Living aboard will introduce you to a great group of people if your marina/berth is anything like mine. If the marina allows liveaboards long term then it probable allows 'work in progress' boats too, and keep an eye out for the the
live aboard rebuilders. If their standard of
work is good then they are a font of knowledge for cheapest, best, where, etc.
For sailing, it's a similar path. Finding out by, word of mouth, who is capable of teaching you the finer points of
boat handling, sailing and so on. The
Navigation is a separate issue that you've just got to learn properly. Taking bearings to confirm position is a minimum for coastal
work plus the maps for the areas you plan to travel for now. Using a
sextant isn't so important nowadays. Take one with you on a voyage, with an instruction manual. If all else fails you'll have plenty of time to learn how it works.
Once you are comfortable with your
boat (what a wise choice to go for a Cat) you'll think up various improvements to make life easier. Decent grab handles in the
companionway, and for
deck work, a running line to snap your harness to, adding quick release fittings to all three corners of hank on
sails for ease and speed for
rigging, removing. Getting the
roller furling line to enter the drum at just the right angle so it doesn't bind up if you let a little slack in the line, changing some
sheets for ones that are comfortable on the hands and fit the capstan and locking device nicely.
When you are comfortable
single handing in f4 to 5 the you'll cope with f6, f7 and begin to learn the real art of sailing is getting there in one piece, boat and you.
Which leads me on to 'What If!' What are your plans for a sinking boat? Life raft,
EPIRB, handheld radio/nav and an installed grab bag IN THE
LIFERAFT or at least tied to it in a
water proof bag.
For living aboard you want
water carriers that are comfortable to carry (2 of 1 gallon each), a couple of gas rings with a couple of rechargeable gas bottles each, and a good cast iron frying pan plus stew/boiling pans for veg. My gran had divided sections that fitted into a boiling water pan, great for keeping flavours seperate but I haven't seen them in shops for years. Pressure
cookers seem popular. Gas bottle size wants to be as big as you can carry and install in a vented, out of sight, locker. It's cheaper the bigger the bottle and you will get through quite a bit if you like being warm-ish of an evening.
A small fridge, well insulated, with wind+solar to keep it going and consider LED
lighting for evenings, they considerably reduces
battery use. (Still not
legal for
navigation lights.) Those strings of LEDS look a great way to provide
deck lights for
emergency night tasks on deck, and good for
collision avoidance when anchored up.
And I would add one decent
oil lamp for when everything goes out electrically. It's always possible , no matter how good your systems are.
If you are going to spend time at
anchor you'll need a rigid canoe for easy trips ashore, and perhaps an
inflatable for shifting stores. I really wanted a sailable
dinghy for cruising, so much nicer than lugging outboards about, and a lot less likely to be stolen.
I really envy you the opportunity to
live aboard. It's what I bought the Prout for, but she wouldn't. It's cheaper, by far, easy to relocate, a touring life is possible in fine
weather, or not as you find places you want to be for longer periods. Paying out rent,
taxes,
heating, id far dearer ashore than it is on the water. It's not all plusses, but most of it is.