Greetings from Bella Napoli

[Bluejacketjazz]

Ciao,

Greetings from Naples (Italy). My name is Sarah Beth. I'm an active duty Sailor in the U.S. Navy stationed out here in Europe with my (also active duty) husband, Luis. I've been enlisted for eight years and he for ten. We're getting ready to move back to the United States after a four year absence. I'm sure we'll have some culture shock, but it will be nice to see family. It's been a long time; thank goodness for Skype! Anyway, we joined the forum because we are considering becoming liveaboards at our next duty station. We're just so sick of paying rent all the time and having nothing to show for it. We don't stay in a duty station long enough to buy a house, and the 12 stations our specialization allows us to work at are all in close proximity to water, so we could potentially buy a boat and live on it for the remainder of our time in the Navy. So, that means lots of research for us.

We have agreed on six items so far:
1. We want a sailboat (of course we do, we're Sailors)
2. The size should somewhere between 33' and 44' (preferably in the middle of those numbers)
3. We both need to be able to stand up in it (not a problem for me, but he's 6'1")
4. We want to install a Nature's Head toilet instead of dealing with a tank/pump
5. We unfortunately like boats way out of our price range, so we need to not let our imaginations run wild with our pocketbook.
6. We don't want to have to replace the boat (or upgrade to a bigger one) for at least 10 years.

Well, I'll be poking around on the forums and probably asking a slew of questions in the appropriate sections.

Until then,

Sarah Beth

[stacy]

welcome aboard. Might want to look at a Catalina 42

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Sarah Beth.

[Bluejacketjazz]

Thanks! I am happy to have found the forum, and I am learning how to navigate it, but a bit slowly.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. Way back in the old days I spent 4 years in Germany without a trip to the U. S. It was a culture shock when I got back. Gasoline prices went from 36 cents a gallon to 76 cents. (You might be able to guess how long ago that was). Luckily they sent me to San Diego from there so I was in Navy land again.
Do you have an opportunity to take sailing lessons with MWR there in Naples? It's been so long since I've been there that I don't know what they have any more. If you already know how to sail then you don't need it but a basic course will help with rules of the road and such.
You can check out the links after my signature for some boat recommendations. Pretty much any boat over 32 feet will have 6'1" headroom but not all.
Where will you be going next?
kind regards,

[Bluejacketjazz]

Hi John! Yes, we plan to do a bundle deal when we arrive that includes five courses (beginner to advanced). We're beginners, so it's going to be a huge adventure, but we're adventurous people, so we're looking forward to it immensely. One cool thing is that we have free access to training in the Navy on electrical and mechanical issues, so that should help us out in the future. I always like the word free!

We're heading to Norfolk, VA, also Navyland. :P Not our first choice (actually our last choice), but at least we are together in the same city. My husband is going to get additional training for 8 months while I'm at a different base getting acclimated into my new duty station. Our program is really small, so we get to know almost everyone in it over the course of our career. I know three people there already and it's a pretty good size command considering that we only have 13 places we can go. After my tour there, I'll probably know over half of the Sailors in my rate! Once my husband finishes his training, we'll find out if we're staying in the area or getting stationed elsewhere. I'm crossing my fingers we'll have to be transferred (our first choice is Hawaii!!).