Hello, I'm not too far off. I'm by Edmonton Alberta, fresh
water lake sailing here. Although not now as we are having a spring snow storm:@
We will be in
Vancouver this may chartering a
lagoon 38. It's beautiful sailing through the gulf islands.
The
leopard 40 is a nice cat, but don't make up your mind yet. Once you saw get some experience your tastes might change, or be reinforced. Keep an open mind and just enjoy every chance, and every
boat you can get on.
The secret to becoming a good sailor, and knowing what
boat you want, is to sail every chance you get, on every boat you can.
After all its" the dream" because it's so damn fun and fulfilling:-)
We have a mono here, and enjoy summers with her. It definitely helps with practise. You could also join a local yacht club doing club races,
crewing, or
charter.
In short, welcome to the forum from a fellow Canadian.
Oh, and you have some great options for courses in
Vancouver. We used "ocean forest voyaging" for comp crew and day
skipper cert, and are chartering with Coopers. So far happy with both.