Hello to everyone in the forums! Hope it's not too crowded in here
My name is Matt. My fathers family moved here from Norway..... several years ago <my grandfather was the first Magelssen born in America> and most of the Magelssens are still in Norway from my understanding. My dad was in the Air Force when I was born at Ramstein AFB in Germany. Now, at the tender age of 34, I find myself in the dustbowl called Oklahoma
Oh well, life goes on
A couple of months ago, I heard a report on the radio about a family that spent the last 8 years cruising around the world in a sailboat. The parents were tired of the rat race and didn't want their children growing up in that environment. Completely understandable, right? Anyways, I became intrigued with the whole lifestyle of just cruising around the world. Last year, I grew tired of just working to live, as well as being told I was too slow as a mechanic because I made sure my jobs were correct (yet, funnily enough, none of my managers ever scolded me about not having any comebacks on any of my jobs - weird, huh?) and decided to go back to school for music. Currently, I'm going to an associate college to get my fundamentals out of the way at a much cheaper rate before going for a composition degree. I figure on going to school for at least the next 4-5 years for that, possibly longer if I decide I want a Master's in Music Theory. Then, I want to buy a sailboat and just cruise around the world writing music and visiting Scandinavia and mainland Europe, which I visited but don't remember since I left there when I was 2 years old. I also want to visit New Zealand, Easter Island, and Japan, and follow the trail the United States took during WW II back to Hawaii, then travel around the Horn to complete a circumnavigation.
I've been looking at different boats on the internet. I don't have a significant other at the moment, so I'm looking at a smaller boat that is well built, capable of bluewater sailing. Don't care about racing, although I have been invited to crew with some of the Oklahoma City Boat Club next year when their racing season starts and plan to join them for the next few years to learn how to sail in a racing environment. I'm currently looking at the Nordic Folkboat, or a variation, the Marieholm Folkboat, as a first cruiser. It's supposed to be a small, well-built one-make cruiser that is extremely dependable, very capable bluewater cruiser that has been manufactured since 1942 and is extremely cheap. I don't care about frills all that much (although frills are always appreciated lol). I do have a significant setback with a smaller boat - I stand 6'6" tall and I saw a footnote on the folkboat that the cabin height is only 4'8"
Do I have to go for a bigger boat (35'+) to accommodate my bigger frame?
On a separate note, for bluewater cruising, is a catamaran or trimaran more preferable to a monohull? I know they are supposed to be more stable than a monohull, as well as faster (and more roomy in the case of the cat), but I've also seen monohulls listed as self-righting, which a multihull cannot do (and I've seen the pictures of the racing trimaran upside down with the crew being rescued). How hard is it to flop a multihull? Is it worth looking at them over a multihull boat for the extra room?
Anyways, as I noted earlier, I have plenty of time to perfectly plan my escape from the idiocy that is called the Government. Any and all help and positive criticism is greatly appreciated.
yours truly, the Wayward Viking
Connect with Facebook
