[Jeff_H]

In terms of hull construction, boat like Odays, Pearsons, Cal, and even Beneteau have equal quality hull construction to the Compac but depending on the model are actually better sailing boats. You might see if you can find a used J-28 as a contrast. The J-28 was part of J-boats cruising series. They repesent a good quality boat that would also be a great Bay boat. I do think that you may want to consider some boats that are older than 1990, perhaps as far back as a 1985 model. The reason that I suggest this is that there were comparatively few boats built in the 1990''s compared to the 1980''s. (In 1995 there were close to 7000 sailboats built in this country over 30 feet in length. In 1990 there were less than 3000. The recession of 1989-1993 put a lot of good companies out of business.) Therefore, you will have a lot more boats to choose from. A well maintained 1985 could easily be in better condition that a poorly maintained or heavily used 1995 model. Boats age very differently than cars. I guess my point is that there are far better sailing boats for the Chesapeake Bay and while you may never care about performance, as in racing, you will get a lot more sailing and a lot more enjoyable sailing in if you have a boat that is a better performaning boat than the three you are considering.

I also want to talk about your wife''s social objectives. A lot of us enjoy the camaraderie of the sailing scene. This can still be enjoyed while cruising. You may want to get involved with a sailing club. On the Chesapeake these vary between full blown yacht clubs to "paper" cruising clubs (they do not own facilities) that are quite reasonable to belong to. Sailing clubs will often have club cruises frequently throughout the spring, summers and fall in which they rendezvous and ''raft-up''. Raft-ups can be a lot of fun with the usual kinds of socializing that might take place ashore. It is a great way to see different places on the Bay and to have people that know what they are doing plan cruises so that it is a bit easier for a Newbie to get their feet wet.

In any event, Good luck to you and feel free discuss this further on this venue or email me directly.
Jeff