas and if you are prudent, you should take them seriously. Find out what they are, in New Zealand your yacht had to be inspected and certified as Category 1 for sailing on the high seas. Check the requirements of the International Sailing Federation and remember that this is for your own safety at sea.

ISAF Special Offshore Regulations:

This is a small part of the rules, but it will give you an idea and can be downloaded from the Internet.

Section 3 – Structural Characteristics, Stability, Fixed Equipment

3.01 Building strength, ballast and rigging

Yachts shall be of strong construction, watertight and, particularly with respect to hulls, decks and cabin trunks, capable of withstanding solid water and capsize. They must be properly rigged and weighted, fully seaworthy, and must meet the standards set forth in this document.

3.02 Watertight integrity of a hull

3.02.1 The hull, including the deck, car roof, windows, hatches and all other parts, shall form an integral, essentially watertight unit, and all openings therein shall be capable of being immediately closed to maintain this integrity.

3.23 Bilge pumps and buckets

a) Two permanently installed manual bilge pumps, one operable from above and the other from below deck.

3.29 Communications Equipment, EPFS (Electronic Position Fix)

system), radar, AIS

3.29.1 The following will be provided: a) A marine radio transceiver.

4.19 EPIRB… and then it goes to all the other security teams.

And so it goes with all the requirements. The safety equipment is stricter for racing yachts, but the important thing is to be as prepared as possible to sail.

As I always knew when I was offshore… there are no mechanical services out there… you are on your own with your own skills and know how!

Skipper and crew!

Take navigation and nautical courses. Go on extended coastal cruises and “get to know” your ship and how it handles. Saying all that every day you’re surfing is going to be kind of an education, so don’t keep procrastinating. People leave the coast with very little experience and return as seasoned sailors.

You will find that you wish you had this or that equipment only while you are browsing. So if it’s important, get it the next time you touch down.
Worried about not having enough on the cruising kitty, learn how to make money while cruising from your skills or hobbies. Or you wish you had taken an extra boating course…learn more from the books you carry. Crew needed, there are always people willing to adventure.

Don’t wait until it’s too late and always regret not following your dream. Just do it!

I’ve waited too long, don’t be discouraged!

If something unforeseen happens before those moorings are released, it may not be too late yet! Cheer on David Hind, who dreamed of doing great things when he retired, but things didn’t go as planned.

Dave had always wanted to retire early and spend more time doing what he really loves… sailing. He retired at 62: then, just 18 months later, he woke up on Boxing Day morning, his face slumped to one side, he couldn’t move the right side of his body, and worst of all, he couldn’t pronounce. a word. He had a massive stroke! But he followed his dream of sailing!