Hello - Newb from Ft.Lauderdale

[manollo3]

Hello all,
My name is Mario and have lurked around here for about two weeks now and thought it was time to join this great community.
Do not have a sail boat as of yet but currently looking into a 25-32'. Had a small power boat before and are not too experienced with sailing but know the basics.
A friend of mine has a 41' Moody and he started to get me hooked to a sailing boat.
About three weeks ago I met a couple from Germany who started about a year ago on their 4 year round the world trip. They crossed the Atlantic in a 30' Albin Ballad. After hearing all of their stories and looking at their boat I said: That's it, I am hooked.
So I need to do a lot of research on what kind of boat, equipment etc.
Will do a lot of reading but if someone has any advise on where to start I would really appreciate it.

thanks,
Mario

[skipmac]

Welcome Mario,

You are in the right place to shop for boats. South FL probably has more boats for the area than any other spot in the world.

If you research some of the old posts you will find LOTS of information about different boats and which one to buy. Of course the answer is different for everyone. First you really need to figure out what kind of sailing you want to do and then pick the right boat for the job.

Good luck.

[manollo3]

Hi Skipmac,
thanks for the welcome.
Will most likely doing some cruising close to the coast and the bay. It will be also a nice getaway for my wife and 4 year old daughter. Once I feel secure would like to go over to the Bahamas. But again that will be in the far future. Have to learn a lot and this a great forum to obtain some information for that.

[scook1]

Hey manollo,
glad to see that you are making some steps to follow your dreams. I hope that you find this forum helpful in you search.
Spencer

[Abaco]

Manollo,

I'm in Ft. Lauderdale as well. Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you will get plenty of advise here for your boat search.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Mario,
Welcome aboard! I wish you well in the pursuit of your dream.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[Ocean Girl]

Welcome,
Your adventure has already begun-boat shopping
Happy sailing,
Erika

[speedoo]

Welcome aboard, Mario. Ft. Lauderdale is a great place to shop for boats, and the Bahamas are only a few hours away! Best of luck to you and your family.

[manollo3]

Thanks a lot everyone for the nice welcome. I am sure I will be able to obtain some great information from this forum.
Mario