[excitereye]

Hi Sailers,, I`m a total newbie, Never sailed. I`m 45 and retire in 9 years. I`m single and have one child who will be off to college or uni soon. I`ve been thinking of what I would do in retirement. I get away a couple times a year. Thailand is my fave. I love tropical climes. I have thought to buy something in Thailand or Costa Rica when I retire. But!,Lately been thinking I`m unsure if i want to be stuck in one place.

Then I started thinking about sailing, as I followed the news of that young girl sailing on her own. It kinda inspired me to think of all the ports of call I could be visiting if I had my own sailboat. So hear I am to get all the info I can on here. First off I want to take a lesson on sailing and have seen a few places online to go. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. One I seen was in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A week liveaboard taking classes ASA 101,102,103 I think. I have 1 week vacation time the last week of October and 3 weeks the last week of December. I`m wondering if anyone knows of good courses and places to take one? Or needs an extra hand on their boat?

I`m also curious about the type of boat I should be seeking. I`m a long way off of purchasing one. But! I`d like to get as much info as possible until that time. I really like those Cabo Rico boats, the Beneteau`s, Catalina`s. Any helpful thoughts on this would be great. I want something in the 35-40 foot range. Good for singlehanded. Nice to meet you all.