Skip to main content

How to start your new life as a sea gypsy as quickly as possible

In the article, we will show you how to start your new life as a sea gypsy as quickly as possible. You will need some money (not as much as you think, but some) and a big dollop of determination. But every day, perfectly ordinary people like you and me are 'ditching the dirt' for a better life at sea and there is no reason why you can't too. The important thing is to get started. If you already know how to sail and have a bit of money put by, you can read the last paragraph of this article and move
However, if like us, you are starting out with little experience and less money, then read on...

new life as a sea gypsy as quickly as possible

When I (Rick) decided I wanted to ditch the dirt and become a sea gypsy, my circumstances meant I had to carry on working for another three years before I could get going, but every day I moved my plan along a little by acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary for a safe and enjoyable life at sea. Once your have a picture of your future life in your mind and truly believe it to be attainable, you will find all the motivation you need. This article aims to give you that picture by demonstrating how attainable this life is for anyone who wants it. But for now, let us look at what you can do the moment you finish this article.

Getting the Skills 

Sailing is pretty easy. It is not rocket science or even French cuisine. Anyone can do it. It is not gender-specific, does not require advanced motor skills or particularly high levels of physical fitness. If you can jog for a hundred meters, you will do.
You can save an awful lot of money (which can ultimately be spent on your boat) and have huge amounts of fun by buying yourself a small sailing dinghy (preferably with a mainsail and a jib, but anything will do) that will fit on top of a car. Spend a little time reading any beginners' sailing book from the library or visit any website on 'how to sail', buy a couple of lifejackets, grab a friend, drive to your local lake on a day with good conditions and go and get into trouble.
With a good book and a small sailboat, you can learn just about everything there is to know about the physics of sailing and you can sell them both when you are done. You do not need to pay a fancy school thousands of dollars to learn to set an anchor, trim a jib or reef a sail. (Things actually get easier when they get bigger — it is virtually impossible to capsize a good sea boat and the boom is usually above head height when you are in the cockpit, so there is much less likelihood of it cracking you on the noggin).
Cruising courses are all very good, but most of this information is available online and can be learnt more cheaply. Courses in larger boats can be a good way to practice docking and handling a boat in close quarters, but as you will see later in this book, you are going to buy a proper sea boat (not the type of production boat that the schools buy) so your boat will handle totally differently in close quarters anyway.
Do not get me wrong, I am not opposed to sailing schools (I am now a RYA qualified skipper myself). They can provide some good information and hands-on experience. However, there is no substitute for the real experience of miles under the keel as the person making the decisions, and that is what you will get in your own car-topper sailboat, sneaking up rivers and lakes. You will save a fortune and it will be fun too!
Another option is to join your local sailing club. A lot of people are put off joining a sailing club because of the Hollywood image of the snobby retired Admiral in a blue blazer and white slacks huffing and puffing over a gin and tonic and speaking in ridiculous terms nobody understands.
"By the lee!"
"Belay the helm!" and rubbish like that.
Well, I am sure you can find one or two like that if you really try, but if there was ever an organization that did not deserve its stereotype, it is the local sailing club. We have visited many and have never seen a captain's cap or a blue blazer! In reality, sailing clubs are nothing like the Carry on Sailing image that seems so firmly lodged in most people's minds. Far from it. Most clubs are very down to earth and run by really nice people committed to the art of moving through water under sail. Sure, there are a few idiots here and there, but far less than in say, the local supermarket, but that should not stop you joining the local sailing club any more than it should stop you popping down to Asda for a carton of milk. Nor do you need to live by the sea. I first sat in a sailboat on a lake in North London.
The best thing about sailing clubs is that (contrary to popular belief) nearly all boat owners are looking for crew and you do not have to be experienced to join in. If you know your right from left and are prepared to show up when you say will show up (even in the rain), then you will be a very popular person indeed and you can learn as you go along. Most skippers are more than happy to share their knowledge with a keen crew member. Sailing clubs also run extremely cheap sailing courses for members. I learnt pretty much everything a sea gypsy needs to know about sail trim in a week-long J24 course (a type of small sailboat with mainsail and jib) run by the tiny (but fabulous) Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron in Australia. 
In short, all experience is good and much of it can be had for free. However, the closer you get to the decision-making process, the more the lessons will stick. 
When the weather is bad and you can't actually sail, you can teach yourself any of the other skills you need aboard boat navigation, weather prediction, rope splicing, extreme rum drinking, etc. The significant thing is to always be moving forward.
This might sound overly casual or at least incompatible with the values of the nanny state we currently find ourselves in, and I understand your reservations. But I am not suggesting you set off around the world half-cocked. I am not suggesting setting off around the world at all. The secret to the sea gypsy life is quite different...
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do you live near a lake, a river, or an ocean? CHOOSE YOUR CRUISING AREA

CHOOSE YOUR CRUISING AREA  The style, size of the boat, and type of ride you prefer are linked to the cruising area you choose. Most boaters select a waterway within reasonable driving distance of their homes, so first, consider your local waters. Do you live near a lake, a river, or an ocean? If that lake down the road is too limiting for the kind of boating you have in mind, are you willing to drive an hour or more to reach a more expansive waterway or the ocean? Boaters from other states store their boats at our marina in Mystic, Connecticut for easy access to Long Island Sound, Cape Cod, Maine, and the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) toward Florida. While you are thinking about the kind of cruising you want to do and where you'd like to do it, stop by the area and check out how people are launching and storing their boats when they are not using them. Most boats used on a small lake need to be trailerable, so they can be towed, launched, and hauled for each use. Large lakes, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What boat should you use? KAYAKS, CANOES, AND PADDLEBOARDS

KAYAKS, CANOES, AND PADDLEBOARDS  what boat should you use? I cannot answer that. People often ask me exactly that question. Why not ask me who you should marry? Things to consider when looking for a vessel include your physical size, your fishing style, where you intend to use the vessel, whether you'd prefer to paddle or pedal, how well it paddles, whether you enjoy fishing alone, its cost, its weight, how you intend to cany it, its storage capacity, how comfortable it is, the aesthetics of its use and more. Everyone has different needs. My fishing style when paddle fishing includes a lot of wading. I want a sit-on-top (SOT) kayak because I can easily get off of and on to the kayak. One of my kayaks is an Ocean Kayak Drifter (no longer made) purchased in 2003. Designs have improved a lot since then. I still like that old boat for two reasons, though. First, my boats are carried atop my car. That one weighs fifty-five pounds, and I can lift it. Second, the boat is fairly vid...
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 3 golden rules to use Kayak for Fishing

  Benefits of Kayak Fishing  For most people, the decision to use a kayak for fishing comes after being a successful angler. In other words, the skill for fishing has been developed but the way to get to the fish is being changed. There are several basic reasons that people switch to or add kayaks to their fishing routine. • First, kayaks are much easier to transport and store than other boats.  • That leads to the next advantage which is cost. A kayak is much less expensive than any type of motorboat, to begin with, and it does not require much maintenance or expensive gasoline to propel it. Registration fees and permits may also be much cheaper. • For the avid fisherman, however, the greatest advantage of a kayak is stealth. There is less of a shadow, no noisy motor and the ability to move into very shallow water.  While those three points are all valid, there is also the likelihood that you truly want to experience the peace and quiet that fishing from a k...
Post a Comment
Read more

GO RACING OR GO FISHING

ADD A SPORT TO YOUR CRUISE  If you want to do more than cruise, add racing or fishing to your cruising plans. Each has a challenging learning curve that will get you and yours out on the water to test your collective skills. GO RACING  When we think of racing, we think speed, so it may seem odd that the plurality of boat racing occurs in the sail-boat category. Because sailing is expertise, competition takes the form of matching tactics with other boats of the same type. Sail-boats utilized specifically for racing—think America's Cup—are mere hulls with few things comforts and a specialized sail plan. Powerboat racing is offered by the American Power Boat Association (APBA). It requires specific kinds of boats and is regulated, much like NASCAR racing is for autos. For more information, log on to www.alpha-racing.com. Any sailboat is eligible for yacht races, also called regattas. Yacht racing involves not only sailing the boat but also choosing a class consisting of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dive between yesterday and today - My experience

As THE SAYING GOES, there are old divers and there are bold divers, but there are no old, bold divers. I have no idea where the saying came from. It could have originated from a wise old diver who wanted to make a point about the foolishness of youth, but I think it was more likely first proclaimed by a young person as a way of thumping the chest and announcing to the world, "Look at me, I'm young and bold." I think this because the corollary, "Look at me, I'm old and cowardly," just doesn't sound right. Whatever the case, now that I'm what must be considered an old diver, the saying doesn't seem quite as pithy to me as it once did. Of course, being old does not necessarily mean being smart, but it does give me a perspective on the evolution of the sport of scuba diving that younger divers might not have. People  ask What it feels like to scuba dive? Is it worth getting scuba certified? Why do you like diving? What do scuba divers do? ...
Post a Comment
Read more