[BarryL]

Hello,

I have a few different comments.

1. I don''t think sailing a dingy will do much for you. Sailing a dingy and sailing a 30'' cruiser are as alike as driving a formula 1 racecar and driving a truck. Yes, they both have sails and rudders, but that''s about it.

2. I think that chartering a boat with a captain will help you a lot. It will depend on you (and the captain). You can tell the captain before hand about your goals, and you and he can make it more of a ''learn to sail'' cruise than just a tour of the water. I wanted to move up from a Catalina 22 to a 28-32 boat but I was afraid the bigger boat would be too difficult to handle. I chartered a Catalina 28 for 1/2 a day with a captain, and I made my goals clear to the captain. He appreciated it because *I* wanted to do the work of timming the sails and manning the helm. He gave me a lot of great advice and we both had fun.

3. I think the idea of a ''starter'' boat in the 22-25 range is a very good idea. The benefits are you get on the water sooner, yhe boats are cheap, you''ll learn very quickly if you like sailing or not. You will get back all (or most) of your money when you move up. You can sail whenever you want. You will also learn about maintenance, but on a much smaller scale. You can buy very nice boats in that size for less than $5K.

4. Taking lessons isn''t a bad idea but I don''t know how useful it would be either. If you are motivated (and it sounds like you are) you can learn more by reading, watching, trying, etc. than by having someone tell you.

5. Much like driving a truck, to really learn you need to get out there and do it. Reading can only take you so far. The sooner you get your own boat and get out there, and the more time you spend ''out there'' the quicker you will know if this is for you or not.

Good luck,
Barry