Hi from Pine Island, Florida

[E.J.]

Hi there.
I'm hoping to buy my first live-aboard this summer, preferably a trawler. I'll probably be based at Pine Island initially, but I'll be exploring other options along the Florida coastline, including the Keys.
For now I'm just going to browse the forums, soak up some of the knowledge many of you have built up through the years, and try to get off on the right foot before I buy a boat and start living on it full-time.
I love getting advice, and this looks like a great place to find some. I'm looking forward to being part of this community!

[SV Bacchus]

If you like to read you should check out a series of books written by a guy named Ed Robinson. I call it the Breeze series as it is a collection of fiction written around a main character named Meade Breeze. The stories can get a little far-fetched but entertaining none-the-less.

You may enjoy them, if you like to read, as they are set in SW Florida, mainly in the Pine Island area as Meade likes to anchor out near Cayo Costa. I've picked up a few new hangouts from references in those books!

Oh, did I tell you Meade has a trawler, not a sailboat?

He has one great non-fiction written about how he and his wife sold it all and moved on a boat, it was inspirational for us and helped kick-start us on the downsizing process.

I read the series on an eReader as it makes for cheap reading.

Check out the first in a series of 7: "Trawler Trash: Confessions of a Boat Bum"

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, E.J.

[James S]

Welcome to the forum E.J.
Lots of great info here..
Looking forward to watching your journey.