Question:
I received a Cris Craft 32′ cruiser/racer as a gift. This is my first boat and I’d like to sail it to France from NYC. I’m preparing it for solo sailing and would like your opinion on it’s survivability. A Sparkman& Stephens design…it has a fin keel and a lovely interior. It has been upgraded with a roller furler jib. Vetus diesel (25hp) and a steering system to replace the tiller. But I’m not certain of an Atlantic crossing with a 32′ [boat] being wise! Can you suggest what preparations I require and the best time and route to sail?
Answer:
There is no intrinsic reason that a 32-foot boat can’t cross the ocean safely—many smaller boats have done it.
I really can’t give you any opinion on the Cris Craft since I have never seen one and have no information other than that available on the internet. In fact I did not even know that Cris Craft ever built sailboats.
Having said that, the hull form certainly looks good: moderate, fast and sea-kindly. S&S are good designers, but it will depend on what brief they were given by Cris Craft as to whether or not the boat was designed for an ocean crossing.
Also this is a boat that is forty or so years old, so you will want to have a really good survey done by someone that really understands the requirements of offshore voyaging before setting out. If the boat has been sailed much at all, it is likely that there will be structural work to be done. Pay particular attention to the attachment of the bulkheads, rudder, chain plates and keel as well as the mast step area.
But more important than all of that is your experience. You say that this is your first boat, so it will be really important that you get the right training and experience before setting out to cross the ocean, particularly single-handed. We recommend the British RYA Yacht Master Offshore qualification as the best way to get the right experience and training in the quickest way.
It’s not an easy qualification to get, but once you have it you will be a safe mariner and also in a position to answer your own questions about timing and route.
The other option would be a live-aboard offshore sailing course like this.
Does anyone have any information on the Cris Craft 32, or any thoughts on how the questioner can get the right experience? If so, please leave a comment.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Richard,
All good points. However, I think that it is important that people still be allowed to dream and to take on difficult challenges as long as they properly prepare themselves so as not to be a burden on the rescue agencies.
While few dreamers starting from the questioner’s position actually ever make the dream a reality, some do and we would not want to be the ones to discourage that.
After all, I dreamt of voyaging as a child and was fortunate enough to make my dream come true, including some single-handed voyages. I don’t really see a difference just because the questioner has started dreaming as an adult.
how does this individual have even an inkling he would enjoy this undertaking enough to complete it successfully? history shows the odds of success for such an undertaking are slim and none not particularly because of any vessel shortcomings, although that is a notable factor, but because of the skipper doesn’t realize how shallow his or her desire to succeed with this really is vice the challenge of the extended isolation not to mention the challenge of becoming totally subservient to the wild and totally unpredictable ocean 24/7 for the month or so required for such a passage…the ocean can be counted on to reduce most of us to helplessness in hardly any time in much more supportive conditions than an aged pleasure cruiser under sail…most of us would feel significantly challenged by a crewed passage from ct to st george’s (bermuda isles) followed by the return to ct and therefore unwilling to passage to france solo in such a vessel…even larry pardey with all of his experience and knowledge prefers crew (lynn his wife) on his passages…if he didn’t then she wouldn’t be there with him because he and a handful of others could successfully complete running in this vessel solo transatlantic to france but not without thorough and knowledgeable preparation of self and vessel including plenty of time under sail with the vessel before heading out to france…i trust i have made my point to this seemingly naive individual…cavu’s skipper in tampa bay
Hi William,
Thanks for the note. One key piece of preparation that you have not mentioned is actually doing an ocean crossing on a small boat with an experienced skipper before setting out on your own. The point being that no amount of training, or other life experiences, can really prepare you for what it is like offshore in a small boat, particularly in heavy weather.
As to routing, we already cover much of that here.
with all due respect to the respondents…i was quite naive in accepting the boat and thinking it would be a “breeze” to sail !!
however as for personal preparation…i was a combat medic & corps of engineers officer trainee (which allows me both linear and lateral thinking) …have spent many years in the mountains without the need of company or aid…am a pretty good wrench and so am enabled to perform both repairs & maintenance…i have taken a nav course and am continuing my studies in meteorology & celestial nav…this post was a “reality” check and therefore i appreciate any opinion of note…your concerns are well received and all of them have been addressed heretofore in my research…this is not a wild dream or late life adventure…i plan on keeping the boat in southern france and thought it might save shipping costs !! =P
as for solo sailing…i know it has it’s drawbacks…but except for resting…to me it seemed a logistical & practical alternative
if i thought i knew what i was doing…i wouldn’t ask for help !! but i did plan on sailing it along the east coast to the keys… before venturing across the big pond !! so any thoughts on time of year and route ??
My wife and I sailed around the world 1971-1975 in a 30 foot Seawind Ketch. The size of the boat is not the determining factor. It is how well the boat is built. I would agree with John that you should check and make sure all the bulkheads and chain plates, etc are in good strong shape. As for gear, you will need a windvane self steering gear. I would recommend considering the Monitor. I would also recommend a Gale Rider or a sea anchor that you could deploy in the event of a really bad storm. As for sailing skills, do as much coastal sailing as possible before you go and once out at sea remember that the first time it enters your mind whether or not you should reef; that is the time to reef. My motto is, “when in doubt, reduce sail!”
A comment about single-handing (I have done eight Newport to Bermuda single-handed races) when you are not changing sail, navigating or cooking and eating, you should be lying down resting or sleeping. You should look into a radar detector that is tuned to the marine radar frequencies. Or if you want to spend more money you can get a radar with a watch guard that will turn itself on every 10 minutes or so, take a couple of sweeps and sound an alarm if it sees something. But, if you go this route, you must get an external alarm hooked into your radar so it is loud enough to wake you form a sound sleep
Thanks for the great comments and suggestions, Scott.
I think I would add to that an AIS transponder. In fact, if the budget were tight I think I would buy the AIS before the radar or radar detector.
thank you ..valid and informative as it is…i’m curious as to whether specifics of a trans-atlantic sail are being addressed rather than general considerations…and although i have been accused of suffering from MBTB (More Ballz Than Brains) i assure you this is not an issue…proper preparation is key to success…but the ocean is a moving target and therefore is in need of constant correction & cognizance…therefore any and all personal experiences are of immeasureable value…for as Einstein himself stated “imagination is more important than knowledge”…i imagine he said so…standing on the shore !!!
Jessica Watson has recently completed a solo circumnavigation and returned to Sydney to a heroes welcome at the tender age of sixteen.
Her vessel was a 34ft S&S design of similar vintage and was chosen for its solid construction and seakindly attributes. So, if you need any endorsement of a boats capabilities, then this is it! Google Jessica Watson for her website and further details.
Prepare well and have a go! – you will NEVER regret doing it, but you will ALWAYS regret not doing it.
as i stated in my original post, the wild and unpredictable ocean will easily reduce most of us to helplessness even on a well-found vessel particularly if we are solo on a long-duration passage…while being at least reasonably agile and intelligent are certainly favorable assets they will only buy most of us a little more time out there…one critically important key is whether or not the passage maker (solo or not) has the gift of being successful at sea, and i do believe this is a gift i often recognize in myself as on land i am only of average skills and abilities along with being not all thumbs but many thumbs anyway, yet from as far back as i can remember as soon as i am seaborne i believe my actions are graceful, mostly undeterred, usually successful, and my brain functions with a clarity far beyond what i experience on land…this is the gift i alude to above, and critical, i believe, to successfully completing any blue-water passage solo or not…richard in tampa bay
Three things are necessary to make the passage a success:
1- Attitude- sounds like you have the independence and competence to enjoy the voyage.
2- Keep the mast up and the water out. Half the boats I step aboard have frozen seacocks, improper underwater fittings and hose, questionable standing rigging, winches that haven’t been serviced etc. From Swans & Rasseys to bargain basement models.
Not your’s I hope!
3- Give Hank a call at Offshore Passage Opportunities and get aboard at least one blue water delivery trip before you go.
Fair winds
Richard
Hi Vincent,
Thanks for the pointer to Watson’s site. Just to clarify, the boat she used, while from the same era and drawing board, is not the same boat as the Cris Craft 32. The S&S 34 is quite a bit larger and most, if not all, were built in England where both construction and rigging tend to be heavier and stronger than that prevailing in the USA where the Cris Craft was built. I’m not saying that this generalization applies for sure here, but William should not assume that his boat is built to the same standard as the S&S 34 without independent verification.
Hi Richard Elder,
I could not have said it better myself!
hmmm didn’t know about the S&S 34…think it is a little bit more of a bluewater racer than my cherokee 32…but similar enough for comparison
as for the advice…it is well heeded !! for if waves make wisdom…then it is worth the time to be advised !! i’m thorough in both inspection and analysis of any potential dangers…after all i do not want my first crossing to be my last !! seems i do have a feel for it though…most thoughts i’d come to on my own..were confirmed by reading a few surveyer’s sites…if anything, being ultra cautious seems appropriate due to my lack of experience sailing…oddly enough i have only solo sailed before…albeit in a bay !! and being a former wrestler and downhill skier has provided ample movement ability…although the knees are not what they were =( as for sailing ability ?i sailed with a doctor friend who began at 14 and he said i am a natural…solo sailing the atlantic seemed a daunting challenge…but not beyond my ability to adapt…but the ocean is not to be treated with a cavalier attitude…no matter how much experience you have !! thanks for the posts
I seem to remember a photo in one of Eric Hiscocks’ books of a sea damaged fiberglass coach roof (foam cored?) on what looks like a Chris-Craft. Of course he gave no I.D.
Whatever boat you take across an ocean you must be confident in its capabilities and you should (MUST!) have a full survey by a good surveyor. I would define good surveyor as one who: has considerable sea experience, is old enough to have formed mature opinions, who is willing to go over the boat WITH you in attendance and explain his findings and suggestions. He will probably be a member of one or more professional associations and will have an excellent reputation in the boating community (not necessarily the boat brokers community;-)
By all means do some practice cruises and be prepared for the times when none of it makes any sense!
Fair winds and good luck..
Hi Ed,
Really good point on the quality of the surveyor. Thirty years ago I spent much of five years rebuilding my last boat because of structural issues that the surveyor had missed or deliberately suppressed. Some surveyors are little more than shills for the broker selling the boat.