Advice Needed: Where and What to Sail . . .

[Whisper2Me]

I'm in the fortunate position of being able to take a sabbatical year in 2013/2014.

I'm a 40 year old single female parent of a daughter who has just turned 11. So I'm thinking that we could take off for that year, live aboard & homeschool.

I bought Whisper this past summer (22' Viking) which is a great boat to learn in but I'll obviously need to upsize to live aboard.

So I'm looking for advice on what boat to look for & where we should plan to sail, essential preparation etc. We'd head out July 2013. I'm currently in northern Ontario on the great lakes. So..

1) recommended boat? Equipment needed & essential supplies? Limited budget
2) preparation for my daughter & I between now & then?
3) where would you recommend sailing?

Thanks

Nikki

[skipmac]

To get a good answer you really need to be more specific on the budget. What one person calls limited another would call extravegant.

Maybe a range or ballpark on what you want to budget for a boat. Don't forget that, no matter how good the boat looks, you will need to allow for some repairs, maintenance, upgrades and such.

This will give a good starting point to start picking some likely candidates.

[Whisper2Me]

Thanks for the advice - I'm thinking that I should have $20-25k to purchase the boat & at least $1,000 pm to live on

[martinjrichter]

There is a flood of 30' to 35' boats on the market which will take you anywhere along the coast. It's 1200 miles to the Atlantic from Ontario which will take a good chunk of time. Sail down the US coast to the Caribean would be a good adventure. Alot depends on how much you stop to sight see.

[sailorman14]

Nikki, you can find an older Pearson Triton 28.5' boat that is in reasonable shape and is a good ocean going boat for $15 to $20 thousand. I also know where several cape dory 25s are and they are good boats as well. You don't need a really big boat if its just you and your daughter. 30' or less is about the right size for a crew of 2 and you can go anywhere in either of these boats. Good luck.
Sailorman14

[skipmac]

If it will be just the 2 of you then something around 30' - 34' would be a good size. Much smaller and it gets a bit cramped. Too much larger and the costs go up a lot, boat is more to handle, docking costs more.

As mentioned, the market is flush with boats in this range at the moment so you should have a lot of options and your budget should get you a good boat for the job. Pearson 30, Catalina 30, Morgan 32 or 36, C&C (nice Canadian boat), Tartan are a few good brand names that would be a good choice.

If you want a lot of room and private cabins for you and your daughter a Morgan Outisland 36 is the roomiest 36' I have ever seen with a center cockpit, private aft and forward cabins. Not the best sailing boat in the world but well built and very shallow draft.

One option for the trip, buy a boat in the NE US. Connecticut, RI, Mass have lots of used boats on the market. Move on the boat in July and spend a couple of months getting the boat ready and cruise around Long Island Sound. Lots of really fun places to go that are not too far away, protected waters so not terribly rough. This will let you practice your skills, learn the boat and get ready to go south. Then in the fall start south down the ICW. Take your time and enjoy the trip. By the time it starts getting cold you will be in Florida and have a good bit of experience with your boat. Wait in south FL for a good weather day and cross over to the Bahamas and spend the winter in the islands. Spring head back to FL and back north, to the Great Lakes if you like.

In the meantime keep sailing. Read every book you can about sailing, boat maintenance and repair, navigation. In between read books by cruisers to keep your interest up. Oh yes, come back to the forum and ask more questions.

Good luck on the plan.

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