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This makes it easy and fun! Thanks for the letters. Today I answer the following letters ( I have taken off any personal information and just republished the letters below). Keep them coming!
BTW I mentioned the wonderful weather routing free service that Herb Hilgenberg, SOUTH BOUND II has offered for many years for those sailors crossing the Atlantic. Here is his web page.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/hehilgen/vax498.htm
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Jules and I love your casts, we come from Australia
We are thinking of buying a boat in the Med. We are wondering in your experience how much of the asked price we could expect to pay. We are especially interested considering the financial state of the Eurozone. Eventually we are planning to leave the Med via the straits of Gibraltar , across the Atlantic, through the Caribbean ,out the Panama , across the Pacific and home to Australia, we may detour via New Zealand . We have been planning now for 2 years and figure the end of this year/early 2013 will be time to go. We are aware entering the Med in February means it is reasonably cold ~ will this make dealing with brokers and vendors more difficult? Any thoughts you have would brighten our day and help our retirement. Look forward to your next cast…..
Cheers from hot and sunny Australia.
Hi Franz,
I´m a guy in my mid 40 s, living in a little harbour town (Dragør), just outside Copenhagen, Denmark.
Found your web, twitter and podcast accounts just 3 weeks ago and have had you in my ears, around bedtime, ever since.
I just love it – Thank you.
Last year my family and I, bought a Jeanneau 32 sun odyssey and that is probably the best thing we ever did.
We are planning – or talking about planning – a one year trip to the Med. and therefore we ran into your sites. The only challenge we have is our jobs, house, cars and our kids school (8 and 12 years old).
We are a bit uncertain if we should take the cannals down Europe (germany – France), or take the long way around Denmark, down the English Cannal and pass the Bay of Biscay, and into the Med. from the Atlantic (Gibraltar).
Bay of Biscay has a very bad reputation here in Denmark.
I know it´s not your in your back yard, but do you have some advice or just a comment on which choice to prefer?
I´m sure we will find a solution.
I told my wife and kids that, if we sail to the Med. we have to meet up with a nice and very skilled sailor from America, called Franz. (just for a hello and maybe a little chat)
Franz, if your by any chance loose your navigation or unexpectedly turn your boat the “wrong” direction and end up in Dragør near Copenhagen, let me have the honor to welcome you with a cold danish beer (Carlsberg) and a hot meal.
I guarantee you a friendly “danish style” and not a heavy, bureaucratic and arrogant “Croatian style” (- he he, you must have been unlucky.)
Thank you so much for your podcasts etc. – hang in there……PLEASE.
I heard the last one last night – what do you expect me to do tonight???
I might go through your video´s. Only have seen one so far (My double Anchoring Video)- Very good and informativ, also an issue that I have thought a lot about. Still never sleept a hole night anchored.
(You are welcome to use any of this as you´r pleased –
Excuse my english – my danish should be a lot better.
Can`t wait for the next podcast.
Best regards
Ricky
Thanks Franz, that was terrific. I am listening to your Travelexchange stories now as well. You have so much on the go that I wonder if you might be better off combining these two podcasts on one site.
I was amazed to hear that your sails have lasted 20 years, so I guess it pays to baby them as you do by wrapping them up and keeping them out of the big winds. Pryde makes good sails I guess. I have a video called Heavy Weather Sailing where Neil Pryde and a bunch of other big name experts give tips on sail handling in storms. It is probably too large for me to upload on my slow connection but i can give it a try if you are interested.
BTW the local pronunciation for Newfoundland is a little tricky, so of course you didn’t get it right. It is best achieved if you rhyme it with the word “Understand”.
Just say ‘Understand-Newfen-land’ or Newfen-land-Understand. If the words rhyme then you will be spot on.
I like the traditional style of the BCC and was considering the similar Nor’sea 27 aft cockpit as my first boat. I have never been aboard one but my buddy says they are very sturdy and capable of crossing oceans. I will put a few pics in case you are unfamiliar.
There is a laid up and disused Cape George Cutter 36 nearby that I am making inquiries into and that too is a nice boat but it may be too large for my needs. My buddy recommended the much cheaper Cape Dory 26 or 28 & says it is very seaworthy as well, but I just cant seem to stomach the interior of those. It looks like a camper van inside , whereas the Norsea 27 looks like a downsized traditional ship.
I would ultimately like to sail to the Med, and the Caribbean so do you have any recommendations for a blue water passage-maker.
Take care
J