Hello From S.W. Florida

[CMikeyOne]

Hello to All,

My name is Mike and I am new to sailing....having come into possition of a 1980 Macgregor 25. I have spent the last few months getting her ready for water and learning to sail her. I now understand first hand just how much money it takes to outfit a sailboat. Even if you do get it for "Free", the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say is get out your checkbook.

I am enjoying every moment of the experence and have never looked back. I hope to meet others in the same boat and learn, learn and learn some more.

Hope to see and hear from any other sailors who may be cruising the Gulf of Mexico near Naples, Fl.

Mike Taylor
"Water Damage"

[Paul Ouellette]

Mike :

Welcome to the sailing fraternity.

Pls remember these two little rules (with big messages,,,)

1) One hand for you...& one for the boat.

2) Them who know, go slow...them who know more, go slower !!

Good luck & be sure to read Latitudes & Attitudes magazine.

[CMikeyOne]

Thanks Paul,
Both messages understood and will be praticed with due diligence.

Mike

PS: I am a subscriber to L & A already.

[Harriet]

Mike,

Since you are in their neighborhood, you ought to consider joining the Gulf Coast Sailing Club. Great bunch of people, and you'll get lots of info and support. In addition, you could get the opportunity to crew in some of their races, which will improve your sailing skills.

[tom in tampa]

Hi everyone, I'm Tom in Tampa Fl. This is my first posting. I've been reading comments about the clipper marine sailboats, and the reviews were pretty negative.

I wonder how many folks that gave their two cents actually have owned or sailed a clipper? I have owned and saailed quite a variety of boats and owned a new clipper26 in 1976, and found it to be a heck of a sailer. I've owned several Mc Greggors 21 and 26 and the clipper in my estimation is about twice the boat as a Mc g. For the last ten years have owned a Morgan 38 loved the boat, but rising costs of slip fees here urged me to sell her. Now I recently purchased a 1976 clipper from an old guy with a heart problem. The boat was in the salt water at a marina for 5 years, just sitting there. I bought it for 1000.00 and have repainted her in and out, and replaced all running rigging. Everything on her is all original and in great shape.

Most of the clippers I've read about have been sadly mistreated and neglected, and hence sagging cabin tops and decks ect. Any one can go on the clipper forum at trailer sailors.com and talk to tons of clipper owners and find out for themselves.

I searched for quite some time on the internet before I found mine for sail.

Didn't mean to get on a soap box, but I hope I gave a different perspective on the boat.


Hope to hear from you sailors,

Tom in Tampa

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Mike,
Welcome aboard! Good to have you here and hope you enjoy your Mac. Marine stores are really something aren't they? Can never get out of one for less than $50.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[CMikeyOne]

for the warm welcome. I am enjoying my boat and on the water two to three times a week. The learning curve is not as steep as I thought it would be and makes getting "out there" so much more enjoyable.