I hvae been following the "Bum" Follies

Having read their latest log entries I can not help but wonder what may happen to them should they take a lighting strike and loose all of their electronics?

"We did manage to get another boat project worked on. In the never ending search for the source of miscellaneous water leaks we removed one of the ceiling panels today and found the spot, the fiberglass base that was made for the compass. Wish they hadn't even installed a compass, we've never used the thing and now we find a leak because of it."

Do they EVEN know how to use a comapss?

Michael
SeaQuest OE
Lagoon 570 in Florida for refitting

Sure they don't need to read a compass. They just follow the road signs.

Except they're not in English, which is just so vexing.:rolleyes:

If you want to understand the ethos and zeitgeist of those who are critiquing the bumfuzzle.com blog then compare www.bumfuzzle.com to www.atomvoyages.com. You will find an unbridgeable chasm that stretches between the mindset of James Baldwin of Atom and Pat of Bumfuzzle. I - I am a mid-thirties beginning cruiser hoping to circumnav soon - subscribe to the more humble approach of Atom and shrink from the superficiality of Bumfuzzle. Nevermind the insipid banality of Pat & Ali, what I cannot stomach is the ignorant style with which they - Pat & Ali - conduct themselves in regard to the world at large. My desire to travel the world is largely based on wanting to experience nature in her raw state (at a pace with which time might actually feel a little slower), people and culture that are closer to the earth and whose attitudes and lifestyle are less corrupted by the bombastic media complex that permeates so much of life nowadays. I look forward to the refreshing simplicity of other places and as such I am not rushing to major cities to look for experiences that I could just as easily have, and pay for, without ever leaving the city. Life is a long lesson in humility – I am afraid Pat might have a stern taskmaster from whom the lesson will be learned.

Okay this is my first posting to this site.

Let me first start by saying this: Should Have, Could Have, Would Have. I will not go down on this earth saying these words! Do you want to? Life is a gift, live every day like it was your last or go to bed sitting in front of the TV, naked, drunk and with a bag of Cheeto's in your lap. One thing I have learned in this world: Humans are cruel, if you have what they don’t, talk about them, If they have what you want, try to destroy or damage it. If they don’t do it your way, hack on them. Simple human nature but think about it! Have you seen it before?

I have been in the military 21 years, seen a lot of this planet by land, seen a lot of it by air, haven’t seen a lot of it by water yet and there is a whole lot more water out there than land. I am tired and for once in my life want to live instead of protecting what most of this country takes for granted. I want to relax on waters secluded and not hear my neighbor at 4am in a shitty town home. At the age of 39 I bought my first sailboat today. A Gemini 34 that will soon be my retirement home. I have no experience at sailing but can learn just as I did learning to fly. Weather still remains weather, wind still remains wind, just now have to apply this current component to navigation. This should be much easier, now I’m not being shot at!

In 1985 I met a couple when I was TDY to Boca Chica NAS in the Florida Keys, they were walking along the road with bags of grocery's in their arms and I pulled over in a Navy van that was loaned to us and offered them a ride. Turns out they where staying at the small marina the Navy base had there on a sailboat that I can’t remember. They invited me for lunch the next day and to go sailing. We went for a leisurely cruise, went spinnaker diving, snorkeling and they made a great Conch dinner for me. I will never forget it and to this day place it as my first and foremost dream.

We all have dreams no matter what age we are. Today one of my biggest dreams came true and for the first time seeing this website wondering if what I did today was wrong. Over the past year as I near retirement I have searched many websites. Looking for information on experience and lessons learned. To include the Bumfuzzle site. Young yes they are, living, yes they are too! I have conversed with Pat and Ali on several occasions thru e-mail, they are just like me, young unafraid and living the dream. How can you find them wrong for what they are doing? They live their life as they see fit. Its not your life, its theirs. Is there a set plan in the cruising community that says you must abide by these rules? Please send me the rulebook! I am 39, Pat and Ali are younger but not by much. Is this the kind of experience I should expect as a new and young cruiser.

I look forward to meeting all of you on my first cruise!

Bobby

Dude, chill out. You need a damn good vacation on a boat. Glad to hear you are going for it.

OK, lets look at this from a different perspective. You can't fly that plane without some flight training, now can you. You have to know at least a few basics. It's easy getting a plane into the air, but flying it around in a crowded airspace means you have to abide by some basic rules. You have to understand weather and you have to abide by the control tower for take of and landing clearance and finally, you have to get the thing back onto the ground. Right??? Now I guess those few simple rules are all one really needs to know to be able to fly. Take off, fly around without hitting anyone, don't fly into a storm and land again. Simple really. But you can go on and learn much much more right? You just don't HAVE to for a basic flight.

Here's another wee story. I lost a freind in a boating accident a year ago. Very experianced. You couldn't find more experiance in anybody. Did yacht deliveries all over the world. He was Sailing up in the Med area, with him and one other crew on a delivery trip. It was a Ketch. For some reason he fell from the Mizzen, overboard and was never found. Total shock, cause this guy knew what he was doing.

Mate, just relax. No one here is rubbishing Pat and Ali. No one is Gossiping behind their backs. I know they know of this site and Pat has read it. It is thier choice if they want to jump in or not. They would be most welcome if they did.

Well Al, that's a good point comparing flying a plane and sailing a boat. Not really the same threat to others when sailing, but ok for comparing the rules.

But after so many miles sailed, aren't they prepared like some of the folks that go circumnavigating? How many guys go after so many miles sailed?

I also think that they had some kind of sailing courses prior to their take off. They would be better prepared if they have had some offshore courses and safety courses, sure, but look at your unfortunate friend's example, sometimes that doens't matter.

I really emphasize my feeling that the cruising community should above all be positive and welcome new people and educate them, sharing experiences, rather than criticizing the way people live their lives, their interests or their food choices. These are really just academic discussions that lead us nowhere.

Quote:

How can you find them wrong for what they are doing?

Missed the point didn't you?

I think everybody is applauding them for going out and doing it.

I wish i was born knowing it all as well but some us are not that lucky.

These guys are out there getting experience the best way possible - by doing it. Did you have experience sailing in >35 knots the first time you went out? Of course not. So how did you get that experience? err let me guess.

They started out sailing down the coast of the US and then island hopping around the carabean. Sounds like a reasonable approach to me.

What use are comments such as "Youth (or is it ignorance?) can truly be wasted on the young"? If this is the best the so called experienced sailors can offer then i am not suprised pat and ali steer clear of the likes of you and your advice. In your defence though eurocruiser your later post "Making lemonade from lemons..." is full of good advice and information. Lets have more of it :)

What value do all these negative posts have. If you have some advice or information then please share it.

If all you want to do is bang on about how good you have always been and how silly pat and ali are then stop reading their website and stop following this thread.

jasonedu said

Quote:

wish i was born knowing it all as well but some us are not that lucky

very true so maybe I can help you out a little

Pat @ Al are members of ths forum and their first post read

Quote:

Hi everybody Just wanted to invite everybody to check out our website www.Bumfuzzle.com since when we were researching our circumnavigation all I wanted to do was read about other peoples...

As a reader of Pat @ Ali blog you will be well aware the they have no reservation about critising people and places they come across and to be fair they take exactly the same approach to what they like.

SO they have invited us to look at their blog, and the right that they exercise to make judgments on issues has been applied in this thread. No one as I am aware has suggested that they shouldn’t be out there and personal I think that it is good that they have taken the opportunity. Also no one has suggest that they are not nice people, misguide perhaps.

However some of us are concerned that they may have been better advised to do certain things differently. If other are inspired by Pat and Ali or for that matter any of the other cruisers out there that is great. But personally I would be distressed to find others that think that it is a cruising blue print if such a thing exists.

You said

However I would invite you to point out the things that they are doing right or their continuing development as cruiser – which I did in my last post

Paul

It is a well known fact tha the best way to learn is through making mistakes and then recognising what should have been done. Some of these mistakes are hilarious, some of them down right dangerous. My favourite section of the yachty mags is the "confessions" bit, cause if you think through some of these problems yourself beforehand, when you actually experience it for real, the brain remembers the previous thought processes, and (hopefully) the correct answer is supplied . Rather than slag off these adventurous couple, it is better to take note of their errors and decide whether the response is correct, or whether there is a better solution. Culinary preferences are irrelevant and harm nobody but themselves. incorrect decisions about sailing/safety taken as the gospel could put other lives at risk and should be challenged and debated.

Good points Talbot. And at this Point, Pat & Ali, If you are following this, here's an invitation. Join back in here. DON'T take these past threads the wrong way. People are not being nasty behind your back, Well 99% aren't anyway. And you would find that out for real, if you were posting here. Infact, it seems to be a few newbies here, that either aren't reading the entire postings of threads from day one, that seem to be missinterpreting what some of us have implied.

Point taken Al, and yes, I do need a vacation.........

Bobby

As has already been noted, an instructive and refreshing companion read to the Buzz-fumble logs are those of Steve Mulholland and Nicole Fesette aboard Turtlebones.

These folks actually want to be taught, and experience personal growth through their voyage. The contrast is telling.

A question for anyone of this thread that’s new to cruising and planning to set off in the next 12 months,

Who read the issue about the P&A Australia visa and didn’t check their own plans?

My passport was out of date:D

Paul

I ran across the Bumfuzzle site and the link to this one recently and have read most of Pat and Ali’s logs. (I skipped some of the road trips.) I have subsequently read a majority of the comments on this site and figure that since I’m just sitting here between chores I’d throw my 2 pesos in.

First a little background: I’m a “wanna-go-again” cruiser. I started out like Pat and Ali, buying my first cruising boat in my mid-20’s (I’m now 55, and considered ancient by most in that age group). When I first came across the Bumfuzzle site I was very impressed, and still am, by the depth of information that they are posting. Very valuable stuff, no matter what your level of experience. I love reading about anybody’s adventures when it comes to cruising under sail, because I’ve done it and as soon as I sell the ranch am off again.

I think a lot of people who read postings like Pat & Ali’s tend to take for granted the fact that they are even taking the time to share their experiences online. Yes, I have to admit I’ve laughed with and at them, and been amazed at their nonchalance, (mostly, like a lot of you, I’ve been envious that they are out there doing it), but really, I feel privileged to share in their adventures, good or bad.

Some of the safety issues have given me pause, but then I look back at when I started out and even though I worked my way up the sailing/cruising ladder (more on that later) I had to start somewhere. Like P&A, I couldn’t wait, so I went out there and just did it. I read the Natl. Geographic articles about Robin Graham and Dove and the Johnson’s on Yankee. I bought Chapmans and Heavy Weather Sailing and read a little book my dad gave me titled Learning To Sail and figured I was good to go. Now, mind you I’d ‘messed around’ on little power boats at the lake in the summer and was in the Boy Scouts, so I did know how the rabbit came out of the hole and went around the tree, but sailing…..sailing was a romantic and somewhat mysterious notion that I sooo wanted to experience.

My young bride and I cut our teeth on a SF Bay Pelican. At the end of that first summer I saw an ad for a 1936 gaff rigged schooner. I did the P&A style purchase-over-the-weekend thing. I was so excited that it had a diesel that when the owner told me that it was a Jenbacher, I just acted like I’d heard of it and gladly accepted the trunk load of spare parts that came with it. We moved aboard and promptly began to find the leaks in the deck. If I ever posted stories about duct-taping sandwich bags under the leaks, poking the bowsprit through the boathouse in front of our siip, etc. boy would people grumble.

After some initial sailing we decided it was time to head from our home port in Gig Harbor, WA to SE Alaska. Never mind that it was September and the end of the cruising season. Never mind that we didn’t have a VHF. We had a depth sounder and a transistor radio. And a diesel engine. Half way to Alaska we were anchored in a quiet little cove and the engine wouldn’t start. The glow plugs had burnt out. Not unlike P&A, we found a tavern, had a burger and a beer then hitchhiked to Vancouver-a twenty hour trip-to find the Jenbacher dealer. My engine manual listed a place in Vancouver as the North American distributor for parts. Upon finding the place, which in itself seemed miraculous, we were promptly informed that they were no longer the N. A. distributor. They had sold out to some guy who owned a schooner down in Washington. To my chagrin, I realized that I was that guy.

I did go on to other boats, cruised Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico, the Caribbean, did the canal – even became an America’s Cup crewmember before coming back to my roots here in Montana. We all have to start somewhere. I hope I never forget how little I knew when I did. Now I want to go again. And I know I’ll make mistakes. I just hope I have the nerve to share my adventures, like Pat and Ali, with the rest of the world.

Remember: You can loose your sense of direction or your sense of smell, but never loose your sense of humor.