Starting to Sail in Alaska!

[Gus24]

Greetings!
My wife and I are just starting to enter the sailing world. We both wanted a sport that we could enjoy for the rest of our lives. Right now we are signed up for boating classes, and are excited to begin. We used to live in Florida, but now we are both stationed in Alaska. Does anyone know if there is good sailing up here?
What type of boat should we look to Buy. (Crew would be Her, I, and 9 yr old son)
We are due to transfer in about 2 years. Which would be a better locale for sailing. Texas, or Florida?
Thanks all! Look forward to hearing from you!

[coloradosailor]

Hi Gus,

My wife and I are in a similar situation, just starting out with an 8 year old. We''re also excited. It just seems the right thing to do now.

I just passed my first ASA exam last night, Costal Navigation. It was a very enjoyable class.

Sorry, I cannot offer any answers to your questions but I''m sure someone will. At least you''re on a coast. We''ll be sailing the lakes this season. Best Regards.

[Gus24]

Thanks.
Right now we are looking at purchasing a 28'' vessel. I would imagine this is the right size for a 3 man crew (well... two and a half. We are scheduled to take our first classes in a month. In the meantime I''m trying to learn all the lingo. I''m just not sure that Alaska is the right place to buy a boat.

[coloradosailor]

Hi Gus,

Sounds like a plan. We''re learning on J-22''s owned by a local sailing school. This school has a program called "Why Buy" where you pay a fee like a season pass. Once you are certified, you can reserve one of the school boats and sail as much as you like. I like this plan since I don''t want to haul a boat back and forth to the lake all the time.

[fishclan]

Guss24

I would be wondering if you plan on sailing the boat to your next station or not. If not you must be wanting to sell it. If so then you might want to consider a bluewater cruser. I have some inf. on a list of sugested boats that fit if you want it.
David