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New Sailor to Buzzards Bay

856 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  csharp56 
#1 ·
I have been a powerboat guy for much of my 56 years living here on the Southcoast of MA. I now have the time to try a new experience in sailing. I would appreciate any input from any sailors familiar with this area and sea conditions. I am looking to purchase a sloop comfortable to sleep 4-6 adults. 30'-34' for apprx. $25k, a cruising vessel that will be forgiving but still require some skills. Racing is not a consideration. I have been in the mrkt for 6 months and have found an 1987 Oday 322, that has peaked my interest. I have also been looking online at Pearson, S-2, Catalina, Freedom. My harbormaster will require me to have a vessel on my mooring by 9/1/13. Thanks in advance for any help.
 
#2 ·
Good luck, and welcome, C-sharp!
One thought is that 4 to 6 mature adults on that size sailboat might get awfully "cozy" unless you're very friendly. But then, how many people the boat show brochures say a boat sleeps may not be related to reality. I think of most 32' sailboats as having about equivalent room to a lot of 28-29' power boat cruisers. Now, if there are just two of you, and what you're looking for is a boat with a "brochure capacity" of 4 to 6, then that would likely be just fine.
The other investment that would likely save you money in the long run is to find a local instructor who has good recommendations to get you started on practicing docking and figuring out sail trim for whatever particular boat you get.
There are also some good threads on how to "self survey" or "pre-survey" a boat to narrow down to your final best choice before putting down a deposit and calling in a real surveyor, etc.
 
#3 ·
.... I would appreciate any input from any sailors familiar with this area and sea conditions.....
Buzzards is a nice spot for a couple of reasons. First, you usually have wind. Second, it is nice central location to get either over here, to Narragansett Bay or out to the Vineyard, Nantucket, Hadley, Cutthunk, etc, etc.

One downside may be the chop in the Bay, when prevailing southwesterlies oppose the tidal current in the Bay. By definition, this will happen daily. In normal conditions, its just noticeable. In gale conditions, it can get tough.

There is also a reasonable amount of commercial carrier traffic heading in/out of the Cape Cod canal, but I've not found it to be too restrictive. You just wouldn't want to be in the middle of the channel in the fog without radar.

Good luck.
 
#5 ·
I am new to this and not sure if I am sending this reply to all who welcomed me or to one in specific, so Thanks all. To GMC, good to meet you and will try to keep in touch as soon as I can figure out what I am doing here online. Not that tech savy w/ this site yet.
 
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