The New Guy

[Temporarily Landlocked]

Hello all. After several months of perusing as a guest, I thought it was time to officially join the cruisers family. Though my sailing experience is limited to the sailing club in college and the occasional dingy sail, the plan (like many others on this site) is to drop it all and live a life traveling the world by sail. Many questions are yet to be answered. I look forward to having many questions answered here as well as chatting it up with other like minded people.

For now, cruising the emerald waters off distant, enchanting islands will have to wait; the Great Salt Lake will have to be sufficient.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Welcome!

Everyone has to start somewhere............

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha New Guy,
Welcome aboard!! This is a good place to do some searches and join in some discussion. You can dream of cruising all you want here.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Pblais]

Many questions are yet to be answered.

This is the place. I've been to the Great Salt Lake. While just a tad on the salty side it still flows and kicks up her heels time and again. Cruise where you can and we have anchorages you have never seen.

[elf]

Hi TL!

I like your avatar. Just so you know you aren't alone, my husband and I are kind of in the same (pardon the pun) boat. We caught the bug a few years ago and have taken the US Sailing Learn to Sail class and gotten the basic keelboat certification. We've sailed by ourselves on 19-22' keelboats and Hobie cats, a handful of times since then, but are still boatless, landlocked wannabees with big dreams, kinda like you.

We have signed up for the ASA 103/104/114 catamaran liveaboard class in March in Biscayne Bay and are studying our textbooks for that now. There is so much to learn that it can be overwhelming, especially when learning about all the systems on big boats vs. the small monohulls we have sailed to date. In class we'll be sailing on a Manta 40', which boggles my mind, but if we survive it and get certified for Cruising and Bareboat Chartering, we should be able to start bareboat chartering to gain more experience and to see if we really do want to buy a boat of our own. Our ultimate goal, we think, is to buy a cruising catamaran in the 30'-36' range -- but first we have to take all the interim steps to make sure that that is the life (and type of boat) for us. If it's meant to be, we'll get there, and if not....we'll do something else.
Welcome aboard!

Elf

[Temporarily Landlocked]

Elf, I really enjoyed your post. We are in VERY similar boats (pun intended . My wife and I are studying for ASA 101,103,104 right now and will be going to Key West mid-Feb. to get certified. We will be on a Gemini 38 footer I believe. We almost did the school out of Biscayne Bay, but southernmost sailing will throw in lobstering/spear fishing and scuba diving for less than the other school! I'm sure both schools are amazing as they both had great testimonials. We will be there for 9 days total, with a couple days alone (bareboat). This trip is a test to see how much we want this life. The truth is...I'm sold; I just have to let this experience sell my wife. Beaches, sun, a beautiful boat… I think it will all sell itself.

[elf]

Originally Posted by Temporarily Landlocked

Elf, I really enjoyed your post. We are in VERY similar boats (pun intended . My wife and I are studying for ASA 101,103,104 right now and will be going to Key West mid-Feb. to get certified. We will be on a Gemini 38 footer I believe. We almost did the school out of Biscayne Bay, but southernmost sailing will throw in lobstering/spear fishing and scuba diving for less than the other school! I'm sure both schools are amazing as they both had great testimonials. We will be there for 9 days total, with a couple days alone (bareboat). This trip is a test to see how much we want this life. The truth is...I'm sold; I just have to let this experience sell my wife. Beaches, sun, a beautiful boat… I think it will all sell itself.

Oh, I hope so...we day sailed for five days down in Key Largo in early December and had a blast. The weather was perfect, and our experience there only made us want more -- and inspired us to sign up for the liveaboard class. Very cool that you are are doing almost the same classes as us. We have to take the test for ASA 101 as well since we got our Basic Keelboat certification through US Sailing.

I'd really appreciate a follow-up when you get back from class to hear how it went, how difficult the 103/104 tests were, and how your wife liked it! I wish we could bareboat at the end of ours too, but that wasn't an option. Assuming we do manage to get certified, we'd like to do a charter later in the year so that our skills don't get too rusty.

Good luck and have fun - I'll be looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Elf