Hey folks, I'm new here, and very excited to be a part of this community! No matter how hard I look, I can't seem to find many working examples of Ted Brewer's wooden sailers. I see a few of his metal sailers from the 80's here and there for sale, but no good information on how they perform. The reason for such interest is because my friends and I (about four of us in total) were considering doing a backyard build for one of Brewer's designs ("Traveller III" w/modified interior from charter boat to liveaboard for 4-6 people, or "Tree of Life"). From what I can tell, he is the most competent in describing his plans and what to expect. We've also looked at plans from George Buehler, Dudley Dix, Paul Riccelli and Graham Radford. So far, Brewer has given us the most interest as his plans seem right, (semi)affordable, and seaworthy. My friends and I were looking to build a boat and within 5 years be ready for a Transatlantic trip. My question to all of the enthusiasts here is: What do you think of Ted Brewer's designs? Are they generally good, or are there parts lacking? Is looking to build a 60 foot wooden sailer in the backyard a ridiculously stupid idea? Also, I hope this isn't a duplicate to any other threads, but what are the laws in general regarding anchoring? I was reading some woman's story about how her boat broke down in Spain and they towed her to an anchoring, but were served a notice to leave only a week later. Also, apparently there's a law that prohibits anchoring within 200 meters off the coast of many countries unless in a Marina, etc? Obviously, as four young boatbuilders, we won't be raking in loads of cash, so money is of the most importance here. From what I can gather, mooring can be quite the expensive ordeal, so in order to cut down on costs, we would like to anchor somewhere else. I'm sure we'd need to be out of the way of shipping lanes and marina traffic, but are there any restrictions for how long you can anchor, where the best places are to anchor (for free or near free)? I'm not too worried about getting a good mooring or having quick access to the docks, but we just want to pull in somewhere and be able to see the city for a week or two and travel. Any information you can give would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for your time! Paul
Hi Paul, I think your questions will remain pretty much unanswered, as we are not many with experience of building and make Atlantic crossings with wooden boats. What I can say though is that rules on anchoring can be very local and that some of the recently enforced in Italy, now has been lifted again. In five years time, the situation may have changed once more. What you will experience is that when sailing, you will get a lot of information from other sailors on where to go next and what to expect. There are also a lot of sailing guides and books covering most of what you want and need to know.
Paul, If you go to http://wwwboatdesign.net/forums/ ,there are great links to many home build projects that may help you. As to 'Tree of Life' she has cruised Antigua and the Caribbean for years, try her site http://www.schoonertreeoflife.com/about.htm
Thank you both for a swift reply. I'm very grateful for the information you both have given. It always helps to have some experienced people point you in the right direction. I've been in contact with Ted Brewer now, and although he has talked me out of attempting a Tree of Life build, he's also encouraged me to look at a few other designs of his that would more suit our needs and requirements, most notably Black Velvet II and Time of Wonder. Both of these boats are beautiful, but I prefer a schooner, so more than likely, I'll end up going with Time of Wonder. I suppose my main question regarding anchoring would be if anybody has had any experience anchoring for free anywhere NEAR a marina or port of some kind, or if you always must pay. Is there any such thing as free anymore? Maybe its just wishful thinking...
