Sailing : opinions and thoughts are welcomed

[M_B]

Hello and happy holidays,

My buddy just gave me the idea that look totally terrific to me, but since i know nothing on the subject i would appreciate a feedback from experts here.

The idea is to learn how to sail.
and how is it connected to diving? - directly. the thought is to learn how to sail and , say , rent a boat for a week or two and do live-a-board with my buddy.

Questions are :
1. Anyone has a first hand experience with sailing on the yacht and diving in the manner i described or any other ways that you find interesting/more rewarding?
< assuming that i don't' sound too ridiculous with the first idea>

2. if we are in NJ, any good schools in the area and how difficult would it be for us to use to navigate/sail in Carribeans?
3. how expensive would it be to rent a boat from say, Florida? Is this possible/doable? Any other places that this can be done ?

thank you.
Andrew

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I used to race sailboats ... was a co-owner of a J/36 a coupla decades ago back in Massachusetts. But I didn't dive back then. I don't think the layout of most sailboats is really optimal for diving, although on some boats ... those with an open transom ... it may be feasible.

The British Virgin Islands are a sailboat lover's paradise ... and a great place for diving. The way the wind runs down Drake's Channel it's pretty much a reach (easy sailing angle) to just about anyplace you'd want to go. We bareboat chartered (rented a sailboat without a crew) a couple times back in the late '80's and early '90's ... and it just doesn't get any better than that.

It ain't cheap, though ... even back then it was something like $800 a day to bareboat charter a sailboat large enough to accommodate 8-10 people. Worth it, though ... I may consider going back someday, now that I'm also into diving ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

I would contact a marina in your area to learn how to sail, or you might also contact the American Sailing Association to find lessions in your area. You can also charter a cruising yacht with an experienced captain, which might make it easier for you as he will know the "what ifs" regarding the various boat issues and weather conditions.

Sailing and diving mix quite well in a number of locations. I've sailed throughout the British Virgin Islands with a rack of tanks and an air compressor aboard the boat. The diving is really nice down there. You might also try the Bahamas or the Dry Tortugas if you want to stay in warm water. If cold water diving is more your style, the coast of British Columbia has spectactular sailing and very good diving.

 

[phunk]

I used to race back in the day also, but nothing big enough to live aboard and dive from... Maybe if I ever win the lottery.

 

[Teamcasa]

I love to sail. My lovely bride grew up sailing and now want's nothing to do with it. Like Bob said, most sailboats don't accomodate divers very well. Renting them is expensive. But they do have one thing in common. As it relates to sailing and diving, it ain't the bost that costs the big money, it's the rigging!

 

[vshearer]

Sailing and skindiving go great. Sailing and scuba not so good unless you have an onboard compressor. I spent a couple of years bumming around the Carib doing it, and freediving actually has a lot of advantages over scuba when you are over reefs. Get comfortable diving to 20'-30' and you are all set. I had a real difficulty with clearing at about 15' for a long time, finally just forced it (although I kept bleeding from the nose after each dive) and got to where I could freedive to 40' easily and my record was 70'.

Oh, the ringing in your ears? You get used to it.

 

[Hank49]

Hello and happy holidays,

My buddy just gave me the idea that look totally terrific to me, but since i know nothing on the subject i would appreciate a feedback from experts here.

The idea is to learn how to sail.
and how is it connected to diving? - directly. the thought is to learn how to sail and , say , rent a boat for a week or two and do live-a-board with my buddy.

Questions are :
1. Anyone has a first hand experience with sailing on the yacht and diving in the manner i described or any other ways that you find interesting/more rewarding?
< assuming that i don't' sound too ridiculous with the first idea>

2. if we are in NJ, any good schools in the area and how difficult would it be for us to use to navigate/sail in Carribeans?
3. how expensive would it be to rent a boat from say, Florida? Is this possible/doable? Any other places that this can be done ?

thank you.
Andrew

There are two companies in Belize that have rental, live aboard trimarans. TMM is a smaller one owned partially by a friend of mine and they rent with or without a captain (if you pass their nav and sailing skill test). If you're totally new, I'm sure you could take the helm at times to learn. The don't go outside the reef but do anchor just inside at a lot of the cuts where you could take the dinghy out to dive off of.
You can contact Paul Steel at paul@sailtmm.com

 

[OceanObsessed]

I used to go to the Bahamas via sailboat for many years. Sailing and diving go great together. The sailboat can get you to very remote locations with good diving. The only problem with remote locations is there are not many places to get your tanks filled. Just learn to freedive and you will have a blast. Alternatively, you could stick close to some of the few locations that have air fills but in my opinion you will be missing out on the best islands & diving if you do. You would typically want to anchor the sailboat in a protected area and dive out of a dink (small boat) that you carry with you. You can use an inflatable as a dink. They are nice because they can be stowed down below during open ocean crossings and brought on deck and assembled when arriving in the islands. If the sailboat is large enough (say roughly 40ft +) you may be able to use a 13 foot Boston Whaler style boat as your dink. We used to tie a dink like this down to the forward deck. You can use the main halyard (rope that raises the main sail) with its winch to raise and lower the dink from the sailboat into the water very easily.

If its your first trip I'd highly recommend hiring a captain to run the boat. Cruising the Bahamas or any other island chain in a sailboat can be quite hazardous if you have never done it before.

Here is a quick photo of our dink with the sailboat at anchor in the background. We were exploring a deserted island in the Exumas.

Have fun!
-Chris

 

[captndale]

I used to do a lot of sail boat racing. In my opinion, the best way to learn to sail is to get on the crew of a racing boat. You will learn a great deal more than you would in any sailing school class. The negative is that you will have to make a commitment. Typically, boat owners are happy to teach a new crew member to sail but they will expect you to be available on a regular basis in return. When I was racing, I would rather take on a crew member who had never sailed than one who had been through one of the commercial sailing schools. A beginner did not have any bad habits to correct. I did like to get people who had experience sailing dingies, though. They usually have a good feel for the boat and make good helmsmen.

 

[joystershell]

Hookah rig. Lets you get remote, but still have the luxury of breathing.