Tampa, FL Lurkers Come Out of the Shadows

[robert.]

Welcome and I look forward to hearing about your journey!

[blewett_john]

Originally Posted by LearningRopes

Hello CF,

Our sailing experience is basically non existent. We took a days worth of lessons on a sailing dinghy in Lake Erie last year and other than that have just been reading a lot of books and watching tons of videos. We are considering taking sailing classes, but some of the books I have read suggest that the money is better off going into the kitty and to find someone looking for crew to gain experience.

Hi Matt and Jessica,

Check into the Tampa Sailing Squadron. They are in Apollo Beach. This is a sailing club that is very affordable and they have all sorts of opportunities for sailing lessons and crewing positions on the members boats.

Tampa Sailing Squadron Website Home

[LearningRopes]

We appreciate all of the welcoming comments and advice. We will be looking into possible crewing in races at both yacht clubs mentioned and we have also sent an e-mail to the Tampa Sailing Squadron requesting more information and explaining our situation...
Our situation. Man, I (Matt) did not realize how much of a process this would be. I thought I did my due diligence by reading books and forums for almost two years before even thinking about taking the next step of looking at boats to buy. So we began looking two weeks ago and since then have checked out a whopping two boats. One was too small and the second was a boat we could see ourselves living on. I originally planned on saying no to at least 10 boats before even considering a possible purchase just to ensure I was just jumping at any boat because I am anxious to start our adventure. Well, with this last boat Jess and I were looking at each other as soon as we stepped on her with the old "This boat is really nice" look in our eyes. We talked to the agent for a while and when I mentioned we were hoping to finance, the fire left his eyes and he blindsided me with the fact I seemed to overlook in all of my research. It is hard to get financing for boats over 25 years old and impossible to get a loan for a boat over 30 years old (which this one was). I did confirm this with a marine lender and now when we look at boats 25 years and newer in our price range (Under $70,000) and size (Between 34-38 ft) we do not get any results for boats with blue water pedigrees. I know a lot has to do with the sailor and reading Hunter forums, the 37.5 can be upgraded to be capable of crossing oceans, but through my searches I haven't really found anyone who has done this and I certainly don't want to be the guinea pig. I know many people recommend saving up and paying cash when we have the money, but to pay rent and save when I could be using that rent money towards paying the boat seems counter productive. Our goal is to buy a boat by the time our lease is up at the end of August which we feel will give us time to save up a considerable down payment to increase the overall price we can afford.
I have been yearning to get out sailing and have been looking at day charters and over night charters but for the price I can probably get a sailing dinghy which is starting to look more appealing everyday. I do apologize if this post long winded but I do want to stay involved in the forum so we can stay on track. We refuse to let obstacles discourage us from our end goal and we will be sailing soon!

[DrewT]

Hi Matt,

Was curious how things turned out. I'm in a somewhat similar situation with yearning for getting out on the ocean, though I'm looking at a 5 - 10 year plan for mine.

This thread has been a treasure trove of information for someone in the Tampa area, really appreciate all the information here.

Andrew

[Cal31]

Matt, would you remind me what type of sailing you plan on doing for the first couple of years? When you say "bluewater" what exactly do you have in mind? Makes a big difference on the type of boat you get.

We just completed 1000 miles in a 1980 Cal 31. Not spacious, but it does the job for two. Purchased it for $10K, put about the same into it for upgrades and repairs, and off we went.

You might want to consider if it is worth giving up a little on the boat size and amenities so that you can go sailing sooner (assuming you are otherwise ready to go).

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Andrew.