I saw a post somewhere recently that pointed out that there are no Australian cruising forums , Only overseas ones or American dominated ones. With the cruising season about to start here in Oz does anyone know of a local discussion/contact forum for topics such as sailing the east coast or weathering out a cyclone season in Darwin etc.....
I usualy post stuff here being a sailing cruiser and this being a sailing forum but there are a lot of racing/weekend sailors here that wouldnt care for such posts?
Laurie ..... Want to start a new forum?
Cisco... Want to start a new forum?

hangtime said...

I saw a post somewhere recently that pointed out that there are no Australian cruising forums , Only overseas ones or American dominated ones. With the cruising season about to start here in Oz does anyone know of a local discussion/contact forum for topics such as sailing the east coast or weathering out a cyclone season in Darwin etc.....
I usualy post stuff here being a sailing cruiser and this being a sailing forum but there are a lot of racing/weekend sailors here that wouldnt care for such posts?
Laurie ..... Want to start a new forum?
Cisco... Want to start a new forum?

What's the point? Hard enough to get enough action on one Australian Forum with out dividing off. I have contributed to all the major cruising forums for years, I'm Fishermantwo on the British Yachting and Boating forums, Ramona on the US cruising forums. Nothing wrong with mixing with the other nationalities but there is a real need to keep a local forum moving. I get to meet local forum members occassionally whether they are passing through the port or they knock on my door.

Perhaps a Burgee for the forum would be a better idea. Might see it at anchorages and would certainly be a conversation starter.

I am a cruising sailor and a funtime land yacht sailor. I don't race until I see another sail on the horizon.

A year and a half or two years ago this section of Seabreeze was mostly populated by the high performance skiff type sailors and there were some fairly heated debates on which was a better boat etc,etc.

Over time more of the posts on this section have become cruising related.

I get what you are saying hangtime and this section of Seabreeze is at last getting some fairly regular contributors, your self included, while you are living aboard and cruising your yacht. (I would like to know more about your internet set up.)

I tend to agree with SandS and Ramona though as we don't have too many contributors to warrant it yet.

Let's grow what we have before we split sections off.

I don't think we even have a moderator specific to the Sailing Forum and it would be good to keep it that way.

It is quite amazing what has happened over in the "Land Yachting" forum. We have Americans, English, Irish, Chileans, New Zealanders, Portugese, Spanish and even a few Aussies contributing on a fairly regular basis.

If you really want some fun and entertainment head on over to the "General Discussion" section. Be warned though, wear your Rhino Skin Jacket.

In my humble opinion, the sailing section is a pretty friendly place to be in and newcomers genuinely seeking information are welcomed and treated well and the freeloaders are given the short shift after not too long.

Sailing is Sailing and then there is Yacht Racing, so if there is to be a subsection, let it be Yacht Racing.

Fair Winds and Following Seas. Cheers Cisco.

There are a huge amount of issues and topics that could be nutted out on a cruising forum, Topics like the way customs treat cruising yachties, Good and bad anchorages, Yachtie friendly towns like Laurieton NSW, Cruising over the top end with no cruising guides available, What to do when a crocodile has you in its mouth, Etc etc........
The customs topic is a big one at the moment , My own experiences with them have been pretty good but ive heard some horror stories.
Cisco - My internet is simply a laptop with Telstra next G dongle with prepaid top up (no contract) I get good value out of it and very good range offshore and inland, My mobile phone is Telstra Next G also and im very happy with the coverage on that also, I often go cross country hang gliding and could end up anywhere often 100km from where you take off and the hangie pilots with Telstra phones are the ones that get picked up from distant farmers paddocks by the retrieve vehicle, If youve got a vodafone or optus phone ...... Expect a long walk.

hangtime said...

There are a huge amount of issues and topics that could be nutted out on a cruising forum,

I agree. I just don't think we have the numbers on this forum to warrant it yet, but hey, maybe it is a case of "Build It and They Will Come".

If you want to put it to admin, I will support it. Cheers Cisco

As a newcomer to this forum, I like the current situation were by you ask a question and get a positive response.

The wife and I have been thru the usual racing and cruising scene for the past 30+ years.

Twenty years ago we went off cruising for 5 years, came back and sold the boat to get into flybridge cruiser. Simply got sick of yachting and not being able to go to windward. Two turbo charged Volvo diesels tend to go to windward without any effort.

After owning the cruiser for 12 years I got sick and tired of "large" fuel bills and noise.

We now are very happy, laid back yachties again.

Enjoy being a part of this forum, seems to be a nice bunch of people here.

Dusty

PS. For cruising information about Australia there is a very good web site. "Coastal Passage."

Sure,

I could tell everyone about our first attempt at cruising offshore,

I had purchased a South Coast 36 hull and fitted it out as a ketch. Up till then we had been keen day sailers and racers in a Seaway 25 trailer sailer, so this was a big leap into yachting for us. The year 1986.

We left Westernport Bay (Vic) on a glorious morning with a pleasant breeze (NE)just aft of the beam. When I say "we" I mean the wife and I.

The yacht was handling perfectly and we were in paradise, auto pilot on, navigating as per all our lessons (this was obviously before GPS had been invented) coffee in hand and just relaxing in the cockpit.

Hour after hour we sailed along.

Passing Wilsons Prom late in the afternoon with the sun slowly settling, we had just one sundowner in the cockpit to celebrate.

Next thing, I woke up with the sun on my face and looked around, there was Deal Island (middle of Bass Strait) about four miles away dead ahead. I looked over at the other side of the cockpit and there was my wife, still enjoying a pleasant sleep.

When she awoke I asked her if she had kept watch during the night? No, I thought that you would!

If the sun had not woken me up, we probably would have arrived at Deal Island in a far more unpleasant way.

Still rate it as the easiest passage we ever made.

"Babes in the woods, Ignorance is bliss"

We learnt a lot of lessons from that trip, but not enough to sail to Tasmania and miss the island completely. That's another story though.

Dusty

I am sitting on my boat down at Beauty Point on the Tamar river. In full cruising mode and on a true long term cruiser type budget. Tasmania is really a very lovely part of the world!!! My 13 yo son and I flew in to Launceston ($60 Jetstar flights) and just missed the bus connection to Beauty Point. With a 2 1/2 hour wait for the next bus I decided that we should hitch hike as I am sure that the 13 yo has never experienced the joys of hitching before. It took three rides to get there but we were picked up almost immediately in each case. Unfortunately not by nubile young blondes but older working blokes. You do get a fair bit of local knowlege from chatting to locals so that was pretty good.
I have joined the Tamar Yacht Club and have a pen here. Left the boat here from Feb but this is the first opportunity I have had to get down since. Got a few cancelled flights however. Damn work and life can get in the way so easily!!!

I am still very much in half minds as to the value of my wireless internet and mobile phone connectivity. I did set it up so that I would be able to run the administrative aspects of my business remotely (going to electronically lodge BAS statements after finishing this post) but when I get here I think that it is the most foolish idea around. My intention was to do a two week cruising cycle attending to business as and when required by remote control and then return home for a two week hands on working visit. When I get here I just want to throw the working part away.

How does everyone else gain that elusive "life/NONwork balance""

Ramona said...

frant said...

When I get here I just want to throw the working part away.

How does everyone else gain that elusive "life/NONwork balance""

The best balance is to retire. My only regret is not retiring earlier.

Yes, I know that, I have always figured that the time to be retired was when you are young. I "retired" from full time work when the now 13 year old was born. I like the idea of working later in life when that is what interests you. My father and mother work fulltime at 83 and late 70's respectively. Father in law effective full time work at 82. I reckon 65 is a good age to start back at work if the choice is yours. Unfortunately the GFC hit me pretty hard wiping a few $M from the cash reserves. Now the idea of an Oyster50 is out the back door but I still have to provide for next terms school fees for five years. Got back to a position where long hours are behind me but still need to maintain a small positive cash flow.

Come on John. That is a bit nasty.

Did anyone in pussers ever work, or did they just do what they were told??

Hi,

I am new here, not new to sailing, specifically cruising. Spent the last couple of evenings reading previous topics here and love the site format.

A bit about me ... in my late 50's, been sailing for almost 40 year, no formal sailing qualifications but am experienced and competent. realize that the more I learn the less I seem to know. Live on a limited budget, boat less for the moment, that will change when I find the right thing for me. Have owned several good boats over the years, lived on board lots and intend to again. Love the Queensland Coast.

Great forum and for the most part, good people by what I can see. I am looking forward to taking part in future discussions and learning a few new things myself.

LexA

cisco said...

Come on John. That is a bit nasty.

Did anyone in pussers ever work, or did they just do what they were told??

I may not have "worked" too hard, but I definetely did not do what I was told.

Eventually the Navy gave up on me and locked me away in a little office by myself (not a bad influence that way) and let me out 1 year earlier.

I owe everything I don't know to them.

Dusty (KenM)

Just floating an idea to those mostly interested in cruising and as a start towards a Cruising Section.

What if we asked our forum moderator (don't know who it is for sailing but I would vote for nebbian) to have this thread made a sticky at the top of the sailing section.

If there were 6 or more who would say aye on that, it would have to be a doer.

That would save it from being lost down the pages when it might become temporarily inactive because we are all out having fun cruising.

I am on this one www.cruisersforum.com/ but rarely go there because it is so big and seems to lack personality.

How many hands uppers for making this thread the second to top sticky under posting guidelines??

Im sending my thumbs up from 20 miles ESE of Magnetic island with a 15 knot breeze, Spinnaker up, Sunshine, On autopilot, 9-11 knots boatspeed and a smile on my face.

hangtime said...

Im sending my thumbs up from 20 miles ESE of Magnetic island with a 15 knot breeze, Spinnaker up, Sunshine, On autopilot, 9-11 knots boatspeed and a smile on my face.

Half your bloody luck. (the face approves but is green with envy)

hangtime said...

Im sending my thumbs up from 20 miles ESE of Magnetic island with a 15 knot breeze, Spinnaker up, Sunshine, On autopilot, 9-11 knots boatspeed and a smile on my face.

tell us about the hardware and service provider you are using to get internet access offshore. Maybe if its Telstra Cisco's face will be a purple hue from the green with envy and red with outrage +=