Hello! Newbie from Georgia

[MySerenity]

Hello CF! I kinda feel silly joining a cruising forum considering I have zero experience with boats. But, I have a love for the ocean that I've been running from for over 20 years. At this moment in my life I'm "casting the bow lines" and going for my dream. I want to learn to sail. I want to be a boat owner. Eventually, I want to be a world cruiser.

I've been reading and reading and reading anything/everything I can get my hands on about sailing/boats/cruising. It's overwhelming, heck I can't even tell what language I'm reading half the time (feel like I need a Nautical Rosetta Stone tutorial!) but I'm still beyond determined.

I live in Columbus, GA. There is a lake, but the only boating is bass fishing and Seadoo's. There isn't even a marina to talk to anyone. My fiance & I have decided to move to Pensacola within the next year in order to better fullfill our sailing dream.

So thanks again for having me and for providing such a wealth of information for a newbie like me!

[roxiejay84]

Hello MySerenity! I am a newbie myself without a sailing background. My name is Roixe Jay and Live in Los Angeles, CA. I also want to chase my dream of one day sailing the seven seas. I find myself day dreaming about how it would be? Will it be more than I imagined? Or will it fall short? One thing is for certain I'll never know unless I try! Keep chasing your dream and eventually you'll live it! I'm looking forward to mine. Best wishes.

[skipmac]

Welcome to the forum. I'm pretty sure that being from Columbus is no impediment to becoming a cruiser. I graduated CHS in 1967 and managed to spend ten years bumming around the Caribbean. Now after thirty years in the "real" world I'm getting ready to go back and do it again.

[The Blue Heron]

We all start as newbies. Welcome aboard!

[sv Winterlude]

Welcome! I learned to sail in Indiana, with a dream to go cruising someday... at least in Georgia you have an ocean on one coast! 11,000 miles under our keel later, if we can do it, anyone can - go for it!

[MySerenity]

Thanks so much everyone for the warm welcome!! It's so nice to hear from people living the dream I want to live. When I try to talk to my friends about cruising full time they just give me the "is this your mid-life crisis?" look! LOL..

[JayCall]

MySerenity: Welcome Aboard. Here is the entire quote you referenced, one of my alltime favorites-

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

Still and always great words to cruise by!

[MySerenity]

@JayCall, I read that quote everyday to inspire me!

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
When you cast off the bowlines make certain you cast off the stern lines too. You'll read in the "sailors confessional" that lots of us have had funny experiences coming and going from docks.
Glad you are here and if you have questions there is always someone here that will have an answer.
kind regards,

[maxingout]

Pensacola is a great place to get started. Sailing is excellent, and the beaches are awesome. Good luck on your sailing adventures.