Hello from Portland, Oregon

[Jim H]

I noticed that I've made 16 posts here, but never introduced myself....

I don't have the impressive history of most here, but I did build my first sailboat in a high school shop class and sailed it happily for several summers on a small lake on the Oregon coast. After that, I sailed Laser IIs for a semester in college, and my father built a cold-molded Moth and Shellback Digny that I got to sail.

After many years of not sailing (19?), I bought some sailing books at a used book sale about a year ago (Maiden Voyage was one of them), and got interested again. Since then, my wife I have picked up our first two ASA certifications, joined a local sailing club, and bought and restored a Cal 20 with my brother. We sail weekly, often with our two kids (6 and 8 years old). Pics of our various exploits are at

http://homepage.mac.com/bear33/PhotoAlbum29.html

(note links at top of page to other sections)

At the moment, we're considering owning a larger boat of our own (28-30 feet) or with another family. Alternatively, we might just charter for awhile in Puget Sound. We look forward to getting our bareboat certifications in May, and hopefully our advanced cruising and costal navigation certifications at some point after that.

Thanks for the great board-- I've really enjoyed reading the threads here.

Jim H

[sailor12]

Hello Jim H and family! We also live in Portland. We have our 27' sun yacht moored at McCuddy's on Tomahawk Island. Where are you guys keeping your boat? We are a family of 4: Shari (that's me), my husband Bob, and our 2 daughters-Sydney, almost 7yrs, and Annie-almost 4. We haven't been out sailing lately due to fixing up our house. We're planning on selling our 27' and buying a 42--47' to live aboard. We are fixing up our house in order to sell it and buy the boat. It's so wonderful to see other families sailing! I would love to talk with you all somemore!

Shari

[Jim H]

Hi, Shari

Thanks for the note-- it is great to hear from other sailing families. We've had more than one crew tell us that there seems to fewer of us now than in the past.

We've been out to McCuddy's on Tomahawk probably more often than we should (looking at the boats at The Sailing Life brokerage). We know a couple who are working on their Catalina 36 there, preparing it for sale so that can purchase a larger cruising boat.

The course your family is following sounds similar to what our family is interested in. I'll send you a PM (personal message) with my wife's email address, and the two of you should pick a day and place to have to have coffee together and talk. She's working with the Oregon Women's Sailing Association (OWSA) this year.

We'll look for your boat the next time we're at McCuddy's. Our Cal 20 is currently moored at McCuddy's on Marine Drive (but at the moment its at Schooner Creek Boat Works being prepped for display the Portland Boat show).

Thanks for the note-- I hope we can meet someday, and send my wife Steph an email if you have time.

Jim H