Greetings all, nice to be here.

[Jeff Bird]

Hello everyone, I'm Jeff from New Jersey.

I've loved ship, boats and the sea since I was a kid. Did a lot of boating and fishing as a teenager here on the Jersey shore. Went on to do a hitch in the Navy. ( sorry I ever got out ) I'd like to get back out on the water before I'm too old. So I've been doing a lot of reading and studying. Books and online. Don't have a boat yet. But I'm working on it. (and single again )

I really like this forum. So, here I am. Thank you to all the posters. It's been a lot of very informative reading.

[JPA Cate]

Welcome aboard, Jeff.

What kind of a boat are you looking for?

Have fun with it all.

You might enjoy this thread: "Re: Yet another wannabe", originally started by Red Herring as a meets & greets, before he had a boat, covers about 2 yrs. of progress, and he sounds like he's had a good time doing it.

Ann

[hogHunter]

Welcome! Great to have you aboard.
We went a couple of years wanting a boat and ended up buying a 30' Hunter, having no idea how to sail. We went all over South Florida and the Bahamas in that old (1981) clunker.

Then we quit our jobs, bought a 39' Beneteau and sailed the Caribbean and Bahamas for a year.
Best decision EVER. We were actually featured in the May edition of Yachting Magazine!

We learned a few things along the way:
1. Pushing off the dock is the hardest part. Just do it. You'll never feel completely ready.
2. Choose the boat that's right for YOU, not what other people think is right for you.
3. Navionics app on phone, tablet and iPad for navigation to back up the Navionics chip in the chartplotter is a life saver.
4. Know where your manual bilge pump and how to use it before it starts raining and your auto bilge pump goes out.
5. When cruising, guests can choose when or where but not both.

Our blog from the trip: TwoAndAHalfSailors.com

[Waterway Guide]

Welcome aboard, Jeff. Hope to see you out on the water soon.

[Jeff Bird]

Thanks all for the nice welcome.

[Jeff Bird]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

What kind of a boat are you looking for?

A sailboat, nothing spectacular, just something one person could liveaboard comfortably.

[JPA Cate]

Jeff,

Steadyhand has a thread going about boats under $30,000. Maybe you'd be interested.

Ann

[Jim Cate]

Another welcome, Jeff, and when the time comes for guests on board, pay attention to the above advice:

When cruising, guests can choose when or where but not both.

This simple statement is both very true and very well stated!

Have fun and let us know how it is going.

Jim

[Lepke]

One place to look if you're handy... the boat yards that allow people to work on their own boat. There's usually a project someone has stopped working on.
A friend just bought a dry docked 32' sailboat that was in the process of a major refirb. Fiberglass with a frozen diesel engine but then came a divorce and sold it for $2000. I don't remember the maker, but in good condition they sell for $50, +
Was in USN 1967 to 1973, QM2. Destroyers and river patrol boats.

[Jeff Bird]

Thanks Ann and Jim.

Originally Posted by Lepke

Was in USN 1967 to 1973, QM2. Destroyers and river patrol boats.

HI Lepke, was A Gang on a tin can for a short time. Then went to A school and became a hole snipe on a gator freighter. 78 to 82. Those are the kind of boats that I've been looking at.