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Just about to take the plunge again.

4K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  WanderingStar 
#1 ·
Everything looks good for us to purchase a 1986 Northern 37 ketch next week. I've never sailed a ketch before. Anyone sailed a Northern ketch who can give me some pointers?
 
#2 ·
We bought the boat!
Marina and I spent the day adjusting the freeboard on our, new to us, sailboat. We drove back and forth between the boat and the storage locker, over and over again. VW bugs are roomy but are not set up to haul anchors, chain, engine parts, cordage, tools, spare parts, kayaks, more spare parts, hoses, bug screens, wind generators, cockpit cushions, paddles, pumps, alternators, more spare parts, etc. The big disappointment was with the dodger; it seems that the stitching on many of the zippers is shot, so when we attempted to put it together, several of the zippers just came apart. Picture us with sad faces. At any rate, they are 20 years old but we think we can salvage them with a little work and a bit of professional help. The weather gods decided that we had it way to good for the sea trials yesterday, so today it was cloudy with plenty of showers. No matter, we kept plugging along, until we ran out of day light around 5:30 PM. We still have a load or two left so we won’t be leaving on Saturday as planned. One more day should get us all moved aboard and most stuff stored for the sail home in a couple of weeks. The boat looks (is) a mess but our hearts are full and we are proud with our progress today.
 
#6 ·
New Years eve or day we will leave Stuart, FL and head up the ICW until we get to New Bern, NC. I'm not looking forward to the cold weather, but I can't feel comfortable leaving the boat 700 miles away. We spent the last two days loading all the gear that came with the purchase; a whole storage unit full. Spare parts, cordage, wind gen, solar panels, hose, tools, sails, etc.
 
#7 ·
Congratulations. The Northern 37 was built only a few miles from my yacht club and we have had a couple of them in the club at various times.
 
#12 ·
Thanks all for "warm" wishes. I'm using Active Captain to plot our trip north. figuring just short of 50 NM a day is proving to be frustrating in as much as places to anchor are sometimes too far or two short a distance apart. I'd like to make the trip in under 10 days but I'm not sure we will make it.
 
#13 ·
I brought a boat north in the ICW 3 years ago from Daytona to Charleston. We would get underway after breakfast and motor all day. I would check the charts and locate three potential anchorages, then choose near sunset. This caused trouble once, as we anchored in the second spot just at sunset, but found it unsatisfactory. We had to proceed north in dark, wind, and rain until we found a better spot.
 
#20 ·
You'll manage alright. I was obsessed for six months planning my delivery from Florida, I think that's normal. I didn't use marked anchorages, just side streams with enough depth. There are reportedly good cruising guides for the icw, I think you said you're using activecaptain, which is good too. You'll probably touch bottom a few times anyway, we never stuck. And it is very beautiful (sometimes remote). Let us know how it works out. I was on a schedule too. It's a delivery, not a cruise.
 
#21 ·
Any special advise on picking the side streams? Or as long as the depth as ok and it was getting dark and you weren't in the main channel you figured you were OK?
 
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