N00b on deck

Welcome to SailNet. Sailing is great fun, especially if you can do it regularly on somebody else's boat.

Learn to sail, research the cost of ownership for several different size boats and know that you will likely own a boat or two before you get that live-aboard.

I often tell people to compare boat ownership with owning a computer printer. It costs you money every time you use it, you are always looking to upgrade to the next model and you always have to worry about where you will store it when not using it.

Our first boat was a two year old 26 foot trailerable. The only real cost was launch fees and insurance. Storage was in the backyard. Then we upgraded to an eleven year old 35 foot Beneteau with all the bells `n whistles. Now there are slip fees, winter storage fees and EVERYTHING cost more. Running rigging is heavier & longer and there are all the systems you have in a typical home that have to be maintained (and periodically upgraded).

Keep those dreams alive but also know those dreams are best attained one step at a time. Also know that somebody who has the experience required to make a successful circumnavigation will never have to ask what a good blue water boat is. You will already know by then.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the reply, MSN2. My cousin (the skipper) always tells me he's fond of sailing OPB's ... (other peoples boats). They're less maintenance. Our kids are grown, retirement is approaching and my wife and I have a general idea of what we want to do next. While I've completed the Nautic-Ed courses I haven't any practical experience on the water so it's time to jump in and see what this is all about.

The short term plan is to charter when possible (with family who has the experience) and find a sailing club looking for race ballast. I'm told it's a great place to learn. We're close to the Chesapeake and this summer should be a good gauge if we're headed in the right direction.

The long term plan? enjoy life. While I'm hopeful that will be on a sailboat headed south for the winter and north for the summer the simple truth is my wife and I are too new to sailing and savvy enough not to make any assumptions at this point.

In the mean time we're gonna try to learn as much as possible and enjoy the ride!

If you have the funds to do so, this would be a good time to see if spending time (a week) on a sailboat is something your wife would enjoy. Consider having the two of you going to a live-aboard sailing school. I'm sure that you will have quite a few to choose from in your area.

I offer the following as an example of what I'm talking about: San Juan Sailing School

We had our trailerable for a couple years, doing day sailing, and started to look ahead to the day when we would do longer cruises. I had already had formal training but my wife was essentially dock line qualified. We booked with SJS and used it to send my wife to school (without me being the teacher) and give myself a refresher course. It was a great vacation for the two of us, exposed us to sailing conditions we would never see on the Great Lakes (tides & tidal currents) and gave us a feel for the largest boat that we felt comfortable sailing on our own.

Additionally, see if there is a university near you with a sailing club. They typically will offer "formal" sailing lessons. Also look for a local community sailing center that offers formal instruction too. This is ours: Milwaukee Community Sailing Center

Enjoy!