Hi from Queensland

[karlaleanne]

Hi there,
We are a young couple from the gold coast Australia with two little boys 3 & 1 and are just going through the process of buying our first boat, a Roberts 27.
We are over the moon! Just hoping the survey & sea trial come back all good & then she's ours 
we are fairly green, my husband has very little experience and you wouldn't believe it but I have been so fortunate to have sailed from Malaysia to Thailand and back and then from Trinidad to Fiji during dads circum navigation plus lots of trips up and down the east coast of oz on my dads cat 'Kularoo'.
The problem is I was young and dad didn't have the patience to teach me much about sailing.
I'm hoping I have retained some knowledge of my experience and hoping I picked up more than just being a passenger!
The plan is to start out slow, get boat license, have a few sailing lessons and do small weekend trips for a while then eventually (long term goal) buy a bigger boat and cruise the world.
I want my boys to have this life, I know how good it is and thank goodness my man agrees!
I'm looking forward to reading and gaining knowledge from all you seasoned pro's out there, and hopefully meet others with kids for insight & inspiration.
Hope this post isn't too long!
Thanks, Karla 

*Attitude: the difference between ordeal and adventure. *

[44'cruisingcat]

Welcome! We've seen kularoo a few times around the Whitsundays. Never had the chance to say g'day yet though.

[Bill Smith]

G'day karlaleanne, Good to hear from another Q'lander !
How lucky are your kids!!!!!
I live in Cairns and am thinking of cruising and camping the north coast of Aus. I don't know how to sail so it will be diesel for me.

[Wotname]

Welcome aboard, your plan sounds wonderful; I think you will have a lot of agreement here.

FWIW, I went to school in Southport (a long time ago) and it is great place to kick start this adventure of yours.

[karlaleanne]

Thanks CruisingCat! Kularoo is at the Whitsundays at the moment, my dad's name is Bill. Pop over and say Hi if you get the chance. All the best

[Unicorn Dreams]

Welcome Aboard Cruisers Forum

[karlaleanne]

The problem is I was young and dad didn't have the patience to teach me much about sailing.

sorry i shouldn't say he didn't have the patience, more like i was not that keen on learning at that stage... Sorry Dad

[Jim Cate]

Welcome aboard, and enjoy the ride!

Cheers,

Jim and Ann

[Jamel]

Best wishes for some happy times ahead!

Do consider putting netting along your lifelines to keep the littlies safe onboard, thats extra to lifejackets ofcourse!

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you posting on the forum. In the U. S. we have many sailing courses offered and a basic one for you and your husband might be fun for the both of you. You probably have lots of them to choose from there locally too. If you take a course you won't miss out on all the safety aspects and you'll be starting out with the same knowledge although you'll have much more experience.
kind regards,

[Oz_Avanti]

Hi and welcome. My partner and I are relatively new sailors (about 2 years) and started out much the same as you have. We kicked off with a "competent crew" training course which are widely available in Oz and have built from there. We found it a lot of fun and have found that you need to focus very strongly on the safety aspects as you are starting out. You will love the life, especially if you have your own boat.

Kind Regards

George

[Jacko]

Hi Karlaleanne welcome good to see more Aussies onboard Im at lizard at the moment sure you would love to be here lots of children come on the boats and enjoy the wonderfull Mrs Watsons Bay guess you will be here too in a couple of years
Good luck I am sure lots of things will come back to you once you are on the water!! Cheers Jacko PS make sure you come over when you see me up this way