Greetings! Just joined the forum.
My wife and I spend a lot time on the
water in the warmer months (swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding) in nearby lakes & rivers or if we have time - the bay in NJ. Getting an itch to get into cruising, specifically in the ocean. Problem is that we currently live in Reading, PA (west of Philadelphia) - and this is not a thing here. I will have no issues moving as I have an office in Orlando. There is a lot of
work there for us and I have been there a lot. We talked things through and agreed to do the move next year. Not for sailing of course (that would be foolish at this point!), but just for the warmer/hotter
weather. We are sick of the winters here! I think I may also have an early midlife crisis going on.
Taking ASA101 in May and ASA103 in July in Philadelphia off the Delaware River. Trying to squeeze time in to crew on weekends, or take my wife out by splitting a
charter with another couple. Please private message me if you are in the area and may be interested.
Then - driving to
Florida by end of year and
buying a
pocket cruiser that I will leave on a slip in Titusville or Harbortown Marina OR a marina on Tampa Bay. I was thinking of airBNBing some nights (near
work in Orlando) and spend some nights on the
boat to get a feel. Next - Flying the wife down on weekends to
cruise with me, and get a better feel for the area before we make the move.
That is the plan. Let's see how things pan out, but I'm optimistic right now. After doing a lot of reading on this forum and several
books on sailing,
living aboard a
boat, cruising, and how-to
books - I have a feeling in my gut that I may be taking on a very expensive hobby that I will enjoy.
Please reach out if you live in the nearby area and need crew. Want to put theory to the test and get some practice and get a feel for different boats.
After doing a lot of
research on different boats (without any on-deck experience) I have been eyeing a Oday 25, or
Catalina 25 or 27 as a starter boat. Most experience to date has been on HobieCats, with a few times on board sailboats ~25ft in
Caribbean or local (once on Lake Nockamixon).
Enjoy the heel when sailing close hauled on a mono-hull, and want a stable boat so I don't make a very expensive mistake. Open to everyone's thoughts, but will have a better feel by the end of the year either way.