Solo Sailing holiday for a first timer
Discussion
I'd like to go on a sailing holiday (solo), it's something I've been hankering to do for a while but I have no friends or family that have done anything like this before so I'm after recomendations.
I've searched on here before starting a thread and can't find anything specific so lets see what the collective comes up with.
I've done a fair bit of googling and something like this appeals to me...(I have no idea if this is a good company it's one I picked at random)
https://venturesailholidays.com/ship/sailing-holid...
That's the size of boat I have in mind and I'd like to get involved in everything on board rather than sit sipping cocktails.
One problem, I have sleep apnea and need cpap equipment to sleep. (I'm very fit and healthy - it's an anatomical problem for me so I need cpap for life unfortunately). I've invested in a travel cpap that can run on 230v, 110v and 12vDC the latter is a ciggie lighter type plug. Whilst you can get batteries for these machines you still have the issue of charging them daily.
So I guess my question is two fold.
1/ Any recommendations on where I start for a solo sailing holiday on a crewed boat? Somewhere sunny.
2/ Any advice on plugging stuff in all night that will need to be next to my bunk. Are there specific questions I need to ask or something I'll need to take.
I've searched on here before starting a thread and can't find anything specific so lets see what the collective comes up with.
I've done a fair bit of googling and something like this appeals to me...(I have no idea if this is a good company it's one I picked at random)
https://venturesailholidays.com/ship/sailing-holid...
That's the size of boat I have in mind and I'd like to get involved in everything on board rather than sit sipping cocktails.
One problem, I have sleep apnea and need cpap equipment to sleep. (I'm very fit and healthy - it's an anatomical problem for me so I need cpap for life unfortunately). I've invested in a travel cpap that can run on 230v, 110v and 12vDC the latter is a ciggie lighter type plug. Whilst you can get batteries for these machines you still have the issue of charging them daily.
So I guess my question is two fold.
1/ Any recommendations on where I start for a solo sailing holiday on a crewed boat? Somewhere sunny.
2/ Any advice on plugging stuff in all night that will need to be next to my bunk. Are there specific questions I need to ask or something I'll need to take.
Depending on the size and age of the boat they can be anything from useless to maybe at a push one socket per berth.
Do you actually want to stay on board overnight? Sunsail do centre holidays where you can stay in a hotel and then go out during the day, we stayed in one where you got a selection of dinghys to take out and you could also go out on a yacht, although this would mean chumming up with others who were already booked to take it out (if that makes sense).
Do you actually want to stay on board overnight? Sunsail do centre holidays where you can stay in a hotel and then go out during the day, we stayed in one where you got a selection of dinghys to take out and you could also go out on a yacht, although this would mean chumming up with others who were already booked to take it out (if that makes sense).
No specific reccomendations - but consider doing a course at a sailing school - get your "competent crew" qualification. (or even the day skipper) You'll be guaranteed a bunch of people all with the same goals, whereas if you go on a cruise the others might be more interested in mooring up for a swim/picnic than actually sailing the boat.
We did ours in the solent, and whilst it was chilly (was april) met a great bunch of people and had a laugh. Once you've got some sailing mates and some sort of qualification, you're ready for a nice easy bareboat charter in the Ionioan or similar....
We did ours in the solent, and whilst it was chilly (was april) met a great bunch of people and had a laugh. Once you've got some sailing mates and some sort of qualification, you're ready for a nice easy bareboat charter in the Ionioan or similar....
We have had clients on our sailboats with cpap machines for sleeping, using the 12v supply. You just need to ensure the boat you will be on has a 12v socket in the cabin. Depending on where you are sailing, you cannot always guarantee a 240v supply at night so prepare for 12v.
We offer skippered charters in the Ionian, and if you were coming solo, it would be just you and the skipper, as we don't put "unknowns" together on boats anymore. Of course, this can make it an expensive holiday, as you would be paying for the boat and skipper yourself. But on the flip side, if you can afford it, you get one on one tuition all week and some great company - so it can work well. www.nisosyachtcharter.com
If budget doesn't allow for that then I think Activity Holidays in the Ionian offer cabin charters on sail boats:
https://www.activityholidaysgreece.com/cabin-skipp...
Just ensure they know your Cpap requirements and that they guarantee there is a 12v socket available for you in the cabin.
Or, as suggested above, book yourself on an RYA Competent Crew course for a week. In our area (Ionian), Ionian Mode are very good. www.ionianmode.com
We offer skippered charters in the Ionian, and if you were coming solo, it would be just you and the skipper, as we don't put "unknowns" together on boats anymore. Of course, this can make it an expensive holiday, as you would be paying for the boat and skipper yourself. But on the flip side, if you can afford it, you get one on one tuition all week and some great company - so it can work well. www.nisosyachtcharter.com
If budget doesn't allow for that then I think Activity Holidays in the Ionian offer cabin charters on sail boats:
https://www.activityholidaysgreece.com/cabin-skipp...
Just ensure they know your Cpap requirements and that they guarantee there is a 12v socket available for you in the cabin.
Or, as suggested above, book yourself on an RYA Competent Crew course for a week. In our area (Ionian), Ionian Mode are very good. www.ionianmode.com
alfabeat said:
We have had clients on our sailboats with cpap machines for sleeping, using the 12v supply. You just need to ensure the boat you will be on has a 12v socket in the cabin. Depending on where you are sailing, you cannot always guarantee a 240v supply at night so prepare for 12v.
We offer skippered charters in the Ionian, and if you were coming solo, it would be just you and the skipper, as we don't put "unknowns" together on boats anymore. Of course, this can make it an expensive holiday, as you would be paying for the boat and skipper yourself. But on the flip side, if you can afford it, you get one on one tuition all week and some great company - so it can work well. www.nisosyachtcharter.com
If budget doesn't allow for that then I think Activity Holidays in the Ionian offer cabin charters on sail boats:
https://www.activityholidaysgreece.com/cabin-skipp...
Just ensure they know your Cpap requirements and that they guarantee there is a 12v socket available for you in the cabin.
Or, as suggested above, book yourself on an RYA Competent Crew course for a week. In our area (Ionian), Ionian Mode are very good. www.ionianmode.com
Ben and his team in activityholidaysgreece.com are great. Brilliant mini-flotillas in the South Ionian.We offer skippered charters in the Ionian, and if you were coming solo, it would be just you and the skipper, as we don't put "unknowns" together on boats anymore. Of course, this can make it an expensive holiday, as you would be paying for the boat and skipper yourself. But on the flip side, if you can afford it, you get one on one tuition all week and some great company - so it can work well. www.nisosyachtcharter.com
If budget doesn't allow for that then I think Activity Holidays in the Ionian offer cabin charters on sail boats:
https://www.activityholidaysgreece.com/cabin-skipp...
Just ensure they know your Cpap requirements and that they guarantee there is a 12v socket available for you in the cabin.
Or, as suggested above, book yourself on an RYA Competent Crew course for a week. In our area (Ionian), Ionian Mode are very good. www.ionianmode.com
Reply this morning from Activity Holidays Greece:-
I have spoken with the owner and lead skipper Ben with regards to your request. He said unfortunately due to there being very limited shore power in the harbours and the lack of guaranteed electricity each night it would not be possible to accommodate you. He is unable to drain a 12V battery overnight as the yachts rely only on solar in the day and do not have generators to supply 12V batteries. He shuts everything off at night to save voltage to start the engines in the morning.
Many thanks for your interest and again our deepest apologies for not being able to accommodate you on our particular yachts.
So on to the next one, all I can do is keep trying.
The obvious solution is a battery, but a battery needs to be charged daily and the very thing that restricts me plugging in a night is often the same problem when it comes to charging the external powerpack. That's before you even consider the lottery of if I'll get the battery pack on a flight or not.
I have spoken with the owner and lead skipper Ben with regards to your request. He said unfortunately due to there being very limited shore power in the harbours and the lack of guaranteed electricity each night it would not be possible to accommodate you. He is unable to drain a 12V battery overnight as the yachts rely only on solar in the day and do not have generators to supply 12V batteries. He shuts everything off at night to save voltage to start the engines in the morning.
Many thanks for your interest and again our deepest apologies for not being able to accommodate you on our particular yachts.
So on to the next one, all I can do is keep trying.
The obvious solution is a battery, but a battery needs to be charged daily and the very thing that restricts me plugging in a night is often the same problem when it comes to charging the external powerpack. That's before you even consider the lottery of if I'll get the battery pack on a flight or not.
It might be worth looking at what the power requirements of your kit are (how many Watts, or Wh it takes each night). Whilst power can always be an issue on yachts, I'm sure it's doable if it's not a crazy load.
Pretty much all yachts have separate batteries for starting the engine and hotel load, so not being able to start the batteries the next morning shouldn't be an issue. Running the hotel batteries flat isn't good for them, but if the load is low that shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you had an accommodating skipper, you can run the engine for a couple of hors each day to recharge them.
Pretty much all yachts have separate batteries for starting the engine and hotel load, so not being able to start the batteries the next morning shouldn't be an issue. Running the hotel batteries flat isn't good for them, but if the load is low that shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you had an accommodating skipper, you can run the engine for a couple of hors each day to recharge them.
TheLurker said:
It might be worth looking at what the power requirements of your kit are (how many Watts, or Wh it takes each night). Whilst power can always be an issue on yachts, I'm sure it's doable if it's not a crazy load.
Pretty much all yachts have separate batteries for starting the engine and hotel load, so not being able to start the batteries the next morning shouldn't be an issue. Running the hotel batteries flat isn't good for them, but if the load is low that shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you had an accommodating skipper, you can run the engine for a couple of hors each day to recharge them.
I just have to find someone that understands the problem or has previous experience with it.Pretty much all yachts have separate batteries for starting the engine and hotel load, so not being able to start the batteries the next morning shouldn't be an issue. Running the hotel batteries flat isn't good for them, but if the load is low that shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you had an accommodating skipper, you can run the engine for a couple of hors each day to recharge them.
The power draw of the DC system is 8A at 12V or 4A at 24V so it's not onerus.
The issue with the batteries though is they often require an 8 hour charge. That can be an nuisance.
hidetheelephants said:
JST are used to dealing with medical conditions much more serious than yours; give them a call.
Thank you, another one to add to the list.I'm initially looking for something quite small (boat size that is) as if I enjoy this as much as I hope it's something that I'd like to do much more often with the potential of ownership in the future. I've always been drawn to water, but I've either been kayaking or on much bigger vessles. It's sail boats that really interest me at this stange of life.
So I'm probably thinking about this the wrong way, rather than finding a boat/company that can accommodate my requirements I think I need to find a solution that allows me to operate as normally as possible and therefore opens up options.
21ATS said:
TheLurker said:
It might be worth looking at what the power requirements of your kit are (how many Watts, or Wh it takes each night). Whilst power can always be an issue on yachts, I'm sure it's doable if it's not a crazy load.
Pretty much all yachts have separate batteries for starting the engine and hotel load, so not being able to start the batteries the next morning shouldn't be an issue. Running the hotel batteries flat isn't good for them, but if the load is low that shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you had an accommodating skipper, you can run the engine for a couple of hors each day to recharge them.
I just have to find someone that understands the problem or has previous experience with it.Pretty much all yachts have separate batteries for starting the engine and hotel load, so not being able to start the batteries the next morning shouldn't be an issue. Running the hotel batteries flat isn't good for them, but if the load is low that shouldn't be too much of an issue. If you had an accommodating skipper, you can run the engine for a couple of hors each day to recharge them.
The power draw of the DC system is 8A at 12V or 4A at 24V so it's not onerus.
The issue with the batteries though is they often require an 8 hour charge. That can be an nuisance.
As has been suggested, I wonder if a comp crew course in the UK might be a good first step? I think they all come back to harbour at night (in the UK at least). It might also give you a better idea of how your equipment works on a boat, and what to look for if you wanted to go further afield in future.
TheLurker said:
That's quite a high load for a yachts 12v system. I expect that would flatten most boats batteries overnight, which probably limits you to somewhere you can get shore power each night.
As has been suggested, I wonder if a comp crew course in the UK might be a good first step? I think they all come back to harbour at night (in the UK at least). It might also give you a better idea of how your equipment works on a boat, and what to look for if you wanted to go further afield in future.
That might have to be the route I take.As has been suggested, I wonder if a comp crew course in the UK might be a good first step? I think they all come back to harbour at night (in the UK at least). It might also give you a better idea of how your equipment works on a boat, and what to look for if you wanted to go further afield in future.
21ATS said:
I just have to find someone that understands the problem or has previous experience with it.
The power draw of the DC system is 8A at 12V or 4A at 24V so it's not onerus.
The issue with the batteries though is they often require an 8 hour charge. That can be an nuisance.
That is a hefty draw for most yachts under 50'; the system may be able to supply it but unless it has a separate generator running the main engine to charge your batteries is quite a burden. The JST's vessel has mains power and would have no difficulty with the requirement, although I don't know whether there would be power points next to the berths; you would need to ask.The power draw of the DC system is 8A at 12V or 4A at 24V so it's not onerus.
The issue with the batteries though is they often require an 8 hour charge. That can be an nuisance.
If you're going somewhere sunny to try sailing for the first time, then have you looked into something like this:-
https://www.cpap.com/blog/solar-panel-battery-back...
https://www.cpap.com/blog/solar-panel-battery-back...
Edited by SlackBladder on Saturday 25th February 04:57
SlackBladder said:
If you're going somewhere sunny to try sailing for the first time, then have you looked into something like this:-
https://www.cpap.com/blog/solar-panel-battery-back...
I had looked at similar products (though not this specific one). https://www.cpap.com/blog/solar-panel-battery-back...
Edited by SlackBladder on Saturday 25th February 04:57
You can't take them on a plane though. In cabin that is. I can't risk checking in any of this equipment into the hold in case of baggage loss/delay, it needs to go in my carry on so that restricts what can be taken. It's whatever is compliant at the time.
This is then complicated that all countries don't have the same rules, also all airlines don't have the same rules.
Currently around 5% of the UK population is diagnosed with this condition and they reckon another 10% is undiagnosed. So there are a lot of these machines going through airports on a daily basis. Even then it's hit or miss if you happen to get someone officious that deems it "dangerous".
It's a right bloody nuisance.
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