Newbie to the forum, and sailing!

[PaulinVictoria]

Hi folks,
I'm Paul, currently located in Victoria, BC. In the last week I started sailing, passed my PCOC and CYA Basic Cruise (many thanks to Yves at Bon Voyage Boating) so with a total of 2.5 days out on the ocean, I'm supposedly competent enough to go out sans-instructor
Anyhoo, considering buying a boat but also wondering if getting into a share/club type situation is a better move this early in my sailing career, or even getting a small trainer such as an Albacor as it's so much cheaper to buy, run and maintain. Going to look at a Cal20 tomorrow as I figure it can't hurt to look at as many boats as possible and it also will give me a chance to look at the marina notice board for any club sailing things.
Hopefully I won't be posting too many annoying questions in the future and I'm looking forward to getting more into this wind powered malarky.
Cheers,
Paul.

[Stillraining]

Welcome Aboard

[Faster]

Always glad to welcome another BCer!

For cruising around our part of the country I'd certainly be looking at the Cal 20s, SJ 24s, Cal 25s, C&C 24/25 etc as a starting boat rather than a smaller dinghy style. You are so close to so many amazing places but you need more of an all-weather type of boat, plus one you can actually sleep on with some comfort.

I daresay if things go well you'll be looking to move up to the 27-30 foot range quickly enough.

Meanwhile, look at lots of boats, read lots of magazines and forums such as this one so you're well equipped to make some rational decisions come purchase time!

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by Faster

Always glad to welcome another BCer!

For cruising around our part of the country I'd certainly be looking at the Cal 20s, SJ 24s, Cal 25s, C&C 24/25 etc as a starting boat rather than a smaller dinghy style. You are so close to so many amazing places but you need more of an all-weather type of boat, plus one you can actually sleep on with some comfort.

I daresay if things go well you'll be looking to move up to the 27-30 foot range quickly enough.

Meanwhile, look at lots of boats, read lots of magazines and forums such as this one so you're well equipped to make some rational decisions come purchase time!

Paul,

Welcome to Sailnet!! And congrats on your recent certs.

I like Faster's advice above. I've only had the opportunity to sail in the PacNW once, but from what little I saw of it, I know I'd want a boat on which I could at least overnight comfortably.

I don't especially like the share/club option, but much depends on your personal circumstances. It can be the right choice for some people, especially new sailors that don't want the hassle of ownership just yet.

On the other hand, you can often expend as much in one year, between join and annual fees, as it would cost to purchase a small cruiser along the lines of what Faster suggests above. If you have a family and want to configure the boat to make them comfortable, owning is really the best way to go.

So keep looking around and weigh your options carefully.

P.S. Ask away with those "annoying questions." Most of us are happy to help.

[PaulinVictoria]

I think you're both probably right, I'd soon become itchy for exploring so a trainer would get relegated to the back of the shed and I'm not sure if I could stand having to share! I was looking at some trailerables but then I'd still have to buy something to tow it (can't drag much behind a 1981 Rabbit convertible!) so that would cost as much as moorage and maintenance anyway.

[PaulinVictoria]

So.... looks like footitus has struck already, looking at a few 25' which should still be relatively cheap to buy/maintain/moor, big enough for weekends away yet hopefully small and responsive enough to teach me the finer points of sail.
Any thoughts on a mid 70's Hunter 25?

[PaulinVictoria]

Arrr, plans scuppered. Work has decided that rather than let me have a couple of weeks off work, I'm to be laid off, so the boating is being forced to somewhere way past the back burner