Nothing but the FAQ.....(Part 1)

1. How can you live in such a small boat?

To borrow a phrase from the Martin family, "size is a mental game." I've lived in giant houses all the way down to driving a 18 wheeler across the country for a year. That really was small. BeBop has enough space to stand up in which I think is the big requirement for comfort. I guess what it comes down to is that small spaces don't bother me too much.

2. How big is your boat?

BeBop is a 1968 Westerly Nomad, Length Overall 22' 3" Waterline Length 18' 4" Beam 7' 5" Draft 2' 3" Mast Height 25' with VHF antenna approx 30' Weight is 3,150 pounds empty. She has a capsize screening ratio of 2.01 which should be good for offshore work.

3.Why are you doing this?

There are many reasons not just one. Some of it is boredom from day to day living. I feel the life slowly being sucked out of me by The Corporate American Slave Machine. It chews human beings up at one end and spits out broken minds, bodies, dreams and spirit at the other. It is slowly driving me insane and I aim to escape from it. A smaller part is my beliefs about resource depletion and how it's going to affect our future.

4. Since you are obviously crazy, is your psychiatrist aware of your plan?

They kicked me out of the mental ward. Said something about me antagonizing the other patients. (for the more literally minded among you....that was a joke.)

5. Aren'’t you afraid of storms?

Yes. It is a unknown factor and something that cannot be controlled, but the weather patterns are well established. There are plenty of guides written on the best times to sail from point A to point B to minimize the risk of severe storms. I don't want that much excitement in my life!

6. Are you afraid of pirates?

Not really. I'm planning my routes to avoid the worst areas of piracy. The odds of me getting into a automobile accident before I leave are much higher than the odds of having a run in with pirates.

7. Will you have a gun onboard?

No. The risk of running into issues with the different governments of the world is too great. Some countries will confiscate your weapons, toss you in jail *then* maybe if your lucky ask questions later. I will have other, innovative means of self defense in the unlikely event it's required. MacGyver is my hero.

8. How much food/water can you carry?

BeBop can carry 54 gallons of water if fully loaded plus whatever alcoho.....er beverages I wish to carry. ^_^ She should be able to carry from 4 to 6 months of the core staples like rice and pasta. I plan to "eat native" along the way. I mean why travel halfway around the world to eat at Burger King?

9. How long have you been sailing?

My sailing experience is with small craft, I learned to sail in a small open hulled dory as a teenager. A few years later I learned more from sailing hobie cats. I have no real time on any boat bigger than 20 feet, BeBop is the biggest boat I've sailed to date. I plan on doing plenty of overnight "practice" voyages into the Gulf of Mexico before heading south.

10. Do you speak more than one language?

I speak Computer as well as English. I used to know Spanish and about 500 words in broken Japanese, but as they say, "if you don't use it you lose it." I'm thinking of spending a month in Puerto Rico to see if I can't recover some of my Spanish. When I crashed a motorcycle, the concussion managed to literally erase the Japanese stored in my short term memory.

11. How can you afford to do this?

I can't, but for my own sake I can't afford not to. James Baldwin says "It costs as much as you have" and I agree with that. If you leave with $1,000 that's what it will cost. If you have a million, that too is cost.

12. How much was BeBop?

I paid $3,500 for her, about $600 for the trip to Georgia, haul out and back home. The trailer was about $1,400 partially paid for by my friend Rich. It was not a gift, a private agreement was reached for it. All this basically represents my entire net worth considering I sold everything I own of value (sans computers) to buy her.

13. How much do you have budgeted to outfit BeBop?

Heh, there is no budget so to speak. I spend what I have available on her refit as I get paid. I try to use all the tips and tricks I can to lower the cost of the refit, but some items just plain require a lot money like new running rigging and bottom paint. Sweat equity has been the highest cost paid. Less than $1,500 has been spent on the refit so far.

14. How much will you budget for traveling?

Whatever I have before the departure date is what I have. It has been said "the less money you have the greater the adventure." I'll be putting it to the test.

15. How long will you be gone?

Gone? BeBop is my home so it's not like I will be coming "back."wherever I am will be home. If I don't like it there, I'll move (sail) on. If your referring to the idea of coming back to the United States, it depends upon what I find out there in the big world. I might not ever come back.

To be continued in Part 2.....