novice sailor

[capnd1964]

hello everyone ,
new member here and also a novice sailor. have sailed only a handful of times however I did take classes in Boston harbor a few years back to try to become more familiar . After meeting a live aboard couple over 20 years ago I became fascinated with the idea but for one reason or another it did not come to fruition ,however recently I now have a path to making this happen finally. I have hopes of buying a 30 ft cape dory and making this dream come together. Of course this is the condensed version. I do have extensive mechanical experience and have work in boat shops as a mechanic for power boats . my concerns are about navigating in open waters and just where to begin in general . I see myself living on the oceans and exploring and people tell me i am crazy but i know this is what i want . I do not want to get old (older) and wishing id done this or that . i want to get older and remember that i did do this or that . any input would be greatly appreciated and would like to make new friends in the cruisers community thank you .

[Steadman Uhlich]

Welcome Aboard CF!

My friendly suggestion: there is an incredible amount of information in the forum archives. Spend time reading and you will find many questions you may have now have been answered with many opinions.

Enjoy your time here in CF and on the water!

[Steve Olson]

There are many books and video blogs out there. Also, consider joining a sailing meetup group (meetup.com). One piece of advice is to take ideas from many people and form your own opinions. There are a number of people who would steer you in the wrong direction. Don't take one person's opinion as the way it is. Research daily and thoroughly. Keep in mind that what works for one person may or may not work for you, so it's always good to get many people's thoughts on every topic. And don't listen to people with no experience who might tell you that this or that is crazy. The people who will tell you that really have no idea what they're talking about. People who do know will only give you thoughts to consider for you to achieve your goals. There are many people doing everything from simply living aboard to completing multiple circumnavigations. I always remind myself that if someone else can do something, I can also do it, as long as I'm willing to put forth the effort to learn what I need to know.

[Don C L]

Well you have chosen a nice little boat to explore with! Perhaps a tad on the small size for world traveling, but definitely a very good boat. You may peruse bluewaterboats.org too. At any rate, welcome here! The navigation thing can be certainly worked out, especially these days with GPS, more important to my mind that you can feel at home on a boat at sea, if that is your fancy. Where are you? Where do you want to start out? I say begin in an area where you can find fun right off the bat with increasing levels of challenge available to you. I always recommend getting a boat like a Laser to start with, even if you get a bigger boat too. The little boat will hook you with FUN and it will teach you all the tricks of making a boat go fast with just a piece of cloth and a breeze! Best of luck and keep us posted!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, capnd.

[Don C L]

You might find these interesting:
https://capedory31.wordpress.com/
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - refits of note
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - WHY a plastic classic?

[gjordan]

Living the dream while you can is a great way to go. My first advice (you will get tons of advice) is to not get stuck on purchasing a specific boat. Cape Dorys are nice boats, but rather pricey and there are thousands of good boats for sale in this market. The initial purchase price is just the beginning of the money drain, so finding one that has much of the cruising gear you will need is a good idea. The Cape Dory has a long keel and that is just fine, but there are many boats with medium length (not knife blade racing keels) fin and skeg designs that are good and probably sail a bit better than the Cape Dory. On this forum you will see that many people are gadget oriented and think you cant go to sea without $30,000 worth of electronics , a water maker, whatever the latest super dooper anchor is, and about a 1/4 acre of solar panels. That is OK if you have deep pockets, but most of it is not really needed and if you have to work an extra 2 or 3 years to pay for it all, I would say go simple and safe, but go. Of course this is all just my opinion, and you will get lots of opinions on CF. Best of Luck to You. _____Grant.