Howdy

[Freebird]

Howdy from Texas!

Small boat sailor with retirement dreams in five or six years.

This is by far the best resource on sailing and cruising I have found on the web. Great information and interesting characters.

Doing research to outfit a sailing cat in the 35-43' range for live aboard cruising in the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean. Lifestyle requirements defined and trying to understand what that means in terms of systems, equipment, power requirements, weight, etc. That looks like the most logical way to determine the boat that will be the best fit for us.

Been reading lots of threads and will become more active when I have covered the existing material. If that's possible... sure is a lot out there.

Thanks for all the great information,

Steve

[BadFish]

Hey cowboy. I am a native Texan myself, but happen to live in much cooler climates now.

Crusin a Cat in Bahamas/Carib, eh? Sounds pretty good to me. This is def the place for ya, as it's been done once or twice before.

Cheers

Bill

[pjbsailing]

Hey Freebird. Welcome. We were in the same boat many years ago. Started small (25'), now have a 44, and we're 4-5 years away. My boat size was determined by the mate, who can be claustrophobic at night. Needed the big aft cabin. You'll be up with the lingo in no time. Lot's of help here, and it's pretty entertaining from time to time.
Cheers
PB

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Steve,
Welcome aboard! Hope you enjoy this forum as much as I do.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[Pblais]

This is by far the best resource on sailing and cruising I have found on the web. Great information and interesting characters.

We make more characters every day (actually they just show up). Lots of details to a lifestyle change. Since you have the time it will be a good idea to stick around. I've been here a long time and still find new things. Ideas do change. Explore all you can before you get ready to take off. Learning to be a character isn't all fun and games either.

Figuring out what you need is a good exercise. Thinking about it brings up all sorts of possibilities. We probably have most of the good and bad idea already here. People are different and sorting out what sailor you really are isn't always obvious. Explore and ask questions. It's what we do here that you can't find in other places. Lots of help is always available. We have people all over the world so someone can always offer another time zone perspective.

[Cowboy Sailer]

Howdy Partner,

Welcome from a fellow Texan that has a South African address for the next few months. We have very similar plans. We will come back to the US and spend a short time looking for and buying the boat. This forum has been very informative.
I also spend some time on YachtWorld.com every day. I am tracking several boats now. Unfortunately. Hurricane Ike messed up a lot of boats in the Houston area. We will probably take a trip to Florida to select our boat but register it in Texas. I am proud to pay my Taxes in Texas.
I have noticed that the boats for sale in cruising destinations like the Virgin Islands are generally well equipped for the cruising life but my wife wants to spend a lot of time with family as soon as we return. We have been gone for 10 years.
I hope that you like this forum as much as I do. They have these guys called moderators that are a hoot. The forum also has very experienced sailors with strong opinions and they are not shy about telling how the cow ate the cabbage! There are also members from countries other than Texas that talk funny, like calling a hot water heater a caliphont. There are also members from places that have ice and snow and they only sail in the summer time. We just have to have sympathy for folks like that and remember that they sometimes get a little crazy at this time of year and we have to cut ‘em some slack.
I have also learned that you can’t get good Tex-Mex food in the rest of the world. Boating people tend to be dreamers and they have a vocabulary all their own. You have to learn how to talk their lingo and type very slowly when writing to them!

Welcome and good sailing,