Introductions, and drinks all 'round

AjariBonten · #1 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

I see that there is no thread designated for new members to pipe aboard, so I thought I'd just jump in with both feet! I've been lurking in the rigging for a few weeks now; and I'm ready to start asking some questions and adding my own 2 cents on one or two threads so I figured I should introduce myself, my plans, and a bit of my curriculum vitae.

My Name is Fred and I live in western NY, about 2 hours from Lakes Ontario and Erie, and about 30 min from Lakes Seneca and Cayuga (the two ocean-connected finger-lakes). I've been here for six years after being a commercial fisherman in Maine for 14 years (Penobscot and Blue Hill Bays, mostly, a little off-shore) and I'm feeling mighty dessicated.

I did a very small bit of sailing in my youth (I'm 45 now); but most of my seamanship was earned on powerboats (Yea, I know, but the days of sail-driven seiners are long gone).

So, here's my plan;

My wife and I have convinced ourselves that we're more than ready to step out of the rat-race. In three years the kids will be out, the house paid off, etc. etc. You KNOW what's coming next ........... this IS SailNet, after all, so I won't bore you with the details.

What I would like is any commentary/reality-check on my timetable, etc.

Spring '08 Buy a smallish Cruiser-style boat to sail on the fingers as a "trainer" (my wife is something of a land-lubber) and to over-night - O'day 22? I've seen a couple in the right price range and they are trailerable, saving some $$

Winter '09 ASA week-long training sail (Basic Sailing (ASA 101), Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103) and Bareboat Chartering (ASA 104) combined.)

Summer '11 Buy a coastal cruiser (35'?) move on up to the great lakes, etc?

Winter '12 Offshore Cruising school

Summer '12 Move aboard

These are the highlights, and I have worked out a pile of details for each step, but this isn't the time or place.

So, A'Hoy, a fine but motley crew yea ll seem to be!

Bardo · #2 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Welcome aboard AB. My only question is, how did you convince your land-lubber wife to buy off on this adventure? Best of luck.

Freeman

camaraderie · #3 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

AJ...welcome aboard. I guess one thing I would ask about your plan is about your wife. Does she like the outdoors and roughing it a bit? Has she been sailing before and does she enjoy heeling? Is this BOTH of your dreams or what you want to do?

If she is a "trooper" then the Oday22 idea makes good sense to me. Otherwise it may be the first step towards broken dreams...and it may be advisable to start with a larger boat with more ameneties. Actually, larger boats are less tippy and easier to handle and a real head and comfortable galley and cabin may help make it all seem less like camping and more like living!

so...I would say to consider that in your plans. Instead of ALL the schooling, you might consider chartering in the BVI's or someplace nice on a flotilla cruise or instructional vacation. That will give both of you a taste of larger boats and a hankering for getting out there before you actually plunk the big bucks down.
Lots to think about! Again..welcome!!

sailhog · #4 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Ajari,
Sounds like a fantastic plan. If you want my two cents, I'd suggest getting a a slightly larger starter boat since your ultimate goal is to live aboard. I've recently gone through the same thought process you've put yourself through, and I decided I wanted to start off on a boat that would have the same systems as a larger cruiser. For instance, you might want to think about a boat with an inboard engine. Then again, if you're on a small lake, this might not make a lot of sense... There. I've spent my two cents...

AjariBonten · #5 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Thanks Bardo ................ It was a time honored recipe, ending with "Let it be HER idea!!"

It starts with a beautiful afternoon on a beach watching the sailboats reach back and forth................

Follow that with looking at $1million lake from "cottages" .....................

Let her say "wouldn't that be nice" .......................

And follow with " Welllll, it's not out of the question"....................

And finish with a modest and well thought out plan....................

AjariBonten · #6 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Actually my last post made me seem kind of manipulative ..........

No, my lovely first mate is quite game ( though very, cautious a good thing) for the adventure. The first book I gave her to read was Tania Abei's Maiden Voyage, and THAT didn't scare her away ...

I was actually looking at a Catalina 30 as an alternative first boat, but the only one we can afford is from 1973? or 1975?, and I'm hesitant for all of the obvious reasons.

The finger-lakes are fine for a bigger boat, they are around 2+ miles wide and around 40+ long.

-Fred

padean · #7 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Your story sound similar to mine - out of sailing for a long time, and trying to get my wife interested so we could do it together and eventually cruise. I am enjoying it immensely.

From my experience, my only suggestion to your plan is to consider taking one or two of the basic sailing courses with your wife early on, either before, or just after you purchase your boat (at least ASA 101 and maybe 103). My wife was confused, frightened, and not a little reluctant to sail until after she had some training and "supervised" experience under her belt, now she loves it and is quite comfortable. You don't want to scare your wife off at the beginning when you get caught out in a freak blow on the lake. She may not go out again.

Good luck.

GySgt · #8 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by padean

From my experience, my only suggestion to your plan is to consider taking one or two of the basic sailing courses with your wife early on, either before, or just after you purchase your boat (at least ASA 101 and maybe 103). My wife was confused, frightened, and not a little reluctant to sail until after she had some training and "supervised" experience under her belt, now she loves it and is quite comfortable. You don't want to scare your wife off at the beginning when you get caught out in a freak blow on the lake. She may not go out again.

Good luck.

I second that. At least have her go through BKB and BCC so she has confidence in herself that she can pick you up out of the ocean if you should ever take a leak off the stern and fall overboard. It will also go along way to relive any fear she might be having. Also she learns to dock on a school boat vice yours

eryka · #9 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by AjariBonten

I
So, here's my plan;

My wife and I have convinced ourselves that we're more than ready to step out of the rat-race. In three years the kids will be out, the house paid off, etc. etc. You KNOW what's coming next ........... this IS SailNet, after all, so I won't bore you with the details.

What I would like is any commentary/reality-check on my timetable, etc.

Spring '08 Buy a smallish Cruiser-style boat to sail on the fingers as a "trainer" (my wife is something of a land-lubber) and to over-night - O'day 22? I've seen a couple in the right price range and they are trailerable, saving some $$

Winter '09 ASA week-long training sail (Basic Sailing (ASA 101), Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103) and Bareboat Chartering (ASA 104) combined.)

Summer '11 Buy a coastal cruiser (35'?) move on up to the great lakes, etc?

Winter '12 Offshore Cruising school

Summer '12 Move aboard

These are the highlights, and I have worked out a pile of details for each step, but this isn't the time or place.

So, A'Hoy, a fine but motley crew yea ll seem to be!

Welcome aboard, Fred! I guess my question is why you're buying the boat before attending the sailing classes...which I assume would help you narrow down your understanding of what you want to sail on.

We started with a 1-week liveaboard learn-to-sail vacation in the USVI and BVI, just us and the skipper/cook on a 37-footer, learned a lot, sailed a lot, snorkeled a lot, drank too much, and got utterly hooked.

Came back and bought a 27-foot Erickson on the Great Lakes, a bit bigger than what you're thinking but the fact that it had a head and a galley made overnights comfortable. Something to consider. Still small enough to be able to move about by hand if necessary - in fact, the geometry of our slip and the skimpiness of our skills made it necessary very often!

but that turned out to be the perfect size to hone our skills and nurture the sailing bug we'd been bitten with. Overnights quickly became long weekends, then weeks, then ... Sold the house, upsized the boat to a 33' and have been gleefully living aboard for the last 5 years.

Go for it!

retclt · #10 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

I vote for the bigger boat too. I had a beautiful 22 foot Full Keel Ocean Racer (S&S design) built in Holland in 1960. I loved that boat dearly but the wife did not. She wanted something she could stand up in and close the door on the head. She won. I have to admit now . . . she was right. We only went up to a 26 but it does have 6'-1" headroom and a door at the head. Ours is very tralerable as long as you have a pick-up. Our initial investment was 2600 for the boat on EBAY and 3000 for a used trailer out of Houston. That left a lot of money for fixing her up. Even when we get a bigger boat down the road I'm keeping this one. It's a great boat!

AB, is the NFL gonna really make us come up there and play you guys next week? I mean, what's the point? Can't we just wait here for the Patties the following week?