Hello from the Northwest

[Hugh and Jeanni]

Hi all
We are new to sailing this past year though we've been dreaming a bit longer.
bought an old wooden Seabird last winter and have spent the summer sailing in Washington's San Juans. We are hooked and looking at how to eventually turn the rest of our lives into sailing. The last kid is leaving home in the next year or two and then who knows, the worlds the limit!
We're looking for direction and guidance as we consider the boat we are going to buy for the long term. The New Moon has served us well this year and we have projects to work on during the winter, but we know it won't take us far out of these waters and we need to look ahead and plan and have much more to learn-so here we are!!
Thanks
Hugh and Jeannie

[ontherocks83]

Welcome aboard

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Hugh and Jeannie,

Welcome aboard.

No idea of your price range, but there are a couple of [what I think are] interesting monohulls in the CF classifieds at the moment, may not be to your taste. One of them is in the Seattle area.

Ann

[Cheechako]

Take your current boat out as much as you can. Stay overnight, sail etc. You will know a lot more what you want long term in a year or two! Have fun. Seattle?

[TacomaSailor]

I have some good news and some bad news for you! The following is based on my learning to sail in B'ham Bay and the San Juan Islands 42 years ago, 30+ years of sailing from Shelton in the South Sound to Cape Scott on the north end of Vancouver Island, and two sailing trips to Mexico and one to the Virgin Islands. Additionally, I have about a dozen long distance cruising friends who all learned the business just as I did and you will.

GOOD NEWS

After learning to sail and cruise in Puget Sound, the Canadian Gulf Islands, Georgia Straits, and Strait of Juan de Fuca you will be pleasantly surprised how easy the sailing is in the rest of the cruising world. Your sailing locale gives you a lot of great experience, in heavy doses, with the following:

- strong currents
- big tides
- fast moving commercial traffic
- very strong and very light wind
- anchoring in deep difficult water
- navigating amongst dozens of obstacle such as rocks, reefs, sand bars, and last but not least fish nets
- route finding, channel reading, visual aids confusion in the myriad channels, passes, cuts, and inlets
- a wide range of bottom types for anchoring
- fickle weather forecasts
- in the Straits - BIG breaking waves and strong winds

After you have a few years of longer and longer cruises up there you'll be ready for anything I have encountered in my cruising.

Once you get the proper boat the following areas will give you exposure to almost anything you will encounter anywhere in the world (except of course day-after-day of heat)

- sailing round trip from Townsend to Sydney in the strong westerlies
- sailing from round trip Townsend to Neah Bay in strong westerlies

will approximate (or exceed) anything I have seen at sea. It won't be fun the first couple times but once you get the hang of it - you'll gain fantastic experience for oceanic sailing

- sail from Neah Bay up the west coast of Vancouver Island and then back to Neah Bay - this will give you a true oceanic sailing experience with lot's of easy places to duck back into sheltered water

After a few years of the stuff shown above you'll be ready for almost anything. Every one of the dozens of Puget Sound and BC sailors I met in San Diego, Mexico, and the Virgin Islands said that, once south of Pt Conception, the sailing was much, much easier that what they did in Puget Sound.

BAD NEWS

The Salish Sea (Puget Sound, San Juans, Gulf Islands) and the West Coast of Vancouver Island is one of the very best sailing locales in the world. We left in August 2000 and had a fantastic time all the way to Zihuatenejo and three summers in the Sea of Cotez. But, I missed Puget Sound so much I trucked the boat back up there in August 2004.

We sailed a lot until August 2010 when the summer drizzle again forced me to sail south to San Diego. This summer, the fourth I've spent in SoCal, I was again desperately missing the San Juan and Gulf Islands.

So much so, that I am trying to talk my wife into buying a 2nd "summer boat" to keep in Anacortes for the magical mid-July to mid-October boating season.

When you are ready to leave the Pacific NW you will find that you have been very fortunate and spoiled in the sailing you've done up there.

Best Wishes

[Hugh and Jeanni]

Well the good news is great and the bad not do bad.
This summer we sailed every chance we had and spent 5 over nights. Every we did something new we felt so good!
We understood that the sailing was good for learning. We're starting late in life and have loved the opportunity to learn this new together as a couple and truly be away.
We enjoy our simple old boat but know it is not up to the longer trips any more.

Someone asked price range. Our means are limited so we are in the $20,000 and under range.

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Hugh and Jeanni]

Oops wasn't quite done. We're also hoping for under 34 ft so we can keep our slip and good neighbors. One nice plus of sailing is the community, including the response today.

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Hugh and Jeannie.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
You've got your sight set for the right size boat. Good luck in your quest.
kind regards,

[cwyckham]

It sounds like you're doing a great job of learning step by step. What is your plan for the new boat? What sort of sailing do you want to do with it and where?

[Hugh and Jeanni]

Ah,
We hope to spend a few years in the San Juans and Gulf Islands and vicinity and then try some longer distance cruising. We're hoping to start with a trip down the coast and to Mexico, perhaps Hawaii and then who knows. We'll take it as it comes and see how our skills develop. Maybe we're dreaming too big, but why not. We're ready for a new adventure in our 'old' age and ready to cut loose and change lifestyles. We're used to frugal living and a more simple life and We just keep going step by step and learning as much as we can and see where it leads. Getting out on the water every chance and practicing and learning has been fun. We need to have the New Moon out of commission for a while and do some deck work, but then we will be back out. We look at life each day as 'What do we do next to get where we want to go.'
We're also reading all we can and staying inspired and challenged. So recommend any books that you can think of.
Also we're open to boat reviews and advice of any kind!