What to Expect

Take the trip of your life by sailing aboard Nadagato our Hylas 49. Join us for a unique, hands-on exploration and learning experience covering all aspects of cruising and living aboard a sail boat.

With our unique backgrounds we have an interesting skill and knowledge base to tap. After your cruising adventure you will have more of the necessary skills and abilities to sail anywhere while maintaining your own boat. Let us help you complete your dream of casting off the lines and getting cruising with confidence!

You will be given:

• The chance to gain valuable "hands on" sailing time and boat maintenance experience that will give you the confidence and knowledge you will need in the future.
• The experience of seeing first hand actual sea and weather conditions and how these effect you and the boat.
• The necessary experience to see if cruising aboard a sail boat is really what you want to do and if you really want to spend money on a proper cruising sailboat before you buy.
• A taste of real cruising... visiting people and places not often visited by tourists using more common means of transportation.

The Voyage Will Include:

• 3 or more hours per day of hands on experience with sailing, navigating, or maintenance.
• Dedicated sessions with visiting crew working with items they feel weak with or want to learn more about.
• Instruction on how to operate all boat mechanical, sail, and electrical systems.

Where You Will Stay and What You Will Eat:

Nadagato has 3 separate cabins and two heads. Both heads operate as showers and have full accommodations for all necessities. We offer both single and a double cabins for visiting guests. The third double cabin is reserved for us full time.... A single guest may elect to take the double cabin, or if two guests are coming together, they may elect to use the single cabin in addition to the double for their needs as well. See the sailing plans for the details on what cabins are available for each leg.

All on board meals are included in the voyage. We will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day on board. The full time crew of the boat are a bit on the fitness and health conscious side, thus most meals are high in protein, low in sugar, high in whole grains, high in fiber, and low in fat. Most meals will include fresh veggies, fruit, or fresh meat. Everyone on board will take turns cooking and cleaning, this is part of the experience we wish to provide for our guests. Water is provided via our water maker system, the RO water is treated with minerals to replenish those filtered out by the RO system.

Adventure Cruising Program Visitor Experience Goals:

Living Afloat

• Fire Safety
• Cooking - Food storage - Provisioning
• Cleaning you self, and the boat
• Battery powered life
• Planning around using the generator and inverter

Boat Maintenance and Upkeep

• Diesel Engine (main engine and generator)
• Outboard engines
• Water makers
• Charging systems
• Toilet (yuck) and associated plumbing
• Fresh water systems
• Electrical end of generator
• Steering system
• Autopilot system
• Electronics, SSB, VHF, and Chartplotters

Safety of the Ship and Crew

• Location of safety equipment in the cabin including life jackets, EPIRB, ditch bag, etc
• Location of safety equipment on deck including life raft, jack lines, harness, etc
• Use of VHF and SSB radio
• Emergency steering equipment location and assembly
• Medical Equipment locations
• Use of flammable items onboard

Boat Systems Checklists and General Operations

• Use of all on board equipment (see about the boat section for guides)
• Use of 12 Volt system and discussion of battery power
• Use of the heads, what can go down, and what goes in the trash can
• Upkeep of the engine and generator
• Location of "emergency" spare parts
• Departure checklists and general preperation

Underway Sailing

• Hand steering and autopilot usage
• Using roller furling head sails
• Reading the water to judge depth and bottom type
• Using in boom furling main sails
• Safety on deck
• Proper line handling
• Proper winch usage
• Proper knot usage
• Using running back stays
• Underway checklist items

Weather and Sea Conditions

• Where to get the weather and how to understand it
• Usage of software to obtain GRIB weather data
• The effect of weather and sea conditions on you and the boat

Paper and Electronic Navigation

• Usage of electronic charts (two types)
• Usage of paper charts and guide books
• Usage of Radar for traffic and weather
• Plotting a course and doing basic pre departure trip planning
• Planning for current and sea conditions

Communication

• SSB Usage
• VHF Usage
• WIFI Usage
• EVDO Usage
• Customs and immigration

Anchoring

• Selecting the best anchoring location available
• Using the correct scope and placement of anchor
• Reading the water to get a good hook
• Usage of two anchors
• Steps to avoid anchor windlass damage and replacement costs