Second year liveaboard in Rhode Island

[MikeColarusso]

Hi all! As the title says, this is my second winter living aboard a sailboat. It's certainly been interesting so far.

Bit of history...

Before purchasing my first boat in spring 2016, the only sailboat is ever been on was a tall ship in Boston harbor.

I'd spent years watching all of the YouTube sailing channels and obsessing over cruising until finally the planet's seemed to align, and I moved out of my apartment and onto a 1982 Catalina 30 "Good Question." I spent the summer and winter working on her while working mostly from home in IT while docked in Portsmouth, RI.

After 12 years in IT, I was growing bored and restless (even before Good Question), but once I started spending time aboard her, I didn't want to do anything else. So I dropped my clients, ran out of money, and started working for a sailing school/charter operation here in Rhode Island. For so much less money. And way more work. I was able to bring Good Question to the new marina, and it made the commute to work very convenient!

Haha.

I've been a lot happier though, so definitely worth the pay cut.

Early summer, I decided that I wanted to upgrade my boat, since the Catalina 30 isn't capable of doing what I'd like to do in the future. It's a lovely coastal day sailer, but living aboard feels like living in a dorm, not a home.

So with the help of my boss, I found a new boat that checks most of the boxes I wanted, and purchased her in July, just over a year after I got Good Question. She's a 1980 Hunter 37 cutter, designed by John Cherubini.

I absolutely love this boat, and it's amazing going from the C30 to this. I feel at home, and really like the feeling of knowing I'll keep her for an extended period of time, and can upgrade and customize without worrying about wasting money on a boat I'm going to sell soon anyways.

I'm fully embracing my career change, and immersing myself in the marine industry. It's a welcome change, and it feels great to be learning so much after stagnating in IT for years.

So far I've gotten the ABYC electrical certification, and NMEA installer/network certificates. Soon I'll get the NMEA CMET(certified marine electronics technician) cert, along with ABYC standards and systems certifications, achieving Master Technician status.

Along with those, I'm working on my captains license, shooting for 50 ton master, and will be getting ASA instructor qualifications as well since my boss is one of the only people in the northeast who can qualify new instructors. It would be dumb to not take advantage of that opportunity.

Buying and living on a sailboat has been a life changing (to say the least) event. It is, without a doubt, the best thing I've ever done in my life.

Thanks for reading along, and I look forward to participating in the forum!

Mike Colarusso

[MikeColarusso]

Oops. Forgot to add a pic..this is the currently unnamed Hunter 37c.

[SVRocinante]

Welcome to the forum & congrats on some great accomplishments!

regards,

[GRIT]

Nice story. Glad you found your calling.

Now, NAME THAT BOAT! You're already calling it a "her", so really, name her.

Cheers, and welcome.

Paul.

[CaptsWife]

Cool story. Congrats and good luck to you!

[boatman61]

Nice choice of boat.. I have owned a Cherubini 37c myself in the past and loved her to bits.. sailed her solo from NC to the UK..
A suggestion.. strengthen the fwd bulkhead against the anchor locker with the storage cupboard.. its only held in place by 4 screws and a heavy sea will have it popping right out.. trust me..
All the other bulkheads are just tabbed in with a gap between the hull and the edges you can fit a little finger in between.. I'd suggest you fill with SikaFlex or similar to reduce any possible flexing in heavy sea's providing a firm but elastic bond.
Maybe Minaret or one of the other boat experts here can confirm or discard this opinion of mine.
Whatever.. enjoy your boat they are great sailboats.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy and Welcome Aboard CF Mike!

Very good intro post. It sounds like the sailing life is a good fit for you.
Your education and skills and certifications will make you a valuable asset in any anchorage or marina.

[SVTwilight]

Great story! Keep going!

We were just down in RI yesterday and it looks like thankfully most of the ice is gone! Very encouraging!

We are bringing our new-to-us FD-12 up from FLL to Portsmouth RI in late March so hopefully we will see you out there!

Todd

[rabbidoninoz]

Ralk about the planets aligning fir you! But really, all this successful transition comes from the will, and being ready for the hard work to realize your dreams! Great inspiration for many of us here.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Mike.

[MikeColarusso]

Originally Posted by SVRocinante

Welcome to the forum & congrats on some great accomplishments!

regards,

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able too keep the ball rolling!

[MikeColarusso]

Originally Posted by svquintana

Nice story. Glad you found your calling.

Now, NAME THAT BOAT! You're already calling it a "her", so really, name her.

Cheers, and welcome.

Paul.

I'm having trouble! It feels like I need to find the perfect name..nothing seems good enough.

Originally Posted by CaptsWife

Cool story. Congrats and good luck to you!

Thanks a lot!

[MikeColarusso]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Nice choice of boat.. I have owned a Cherubini 37c myself in the past and loved her to bits.. sailed her solo from NC to the UK..
A suggestion.. strengthen the fwd bulkhead against the anchor locker with the storage cupboard.. its only held in place by 4 screws and a heavy sea will have it popping right out.. trust me..
All the other bulkheads are just tabbed in with a gap between the hull and the edges you can fit a little finger in between.. I'd suggest you fill with SikaFlex or similar to reduce any possible flexing in heavy sea's providing a firm but elastic bond.
Maybe Minaret or one of the other boat experts here can confirm or discard this opinion of mine.
Whatever.. enjoy your boat they are great sailboats.

Thanks for the suggestion about the inner forestay. I'd really like to renovate that whole section. The anchor locker is so small, and there is a ridiculous amount of wasted space!

I hope to follow in your wake and do some long distance cruising!

[MikeColarusso]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Howdy and Welcome Aboard CF Mike!

Very good intro post. It sounds like the sailing life is a good fit for you.
Your education and skills and certifications will make you a valuable asset in any anchorage or marina.

That's the plan! I guess we'll see what the future holds. I need to be able to make money anywhere I need to so I can stay out there as long as possible!

[MikeColarusso]

Originally Posted by SVTwilight

Great story! Keep going!

We were just down in RI yesterday and it looks like thankfully most of the ice is gone! Very encouraging!

We are bringing our new-to-us FD-12 up from FLL to Portsmouth RI in late March so hopefully we will see you out there!

Todd

I'd never heard of an FD-12 before. Just checked it out and it looks like a really cool boat! I really like the layout!

Hope to see you out there soon!