Hello from New Jersey!

[The_Mike]

Greetings!

I'm a 26-year-old nerd living in New Jersey who has this summer fallen in love with the idea of sailing and -someday- living on a boat. Prior to June, I had zero history with actually sailing, other than the inevitable Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin novels I was raised upon. I took a few lessons at a local Yacht club (420s mostly) on the Delaware, and bought a rather well loved old Capri Cyclone 13 catboat to tow behind my diesel hatchback.

I've had the boat out a couple times now, and aside from a rather unfortunately-oriented launching ramp causing me to repeatedly capsize (gusts without daggerboard or rudder are hardly fair! ), I have more-or-less discovered how to keep the water out.

As a newbie-sailor, I'll probably keep at the dinghy boating for another year or two. I'm currently only going out on the Cooper River (tiny, maybe 300 yards across), but will eventually work up to the Delaware, and then maybe NJ's or MD's bays.

Eventually, I want a live-aboard blue water cruiser. At the moment (and this is still far away), I'm thinking Westerly Centaur 26, Nor'sea 27, PSC Orion 27, CSY 33 - something like that. I would want to live and weekend-sail and save, until eventually casting off the anchor of office-life and heading off to the Bahamas and eventually Europe.

Big plans, but I'm not going to rush them.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Mike.

[JerseyMermaid]

Hi Mike!

Welcome to the forum. If you spend any amount of time here, you will quickly realize how many other people are in the same boat with you, sharing the dream! (Excuse all the puns...they seem to fly around these parts! )

I too, live in NJ, down in Cape May, and share the big 41' blue cruiser dream. Looking to start on a small 22' for now to get the lay of the land and learn all the ropes. Not a lick of sailing experience either aside from hoisting the mast and sail on my Hobie Kayak. Never peddled/paddled again after that unless I lost my wind!

Also looking to find a way onto some boats to be a winch monkey at the very least and get my toes wet.


Hope you keep us abreast of your travels and how things are coming along!

Fair winds and following seas,

~Danielle

[Waterway Guide]

Welcome aboard, Mike!

[Mike Vogdes]

Hey Mike,

I started out on the Cooper River many many moons ago, back then Moths were all the rage. Cooper river is a good spot to figure it all out, and if you can sail on the Delaware, you can sail anywhere. I'm "down the shore" now-a-days, sailing out of Longport NJ and loving it. There are plenty on nice boats in the size range you want that are looking for a new owner, keep the dream alive you will get there...

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here on the forum.
kind regards,