Hello from Arizona, USA

[Sjadows]

So I'm 29, single, taking care of the folks, and I've spent the last seven or eight years in the grind of at least 40 hour work weeks. I've seen lots of nice companies to work for end up being full of the political BS. The latest, which I'm leaving shortly, has an annual turnover rate of at least 300%, sometimes as high as 800%. (That means enough people get fired and then others hired that you swap out the entire workforce eight times a year. Imagine working in that environment for four years.)

Nose to the grind stone. No dreams, just duties and obligations. No life, just work. This week, I'm sitting at work, waiting for a call, surfing the internets.

I'm not sure what happened. One minute I was browsing techie stuff, and then all of the sudden I was looking at sailboats.

What I wanted to do growing up? Live on a sailboat. Always loved the sea.

The last eight years have just been nose to the grindstone, work because I have to make money to live.

Looking back, I realize I can point to maybe three or four weeks that I've actually done things I enjoyed, like relaxing.

So there I was, boom, looking at sailboats. And I remembered the dream. I've spent the past week burying myself in places like this and not getting enough sleep, planning, digging, getting ready to sell my parents on it, since I'd be taking them with me. (It's a very, very long story, full of medical emergencies, brain damage, bankruptcies, loss of ability to work. They're both physically able.)

I found out selling them on it was EASY. They're very enthusiastic about the idea. That's awesome imho.

So here I am, a crazy fool with a dream, a long way from the ocean.

But we've got lakes. Lakes with ASA certified sailing schools less than 2 hours from where I live.

Yeah, I can learn to sail here far from the sea. The basics are what I need to start with, right?

So I'm completely insane in Arizona, but I figure if things go right I can pull it all together in a year and be living on a boat at the end of it. It probably won't be a really great boat, but if it floats and it can handle the basics, that's good enough for me - it's a start, and I can work while living below my means again.

[Hud3]

Welcome to the Forum, Sjadows, good to have you with us!

Being out on the water is a good way to put the work pressures aside and relax. Always worked for me. Your plan to learn the basics through the ASA courses is good, but be sure to follow up by sailing as much as you can, so that you can hone the skills you've learned. It pretty much doesn't matter what kind of sailboat, just as long as you're sailing it.

[cdennyb]

hey there S(h)jadows... LoL guess you hit the wrong key huh? Anyway... if you got some money, got some skills, got the drive and they are healthy enuf to be outwater where there ain't no hospitals, doctors or paramedics, then you might have a chance. Welcome... enjoy all you read. If you want a real treat, (asumming you haven't found it yet...) go to www.sailblogs.com and check out the families, and people who are out there right now. Communicate with them and get your questions answered and see what you're in for. You're gonna luv it.

[Ocean Girl]

Wow great intro,
How smart to of figured out at 29 what many people don't until much later in life.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you get your boat soon. At about your age I did some cruising with my parents, though it was aboard their boat. Not only did we have a great time but we became even closer than before.
Cheers,
Erika


There is nothing like lying flat on your back on the deck, alone except for the helmsman aft at the wheel, silence except for the lapping of the sea against the side of the ship. At that time you can be equal to Ulysses and brother to him.
- Errol Flynn

[Sjadows]

Hud3, it's good to be here! I plan on trying to sail whenever I can at this point. Possibly I'll find a small dingy to practice in; if not I'm aiming for the "Show up to the Marina, see if anybody wants a hand for the day" approach. Hey, it might work!

cdennyb, actually I didn't hit the wrong button, it's just something I've noticed about how people hear sounds. If you try and cram a j sound where you'd make an h sound in the word but make no other changes, people still hear Shadows. Plus, it's never taken! (Of course, most people when told this try to say Sh-jay-dows, which does not work... lol - try more like Sjah-dows)

I've got the site open in another tab, but I havn't made it there yet. I've only got about 40 tabs open right now! I can get the money, now that I'm getting a higher paying job in ten-ish days. I can learn the skills, because I've never found anything I couldn't learn. I've got the drive, because I've always been too stubborn to quit. Working on a sailboat? Great way to get healthier XD and a great reason to get back into the shape I used to be in. (Living in a city does not provide as many chances to exercise as living in the middle of a forest next to that one unnamed big river did, unfortunately. I'm sick of living in cities.)

Ocean Girl, I'm glad I've figured it out too. To be honest, my feet have been itchy for years. It's so hard /not/ to just go wandering. If nothing else, I've got something to work towards instead of just treading water. It seems important to me anyway. And that is a wonderful quote!

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and Welcome to the dream.
Start with the book "Start Sailing Right!" All there is in there is how to stuff geared for small boats but it'll get you into the skills you need to sail a boat. It doesn't distract you by showing big glossy photos of "show boats." In my opinion it is one of the best beginner books.
Good luck in following your dream.
Regards

[Sjadows]

Skipper John, Thank you. It feels good to have a dream.

I've added that book to my to-read list - sounds like the kind of book I need to read, especially as I've been avoiding "show boats".

Thanks - again - I need all the luck I can get! I figure as long as I keep putting one foot in front of the other I'll get there. It's amazing how much excitement there is in this for me, I'm one of those guys who usually stays far too level headed. I guess this will be my new guilty pleasure lol