Hello Everyone,
I finally joined... I have read quite a few threads on various subjects and have learned quite a bit.
My question: I am currently stuck in Miami- but I am able to sail out for a week or even a few weeks at a time. I have a yard where I can keep either a trailered
boat or a "dry docked"
boat under say 26 ft. I have sailed in the past- mostly Lazers, and Sunfish, but have some experience w/sloops. I have an ultimate goal of soloing larger sailboats... In the meantime... I want to start with a smaller boat that does not require me to keep her in a marina.
I am currently a
member of a sail club/school. Initially I thought that maybe I could rent and use their boats to "work-up", but this is not going to
work out. They have their own
rigging etc- and I want to learn to rig my own boat for my specific needs, and not have restrictions on how far I can go in their boats.
I should also mention that I plan on going solo.
So..... I am interested in getting a sailboat that I can transport- not necessarily
trailer on my own trailer- from Dinner Key, or wherever there is a hoist, to my house/yard- at most 10-20 miles if not less. i.e. I am not looking to
trailer from place to place or long distances-simply marina-home. A boat w/trailer- seems limited as to
keel (not always)- I can rent a truck or possibly have it towed by the marina services (if that exists).
When I lived in Maine- I had a
Cape Dory Typhoon- considered a "day sailor", although I took her out a ways into the Gulf of
Maine, and she handled incredibly well in 6-8 seas. Otherwise
day sailing, unless you are speaking of Lazers etc, is a pain.(stepping, putting in..all for ..4-6hrs of sailing). Because of my situation I am not limited to
day sailing, so I plan on going go for weeks at a time, upon return, putting her up in my yard for some time until I go out again for weeks at a time. I feel I can gain far more experience beginning this way.
I am interested a boat under 26' so that I can cross to the BS or down and west to the Dry Tortugas-both of which I have done in 23' SeaCraft (motor boat). I want to become familiar as much as possible with sailing in various
weather conditions, non-GPS nav skills, etc because of my ultimate goal of soloing in a 35ft range boat.. in say.. 2 yrs.
There are
Cape Dory 22s and 25s. I like the CDs b/c they are
seaworthy and as I said, my little Typhoon handled high seas quite well. Sometimes I wonder if I should not get another Typhoon....except... they are...19ft
Having said that- I need
advice on this matter. I'm sure there are other boats. Is it hard to find transportation for a ~25 from marina- 20miles to home? Do they offer
mast stepping etc. ?
Head-room is not top on my list. Age, as long as sound is not an issue. I do not want to spend more than 10K.
Thanks for everyones help. In the meantime I will continue to do crazy things in my Lazer.