Cruising Forums

Daz · 08-11-2010, 10:31 PM

Hi everybody - Looks like this is the place to introduce myself, so...

I'm Daz. 46, happily married, recently retired (three weeks now) Air Traffic Controller. Was in Law Enforcement and an EMT before that. My wife and both like to sail, travel, dive, and explore. She retires this coming May and then we're planning to head out and cruise. We sold the house last year (perfect timing right - buy high, sell low?), have sold/given away most of our "stuff", and are currently in the market for our boat. We haven't decided just where we want to go or even where we want to start from - Yet/ We figure we'll find the boat first, then start from wherever she is. We've narrowed the field somewhat over the past year and are looking at a few contenders with a "shopping" trip to Annapolis scheduled for next week.

Don't know why I haven't made it over here before. I'm on Cruisers forum fairly regularly (DWJensen) and Sailnet on ocassion.

Cheers.

Daz

JeanneP · 08-12-2010, 03:13 AM

Hi, Daz, and "my wife"

Welcome to Cruiser Log. The start of our cruising sounds a lot like yours, and I sure wish you as much joy doing it as we have had.

Your introduction makes me smile as it brings back memories of our starting out. We, too, gave away a lot of our "stuff", and we didn't have much of a plan. Well, actually, we still don't have much of a plan.

Now, a story (don't groan yet!) that prompted my smile and the quotes around "my wife".

In one of the places where cruisers gather and hang around for a while there was a relatively newly-wed couple who were on a fast-track circumnavigation, sort of a sabbatical before settling down to the realities of jobs and family. Every evening we heard them on the VHF talking with another young couple, arranging an evening get-together or an excursion the next day. We were all in this particular anchorage for about four or five months (waiting out cyclone season). In talking with a newcomer to the group, doing the usual run-down of the other boats in the anchorage, giving names, etc. to the boat name. Until we came to this couple's boat. When asked what their names were, I replied "Ann and My Husband." Nobody had ever heard "Ann" refer to her husband as anything other than "My Husband." None of us knew his name!

So join us in swapping stories, tips, hints, and pictures of cruising. Drinks are on me. (Don't be shy, take advantage of it while you can).

Jeanne

Lighthouse · 08-12-2010, 08:04 AM

Welcome aboard Daz (and wife) - good to have you here and we hope to hear much about your plans and preparations.

Welcome!

**Istioploos** · 08-12-2010, 03:20 PM

Welcome Daz with wife. Happy cruising.

Daz · 08-12-2010, 04:19 PM

Thanks for the welcome everyone. We (Judi and I) are getting excited about things. We've been planning for years and are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Booked our Annapolis hotel this morning - now I just need to find a decent car rental out of IAD and we're boat shopping (again).

Daz

Stormydog · 08-28-2010, 10:42 AM

Hello all. I too am a new member. Never sailed before. Been on some large cruise ships, sailed on a cat around BVI with Trade Winds. Feb. 2011 we are sailing around St. Vincent and the Grenadines with Trade Winds. This next sailing trip we are gong to get more involved in the sailing aspect. Too see if my strong interest in sailing is for real. I live in southern Ontario, Canada. Only 40 minutes from Lake Erie or Lake Huron. Two areas to get involved in sailing. I am 52 years young, and have about 7-10 years to I retire. I am glad to find this forum, been looking for sometime now. I have so many questions to ask, I just do not know where to start. Here I go:

1. Thinking of purchasing a cat in the near future for our retirement. And using it occasionlly until we retire. I know it depends on where the cat will be ported, but what are the cost for the to be stored in a yacht club, or should we look at dry docking the cat while not in use. I am thinking that I do not want to rent out the cat.

2. I am thinking of storing the cat in the BVI area. Been told this is a good place to start or improve your sailing. Is this true.

That is all for now. I hope to hear from anyone and give me some ideas what we are getting ourselved into.

Thanks,

John

JeanneP · 08-28-2010, 12:24 PM

Stormydog, welcome to our forum.

My personal opinion is that the Caribbean is one of the best sailing areas around. As I take such pleasure saying, in the Caribbean it blows hard, and sometimes it blows harder. It's great for another reason, which is that the chain of islands in the Eastern Caribbean are almost all just a day sail away. The Virgin Islands, US as well as British, are a great place to vacation, with all these great anchorages just a few hours sailing away.

However, for someone who is looking to learn how to sail and needs lots of practice, leaving a boat there while you spend most of your time in Canada seems like a frustratingly expensive idea. Particularly if you aren't interested in putting the boat out for charter.

Here's a link to our log during Hurricane Hugo: HUGO

And the pictures of the aftermath of the hurricane: Pictures of Hurricane aftermath

Check out the last two photos. The boat was lucky to come through the hurricane with just its sails shredded. If it had been cared for properly, the sails would have been removed and stowed so they would not have been shredded.

You might consider keeping your boat in one of the lakes near you, and after you've gotten comfortable and confident with sailing, bring the boat south to Florida, for example, for the winter season, and bring it north so you have the boat for the summer season. You will learn a lot about sailing that way - in some ways Great Lakes sailing can be more challenging than blue water ocean sailing.

Fair winds,

Jeanne

Stormydog · 08-31-2010, 05:27 PM

Thank you Jeanne for some good info. I will definently think about what you suggested as it becomes closer to actually purcahsing a cat. Right now I am just at the info and saving stage. I had looked at purchasing a smaller sail boat and do some sailing on the great lakes, but would I get any return from the boat. And this being Sept, sailing is more or less done for the year. I will look this winter and see if I can get something for next summer. One good thing is my work schedule I will be able to get alot of sailing in in a two week period. I work two weeks in a mining camp and then I have two weeks off. Some people have said other sailers are always looking for some people for racing, so I may do that as well.

But again when we get from from sailing around St Vinceint I am the type of person to go out and buy something right then and there. Not the best thing to do I know that. I see and hear what other people are doing and that is what I want to do. Silly I know. Like a kid in a candy store.

Do you have some topics that have been disussed in these forums that I should read up on, that would be great if you could stear me to these.

Thanks again for your help.

John

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanneP