Hello from London, Ontario

[countrybimm]

Hello all! A friend who works in Fort Mcmurray Alberta whos from my area decided hes had enough of the cold and wanted to sail this winter in FL/Caribbean. So after losing my job this spring due to the economy(bummer) i decided to this would be the year to get into sailing. I took the summer and dedicated it to learning how to sail,joining a race team and sailing Lake Erie on the sandpiper we bought. My friend after months of researching just bought a O'day 302 this week. woohoo!. we have been scouring the forums for information and talking to anyone we can think of and are fairly confident that the florida/bahamas winter is doable. The boat has full nav, electronics,autohelm, is surveyed with a diesal, and a tank!. We are 26 and finally getting old enough to not do everything the hard way. I was hoping to meet somone in the london/toronto/windsor area with first hand knowledge of the trip were doing whos brain i could pick. If there is anyone who is interested in talking to me in person, or by email please send a message.

Also if any fellow canadians read this and can think of something thats vital that i should know, send me a message.

thx
-neil

[Solitude]

Welcome

Is there two of you? Your enthusiasm is admirable. How long have you been sailing? Any offshore?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Neil.

PM me with a time, date, and phone number, and I’ll call you. My “southbound” sno-bird experience is quite dated, but I have lots of “opinions” (some dated, some timeless ) I’d be willing (happy) to share.
Gord

[Vasco]

Welcome, used to fool around with boats in Pt. Stanley myself, but that was a long time ago. Where's your friend's O'day? If it's in Florida the Bahamas should not be a problem. Getting a bit cold now, time to head south.

[countrybimm]

I have been sailing three times a week since june or so. I took the whitesail 1 course and really didnt appreciate it. The best thing i did was start racing out of Port Dover with a "seasoned" captain who has more years of experience that i could imagine. The O'day is in Port Dover, soon to be put onto a trailer and moved to my parents farm. My friend wanted a fresh water boat and a trailer so that come summer he can put it in a slip in ontario. There will be two of us for the first month, with friends flying in for the free stay on the boat. So with luck they can organize and we will have a third crew member for the majority of it.Oh, and we have no ocean experience..yet!.
Thx everyone for the welcome.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and Welcome aboard!
I haven't done that trip so won't comment but think you'll get seasoned enough once underway on your journey.
Good luck to you and wish I could be young enough to do the trip myself.
regards,

[Ashoreschool]

Welcome Neil,
Wasn't familiar with the 302, Very nice layout and many positive owners comments on the ODay Owners website.
There are lots of on-line guides to the Inter-Coastal Waterway. They'd be a great asset for your trip. South Florida, particularly the Gulf coast, would make a good place to add to your open water experience before you venture off to the Carribean.

Love to hear more about your experience as it develops.

[Ocean Girl]

Welcome to the forum
Are you guys going to trailer her down to Fla then head over to the Bahamas? My only advice about crossing the Gulf stream is not to do it with any N, NNE, NNW, ENE, WNW wind (ya get the drift?) the stream screams north at about five knots, so any northwind and the waves like to do a "jig" standing straight up, not fun.
Have fun on your adventure,
Erika

PS be sure to see Eluthera, my fav.

[countrybimm]

We will be trailering the boat down as he wants it back in ontario for the summer.Thanks for the advice about northern winds, definately want to make this as safe as possible.I will start looking into the Inter-coastal guides this week.Should i get nav charts here, or wait till I until i hit florida to purchase them?

[slomotion]

You want Explorer charts for the Bahamas. In November you will find plenty of fellow cruisers in Florida waiting for weather to cross the Gulf Stream.