FAQs

Relax. 

     Go Fast.

          Have Fun.

Vida       Libre

keef

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General Questions

Q - What is the boat like?

A - Vida Libre is a 46 foot performance - cruising catamaran made by Dolphin Catamarans.  She is made of lightweight, strong composite material and fiberglass made for live aboard and blue-water cruising trips.  She has 4 cabins with double beds and an additional two single berths in bunk-bed style.  There are three heads with freshwater electric flush toilets.  There is a full kitchen known as the ’galley’ with a two burner propane stove and oven, two sinks and a refrigerator, freezer and microwave oven.  There is even a blender on board.  There are three main living areas –The Saloon—the inside eating and sitting area.  It will seat 8-10 people around a nice table and has 110 volt outlets available for you laptop users.  The second is The Cockpit—this resembles a covered porch and has another table that will seat 5 or 6 and a couch for 3 or 4 people and the helm seat.  Lastly—The Tramp is a great place to hang out.  This is at the front of the boat and is a great comfortable place to lay and watch the ocean and world go by.  We have two storage tanks, 120 gallons each, for water and fuel, two sails, two 40 hp Volvo engines that can power the boat at 8 knots.  Think of it as a big motor home on the water.

 

Q - In the pictures of Vida Libre, the mast on your boat looks different than other boats, why is that?

A - Quite perceptive of you!  The main thing you will notice is that the mast has no spreaders—those bars that hold the wires (shrouds) away from the mast as they come down.  The shrouds are there to keep the mast from bending when it is under load.  Out mast is thicker and made from carbon fiber which makes it very strong and eliminates the need for spreaders.  This also gives it a very distinctive, tough look.

 

Q –What are those funny looking things sticking up on each side of the boat?

A –Those are retractable dagger boards.  A monohull has a keel protruding from the bottom which helps translate force applied laterally to the boat into forward motion.  Catamarans typically don’t have such a device and as a result “slide” sideways through the water when sailing at angles “close to the wind”.  This produces very poor results when trying to sail somewhere upwind.  The dagger boards act as a keel and give the boat the ability to sail at angles much more upwind that other cats.  They are retractable so the cat can still go into shallow water when necessary.  This is one of the features that give the boat its “performance” characteristic.

 

Q - What kind of shoes should I wear?

A - If you have sailed with us on the bay, you know we are sticklers on non-marking shoes.  We have taken this policy a step further on our own boat and have adopted a “no shoes” policy.  Bring whatever shoes you want to use for walking on the beach, etc. but keep in mind that you won’t be wearing them on the boat.  You might want to bring slippers if your feet get cold (not likely in 80-90 degree heat).

 

Q –Will there be fishing

A –You betcha.  I have 4 rods rigged up for tuna and a deep water rod ready to land 100+ lb  fish.  Not  that I have any idea what we would do with a 100 pound fish.

 

Q - What other clothes should I bring?

A - It will most likely be hot and humid most of the time.  Bring clothes that are comfortable and cool.  It is a boat and things can get wet so keep that in mind also.  I wear my swimsuit and a tank top most often.  We won’t go anyplace that will require good dress so don’t worry about that.  There is always a chance for rain, so a light rain jacket is suggested also.  If you plan on snorkeling, bring your mask, fins and snorkel also.

 

Q - How should I pack?

A - Lightly.  There is not a lot of storage on the boat so bring the least you can get by with.  Also, please pack in a collapsible bag, preferably one without wheels as they tend to take up lots of room.  There won’t be much room left on your bed to sleep if you have to share it with that big hard-sided suitcase.  ;-)

 

Q - What should I *not* bring?

A - Things that will leave black marks / scratches on our new boat or take up lots of room.  That pretty much sums it up.  You can probably leave that wool sweater at home also.

 

Q –What is the bedclothes situation?

A –Great question.  BYOS.  Bring yer own sheets.  And pillowcases come to think of it.  And anything else you like to sleep with.  The beds have bare mattresses and pillows.

 

Q –I sailed with you before and you wouldn’t let me flush toilet paper.  Is that still the rule?

A - Yes!  That still is the rule.  And of course if you can’t flush tp, ya can’t flush anything else.  “If you didn’t eat or drink it, don’t flush it.”  At least these heads don’t stink.  That’s because there is no holding tank on this boat—it all goes straight out to sea.  Glad you asked, aren’t you.

 

Q - Will I get seasick?

A - I don't know, will you? Seasickness is a very personal type of illness. Different people get seasick in different situations. If you think you might, I suggest speaking with your doctor about getting some scopolamine patches.  One will last about three days.  Get 5, I’ll take yer extras!

 

Q –What is the alcohol consumption policy?

A –The goal for every sailing trip is to have a nice, happy, relaxing time, however it is important to remember that while the boat is a transportation vehicle to paradise, it is also a life support vehicle in a hostile environment.  A certain amount of respect needs to be given at all times to mother nature and the fact that we are placing ourselves in a position to be directly affected by her, significantly at times.  Given this outlook, it is the policy upon Vida Libre that “all crew members remain unintoxicated / sober while underway, or potentially underway.”  I have intentionally worded this a bit vague.  If you can have one or two beers or mixed drinks during the day and not get carried away, we’ve got no problem with you drinking.  If you are more of a, “One drink is just the beginning of the party (Wahoo!).” kinda person, it may be best for you to wait till we are at anchor or moored before you get the party started.  Please use common sense and exercise restraint and don’t put Dana or I in a position where we need to act like parents.  The last thing either of us wants to do is tell someone they need to lay off the sauce.

 

Q - What safety equipment is on board?

A - Your safety is my number one concern.  Did you laugh as much reading that as I did writing it?  No seriously, it really is.  It’s hard to have a good time if you’re injured or floating at sea alone.  The boat has many safety features including:

· The boat is made out of “floaty” material.  Rumor has it, it can fill up with water and still float.  Let’s not try that one.

· A newly purchased EPIRB

· First aid kit

· Sunblock and bug repellent

· Lots of lifejackets

· 6 person liferaft (just make sure you’re not person #7)

· GPSs, Radar, VHF, Chartpoltters, etc…

· Flares, horns, smoke bombs, etc

· 3 anchors

· A dinghy with a 15 horsepower outboard

 

Q - Can the sailboat tip over in rough weather?

A - It’s not very likely but I’d be lying if I said it was impossible.  This boat is a catamaran and is much more stable than a monohull.  Instead of being kept upright by a big lead weight under the boat, the cat stays up because of its width. 

 

Q - Are you a Coast Guard Certified Captain?

A - No. I have taken many classes and tests from ASA and US Sailing.  The highest certification I have achieved is a US Coastal Passage Making Skipper.  In addition I have skippered over 35 charters.  Being a Captain requires lots of time at sea and a hard test.   It is my goal to be a US Coast Guard Captain by my 40th birthday.

 

 

Puerto Rico to Ensenada

 

Q –Will I need a passport?

A –YES!

 

Q - I wanna sail with you!  How much does it cost?

A - We will not be charging for passage, however sharing of expenses is expected.  To make this process easy we are suggesting that a couple pitch in $400 for a week and a single person pitch in $250.  This will cover "all you can eat & drink" while on the boat and will also cover all operating costs incurred along the way including gas, oil, slip or mooring fees, etc. 

 

Q –Is there any chance you’ll be late picking me up?

A –Yes!  Sailing 1000 miles (the average week long trip) is not an exact science and may yield unpredictable results.  We might be late picking you up and you might be late getting to your destination city.  Best to give it a day on either side of the trip for slippage.

 

Q –How often will we stop and what will we be doing along the way?

A - The primary mission of this whole voyage is to get the boat from Puerto Rico to Ensenada before July 20 (cuz Sean has to travel shortly thereafter).  During the week we will try to stop at least once, but please keep in mind the schedule may change due to weather, etc.

 

Q - Are we going to sail through the night?  Is that safe?

A - Yes. And Yes. All boats that operate at night are equipped with lights with special patterns to allow others to know which way a boat is headed at night. Our boat had a full complement of lights and radar and is designed for night sailing.  Due the number of miles we need to cross and the time we have, we will be doing a lot of night sailing.  When we sail through the night, there will always be someone at the helm or on watch.  That someone will be *you* some of the time.

 

Q – When I get to <fill in the blank with place you will meet the boat>, how do I find the boat?

A – Just ask the first person you see where the prettiest catamaran on the water is.  Ha.  We will make plans ahead of time on where to meet and then probably rely on cell phones to deal with delays, etc.