Is this realistic?

[Hard at Work]

Hi there

I'm an author that prefers semi-isolation when writing.

I have the somewhat romantic notion of buying a small sailboat, packing it full of gear, and sailing the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands looking for sandy beaches to camp on for two-week writing stretches. Then resupplying and finding a new beach for another two-week writing stint. And repeating this process until each book is done - about six months per book.

I'm at the conceptual stage at the moment.
So before I learn more about sailing, and buy the boat and gear etc., I thought it best to bounce the idea off some seasoned cruisers.

From your experience is my idea realistic?

Do beaches exist where I could camp and write?
Will the locals chase me away? Do I need permits to camp, or are there places which are truly free of restrictions?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[nhschneider]

. . . that you get some experience cruising before you buy a boat and take off. If finding remote places to write is your goal and cruising via sailboat is merely a method of transportation, then I'd urge you to reconsider unless you've tried it and decided it's a life style with which you'd be comfortable. Buying a sailboat, outfitting it, provisioning can be very expensive - far more than an airplane ticket to anywhere in the world. Add to that the learning curve, the maintenance, the repairs and you could have written several books by the time you're ready to leave your home port.

Whereas I have spent many hours, days, weeks and even months enjoying idyllic conditions, there has also been virtually equal amounts of time of intense boredom, sweaty manual labor, shear terror and dibilitating nausea. I have met fabulous people and seen remarkable places but I've also experienced hair-pulling frustration and seemingly hopeless situations. It all part of the cruising lifestyle and it's not for everyone. Personally, I enjoy it more than any other activity I can think of (well, almost any activity!) and the satisfaction of successfully reaching a destination after a long passage is very rewarding. Some of my most valued friendships are those with other cruisers for it is a unique community of very generous people.

You did not mention if you were going to be single-handing your boat or if you were planning on taking crew but both can have enormous ramifications. Have you ever spent 24 hours without seeing another human being? Very few Westerners have. That alone can make some people crazy. On the other hand, if you have crew some awful dynamics can occur unless you both have superior communications skills and a tremendous amount of understanding. Cruising has destroyed more than a few marriages.

Forgive me if this all sounds so negative. My experience is that a small percentage of the population even goes out on a sailboat. An even smaller percentage actually buys a sailboat. The percentage of those who actually make an ocean passage is microscopic.

[Hard at Work]

Thanks for that nhschneider

My wife has spent several years cruising on her Father's ocean going ketch, and loves the lifestyle. And she is also a sailing instructor. I'm not up to her level, yet; but give me time and I'll learn... We live in a city surrounded by ocean, most people have sailed here.

It would be a deliberate lifestyle choice precluded by several years of progressively longer charters. We would only make the leap of purchasing a boat if we both were in love with the lifestyle. Both of us are sick of the rampant consumerism and sickly superficiality of big city living. Like the hobbits we are seeking a simpler life.

The isolation factor is an interesting comment, and gives me the impression that most in the cruising community are barking mad, howling at the moon and all that - but at least that will guarantee interesting conversation :) I look forward now to discovering how I'm going to react to isolation.

The hard work factor is assumed, I once repiled my hundred year old house with two six-ton car jacks and have owned classic cars most of my life (not the most reliable of transport) and so I'm fairly handy with tools and mechanical stuff.

The camping on the beach idea is appealing because I like to pace when I'm thinking, and no matter how big a boat we have the beach will always be bigger.

The question I have really relates to the realism of being able to camp on a random beach for several weeks without being chased off. My wife's Father's boat was big enough to live aboard, and so she's not sure about the general rules around camping on remote beaches. This is the key to our idea.

[nhschneider]

In my years of cruising, I have yet to meet any cruisers who camp on the beach with their boat sitting at anchor. To me, it sounds a little awkward: Provision the boat and sail it to some distant shore; load up the dinghy with provisions for camping; camp and write; load up the dinghy again and shlepp everything back to the boat. Too much work for me! I tend to fall into the category of cruisers who spend their time at anchor making repairs to those components that broke just getting there.

Inasmuch as I have never seen this done, I am a poor choice to offer advice. Fair winds and smooth seas to you and your wife.

[Arni]

Given that Mr. Schneider is a little negative, he is accurate about the hurdles you have to go through to get 'out there'. However, supposing you have actually surmounted them all, and got out there, then yes, its very realistic. I have just crossed the Pacific (well, as far as Fiji) and I can tell you that there are any number of idyllic deserted beaches with no village, no people and no boats. You probably don't want to camp on them with your boat sitting there, but you can certainly take your folding chair and desk, plus sun shade, ashore and sit there all day writing, if that's your thing. Take Penrhyn, the Northernmost occupied Cook island. (also called Tongareva). Two of the attolls are occupied by lovely local people, a total of less than three hundred, but there are dozens of motus around the lagoon, each with its own beaches and palm trees. Nobody will bother you, once you have made your greetings to the village elders. Your only danger is that they are too friendly and will want to entertain you all the time.
So get a little boat and start trying it out. Even the Bahamas on the US doorstep have thousands of deserted beaches.

[Jan]

Uninhabited beaches are often inhabited by the aforementioned critters.... and they can be wicked about defending their perceived rights.

The concept sounds great tho'!

Good Luck!

Jan