Back on the Water

[Bill Rogers]

My wife and I have recently put a depost on an O'DAY 30. It looks like it was built yesterday. The boat is located in New Bern NC. We will be doing extensive saiing in the area and during the summer month will venture out in the deep. Our hope is to gain sufficient experience and confidence in single handed sailing from navigation to handeling to living aboard in two years with health being good and with Gods help we plan on buying a blue water crusier no more than 50 ft with all the things necessary to live aboard and sail for extended periods of time. Our desire is to stay on the east coast from Maine to the Bahamas and maybe to South America depending on our ability. We will have the resources to purchase a boat in the area $125,000 and have sufficient income to sustain us for several years, if we don't go crazy. My question to all is does this sound like a reasonable plan. Aside from the obvious up keep and repairs to a 30 plus year old boat, is this a deal breaker. We have owened a 34 Hunter in the past, so we have some ship board experience and we sailed beattle cats on Cape Cod as kids.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

Bill Rogers
brogers@suddenlink.net

[James S]

Hey Bill ...welcome to the forum.
Sounds like a good plan to me....

[SVRocinante]

Welcome Bill, and as James said, "Sounds like a plan..."

For what it's worth, it's not far off from what my wife and I have done.

We originally purchased a Catalina 30 TR as our first boat.
We started out with day sails, then long weekends, then a two week trip, then 30 days and then our final "test" trip (10 months on the boat; sailing from Massachusetts to Key West) almost 3 yrs after our initial purchase!

If all goes according to plan, we'll be moving aboard our new boat (40') this fall... we'll see ;-)

Fair winds,

[SaucySailoress]

I'm jealous!

Do be sure to keep us informed of your travels - some of us who can't get away yet need to live the dream through others....