Finally Bought It ...

[dw5055]

I did it! bought a sailboat....Catalina 400......It's been two years in the making. I sailed/motored it from Ft. Myers to Marathon..then to Lake Worth Inlet...Riviera Beach Marina. Very long runs for just buying a boat but it's the only way to get it to Lake Worth Inlet. Spent one month getting it ready to go to the Bahamas...then sailed from Lake Worth to Memory Rock...checked in at Walkers Cay. Then to Great Sale Cay for the night. Then to Manjack Cay and eventually ...Bluff House Marina at Green Turtle Cay. Which is where I'm at now. And only because the weather has been so crappy. This is my first sailboat...came from power boating. Living aboard full time...and loving it. My experience is about 25 sailing trips with friends on sailboats over the last two years and 35 years on power. This forum has been great at giving me insight to the sailing life...but no real experience.. My feelings were just go do it. Actually a guy on here MarkJ kept telling people just go do it...and I did...so thanks MarkJ. But really I didn't want to be on a porch at 80 thinking-why didn't I go do it. So far no real bad experiences...lucky..maybe. But I'm loving every minute...except it's been raining every day. So for those of you who've ask the question, should I? Yes...just go do it. Be safe and do it to your comfort level...but don't let anyone talk you out of it.....if that's what you truly want to do. I'm a 60 year old single sailor who did it.

[monstads]

That is awesome.. Good for you, and congratulations !!!

[cdennyb]

Awesome Doug.
I've finally made the big step myself, and just this month have dumped a ton of stuff to craigs list and ebay and to friends and neighbors! Oh, uncomplicating our lives feels so good.
I'm taking a small trip to look over a vessel myself and since I have cash to deal with, it should be easier.
I admire you doing this at your age, I'm pushing 58 right now and figured there was no better time than this ytear to make the 'plunge'.

Hope to see you down there next spring!

[FLLCatsailor]

Way to go! Congrats on the new yacht!

[SkiprJohn]

Congratulations! Well done.
kind regards,

[Stumpkiller]

Good on you. We had a Catalina 34 and much admired the aft "owner's cabin" of the 400.

[Navegante1105]

Congratulations...!!You will not regret..Regards, Agustín.

[In Training]

Awesome and thanks for posting. It is inspiring to those of us planning to do it in 2-3 years. Congratulations!

[Therapy]

Good for you.

I am still rationalizing how to waste a majority portion of my (hard earned) retirement fund.

ra·tion·al·ize [rash-uh-nl-ahyz, rash-nl-ahyz] Show IPA verb, ra·tion·al·ized, ra·tion·al·iz·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to ascribe (one's acts, opinions, etc.) to causes that superficially seem reasonable and valid but that actually are unrelated to the true, possibly unconscious and often less creditable or agreeable causes.
2.
to remove unreasonable elements from.
3.
to make rational or conformable to reason.
4.
to treat or explain in a rational or rationalistic manner.
5.
Mathematics . to eliminate radicals from (an equation or expression): to rationalize the denominator of a fraction.

ra·tion·al·ize (rsh-n-lz)
v. ra·tion·al·ized, ra·tion·al·iz·ing, ra·tion·al·iz·es
v.tr.
1. To make rational.
2. To interpret from a rational standpoint.
3. To devise self-satisfying but incorrect reasons for (one's behavior)

You just helped.

[Cheechako]

Congrats! Have fun, that boat wil take all the way to Trini! at least...