[Jeff_H]

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When you are new to sailing it is easy to focus on those items that provide visual clues as to the materials involved in building the boat. So, to some ''quality'' means a lot of teak in the cabin. To some it is bronze portholes. To some it is high quality engineering and fiberglass work. To some it is a carefully designed interior. And to others it is a well-designed and constructed sailing rig with top-notch sail handling equipment. And so on.

At this point, you are looking at those items that are easy to see and understand such as bronze ports and a predominantly teak interior and letting these items define quality. In some ways, for certain venues, these really are quality items, but to me the highest quality boats are boats that are designed to sail well and are equipped to sail well in the area that you plan to sail. On the Chesapeake, bronze ports and a teak interior do not necessary make a quality boat. The Chesapeake is a very nice venue to sail in. Within a day''s sail of your slip (in a reasonably fast boat) there are maybe 50 great places to anchor for the night. Add a 10 to 15 seconds a mile to your boat speed and this number easily doubles.

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