Hi All . . . Couple o' Noobs Here !

[GoPack]

Hello Everyone,
My wife and I live east of Cleveland on Lake Erie. When we were first married, we lived in North Carolina on the Pamlico Sound. After the purchase of our house, the next purchase was a new 25' MacGregor with which we learned to sail the Pamlico. As the children arrived, it slowly became obvious that the boat would have to go. Fast forward 28 years. The kids have struck out on their own and my wife and I are looking forward to retirement in the next four to five years. We would like to purchase a boat, reacquaint ourselves with sailing, and finally, strike out for the Bahamas. We have just looked at a beautiful 1986 30' Catalina. The owners have taken extremely good care of her. This would be an excellent choice for Lake Erie, but what about the Bahamas. It's a tall rig drawing 5'3". Is this too much for the trip down the ICW and the shallow Bahamian waters? (Bridge height is 47'+) We want the boat now to learn to sail her and learn her systems. Any and all input is valuable. Thanks.
Jeff
P.S. Oh yeah, the GoPack thing ... I was born in Wisconsin and actually remember Vince Lombardi storming the sidelines. Once a Packer fan, always a Packer fan!!

[RicknSue]

Welcome to the forum, we are also in your area (Geauga)...2015 is take off for us!!

[boatman61]

Welcome to CF GoPack...

[S/V Antares]

Welcolme, Yup... ya gotta like the Pack!

Lots of Catalinas in the Bahamas and no problerm on the draft, ICW bridges are fixed 65 ft or under 20 and open up. Don't go crazy with lots of gear. Try the lifestyle and outfit as you see fit.

[Dkdoyle]

Wow i can't say go pack since i am a bucs fan and just whipped us but we gave you a good game. Welcome to the forum

[shorebird]

Welcome. We are fairly new to sailing as well, and looked for a Catalina 30, mid eighties, simply because they are so popular and affordable. I walked down a Vancouver dock recently and counted 7 consecutive Catalina 30s, but we ended up buying a mid-80s Hunter 31 simply because it was so well equipped and maintained. We also dream of cruising the Carribean someday, so we wish you the best of luck in following that dream.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, GoPack.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you posting here. I think the Catalina 30 is a good choice.
kind regards,