Newbie Greetings from Mobile Bay !

[MikeTurner]

Hi to all,

I've been sailing for over 35 years, started with a Sunfish knock-off and O'day 22 on inland lakes in Michigan. After a college hiatus, bought another Sunfish and an O'day Daysailor for inland lakes in North Carolina; then a Catalina 25 on the Potomac River in Northern Virginia and a Catalina 30 in Long Beach California. The latter two gave my wife and I our first taste of cruising, mostly overnighters and weekends.

Had a pretty little Rob Roy yawl in San Diego Bay, and when we retired moved it to the eastern shore of Mobile Bay in Alabama. Spent a year of more extensive cruising of the Rob Roy here and in Mississippi Sound. Our biggest cruising adventure in the Rob Roy was a 30 mile sail home from one of the Mississippi Barrier islands after we lost our rudder, steering by sails alone and sailing all the way into our slip.

Decided we needed a bigger boat so last year sold the Rob Roy and bought a 32' Lazyjack schooner - fiberglass centerboard boat designed by Ted Brewer and built by the Ted Hermann boat shop in New York. Spent three months refurbishing the boat at Hudson, FL just north of Tarpon Springs; and this time last year took 15 days to transit Florida's Big Bend to bring the boat home, mostly under power with stops at Yankeetown, Suwannee, an overnight to Apalachicola and then up the ICW thru Panama City, Destin, Orange Beach and up Mobile Bay to home.

We're continuing work on the boat with plans for longer distance cruising in the years ahead. This year we'll do a return trip to Apalachicola, and later more time in the Mississippi Barrier Islands. In years to come we plan sails to Key West and the Dry Tortugas, the Bahamas, maybe up the East Coast via the ICW, and Central America, particularly Belize.

I've already gotten lots of great information on this board and am hoping I can contribute something of value down the line.

Regards,

Mike Turner
Lazyjack 32 schooner "Mary'Lis"
Mobile Bay, Alabama

[Mark1977]

Welcome aboard.

[NatureGuy]

Originally Posted by Mark1977

Welcome aboard.

Heya! Saw your post here....I live in Tampa (actually one of the Tampa suburbs) now (moved here from Portland, OR, a little over 4 yrs ago--when I retired. I, too, had an O'Day 23 once....which I got rid of well ahead of my retirement & subsequent move to Florida. Do you ever sail the coast line down the FL peninsula and beyond? I am hopeful to be the new owner of a smaller-sized, but sea-worthy sailboat (WWP-15) as soon as this coming weekend....though, nothing is written in stone for that to happen. Once I become well-enough acquainted with this boat....I would like to try a cruise....but with one or more other sailboats. I have never done open-sea cruising (or any thing beyond sailing in the Columbia River by Portland, Oregon., for that matter.....other than as a passenger on a (true) 110 ft sailboat through the southern-most Caribbean (St. Lucia to Grenada.) Anyway, it'd be nice if you ever decide to make a cruise along the Gulf Coast and beyond (Key West; Hemingway Marina)....If I'm ready to do, I'd love to cruise in my (as yet un-purchased) boat.

Larry (NatureGuy)

[Lancerbye]

Welcome aboard.

[pjop]

Hey Mike. Welcome aboard. I too have the pleasure of sailing the waters of Mobile Bay and the surrounding area. I use to keep a Catalina 27 in Pass Christian and sail out to Ship Island every chance I got. That is until Katrina took out the marina there. Note the Catalina survived. I'm now in a little bigger boat and on the West side of the Mobile Bay. I sure would like to see some pics of your 32' schooner. She sounds so sweet. We're leaving for Tarpon Springs day after tomorrow and hoping the wind dies down a bit. It's forecasted to be up to 25 knots this weekend. If you sail over to Dog River give me shout, I'll catch your lines and buy you a beer.
Pete

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. Would love to see photos of your boat.
kind regards,

[MikeTurner]

Larry, Did you get your boat yet? We plan some cruises down your way next year, this year we're staying closer to home. The Potters are great little boats, there's a group out in California that sails every year out to Catalina Island and back, they just had a write up in Latitude 38 magazine, you can find a link on-line. If you get up this way, drop a line.