Ok, you asked…
I grew up 400 miles from the nearest ocean, and was always interested in these things called sailboats, but had never even seen one up close. Even after attending UMass Boston and living north of the harbor I had little opportunity to sail. One day my boss asked me if I would like to go out on his 32' Hunter and for some strange reason I said yes. That was 5 years ago and I still remember that first time at the helm, a 10 knot breeze at my back, the sails full and that sailboat coming alive under my feet. I was totally hooked.
Like Txaggle I cruised eBay and dreamed of someday. Then last January I found her. Up for bid by a charity, 4 hours to go and no bids. It didn't matter that she was sitting on blocks on Long Island (250 miles away); I had no trailer, and had no real idea of her condition. I had to bid on her, $202.50. Four hours later I owned her, a 1969 Venture 21, owned by the same family all her life and almost total unmodified, The story of bring her to Boston is best left for later (after the pain goes away).
Last year my sons and I rebuilt the swing keel and rudder, installed all new wiring and painted the interior. This year she gets all new running
rigging,
VHF (from the Sailnet store) and
ground tackle. We hope to launch her from Winthrop, Ma in June.
I will be 58 in July, my sailing time is still measured in hours and I sometimes still wonder what possessed me to buy this thing that takes all my spare time and money. I enjoy the hours spent working on her and I have met many wonderful people all eager to give me advice.
She's is definitely changed my life
Tayana 52 Ketch
Linear Mode
