Another newbie to the forum

[Floridaguy]

Hi...

I'm new to this forum, but an old salt sailor. I hold a 100 ton off shore CG license for power & sail. I have about 10,000 blue water miles, sailing mainly the east coast and Caribbean but have sailed the west coast (SoCal and the San Juans in Washington) and Hawaii.

I've done my share of racing - the old Ft. Lauderdale - Key West Race a bunch of times, Key West Race Week (although not recently) and crewed on the SORC winner in '90 when they still had the ST. Pete - Miami Race. Have done the Sol de Sol - St. Pete to Isla Mujeres, MX and Antigua Race Week. Skippered a support boat for Team New Zealand at the '95 America's Cup in San Diego.

My boat - nothin' fancy - a Hunter 34 that I bought for Lake Lanier in Atlanta and took to St. Pete a decade ago. She's at the Pasadena Yacht & Country Club in Gulfport, FL - between St. Pete and St. Pete Beach. Not the best boat for cruisn', but fine for extended weekend trips down the Florida west coast. Although, we did take her to Cuba in '94. Cruise the FL west coast - St. Pete to the Keys - mostly these days.

Sailed to Cuba in '94 - spent 2 weeks in Havana and a week along the NW coast. Most fantastic sailing trip I've ever had!

Haven't cruised a whole bunch the last 2-3 years. I bought a couple of horses and have a small farmette in NW Georgia about 45 minutes NW of Atlanta. Also a house in Atlanta.

Single, unattached and ready to go cruisin' again. Also available for race crew and deliveries.

Mike Ventura
Atlanta, GA / St. Pete, FL

[sjs]

Welcome aboard Floridaguy. I'm curious, and no criticism intended cause I've chartered numerous Hunters and enjoyed them, but I'd be interested because of the variety of high performance racing boats you've sailed why you chose the Hunter for the given price range you were dealing in?

Reason I'm asking is I am planning an extended ICW cruise and, because it will be all coastal sailing, I am weighing the benefits of older boats with blue water capabilities with newer boats without such capabilitities.