Hi from the Gold Coast Queensland

[beachbumkirst]

Hi all, my hubby and I along with our 2 kids aged 3 and 6 are looking for our first sailing cat to live aboard. We have never done this before and we are super excited. For months we have been looking at different cats to see what size and layout suits us best. We've also been reading huge amounts of blogs and forum posts to try and best understand how our lives will be! I hope this isnt too much to ask but we would love to know if there are any other families living close by that would be open to a meetup? It would be great to be able to hear about peoples experiences first hand!

Thanks
Kirsty

[Mr B]

Hi Kirsty,
Im in Melbourne so cant help you,
Not sure about the Gold Coast,
But there are a heap of Cats around Brisbane and a bit further north, One at Bribie Island that I know off,
Around 35 foot or bigger, will suit you just fine,
Quite a few owners are on here, Just wait till they come on,

Cheers Brian,

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Kirsty.

[svseachange]

Consider joining the 'Women who Sail" Facebook group. They also have a newly formed offshoot for families on boats.

If you can afford it, a cat is a great way to go for a family. They provide a lot more forgiving living space than a monohull for a family.

We are finding far fewer boats with families on them here in Australia than in the US. Have a 7yo old aboard. We are finding the cost of cruising is lower here in Australia (low taxes and free medical).

Homeschooling is hard work. Our child is currently enrolled in the Sydney Distance Education Primary School. I'm also studying via distance at USQ.

Good luck, hope to see you out on the water one day.

[beachbumkirst]

Thanks Brian, hopefully we will see you.on the water one day.

[beachbumkirst]

Hi Svseachange

Thanks for the info. So far ive heard the home schooling is pretty easy so its good to hear someone elses opinion.

Our Son will be 7 when we head off to so im sure it will be all fun and games.

I will definitely look at "women who sail" on facebook. We cant wait to meet other sailing families and hear about their experiences. Where have you sailed with your family?

[beachbumkirst]

Thank you everyone for the welcoming messages! We cant wait to meet some happy sailors!!

[svseachange]

Originally Posted by beachbumkirst

I will definitely look at "women who sail" on facebook. We cant wait to meet other sailing families and hear about their experiences. Where have you sailed with your family?

Before cruising we sailed in various places. I learned in PNG as a kid, Mary learned in the US as an adult. We had two trailer sailors, a river cruiser and chartered before buying our first cruising sailboat.

On our first liveaboard family cruise we sailed the US Great Lakes, US East Coast NYC to Key West, Bahamas, Jamaica and Panama. Now on our second liveaboard family cruise on the east coast of Australia.

Look forward to seeing you out there. If we have time passing through the Gold Coast we will contact you.

[RaymondR]

Poking about in Moreton Bay and the protected waters between the Gold Coast Seaway and Caloundra will give you the opportunity to learn the ropes then if you can make it up into the Great Sandy Straits you have another large body of protected waters and from there you can day sail it all the way to Cairns or further north. There are lots of VMRs you can get local information and weather reports and if you graduate to more remote coasts there are weather reports from the Met Bureau via HF radio.


With the semi protected waters inside the reef and lots of re-supply places and anchorages and good weather the coast of Queensland is probably one of the better places in the world to take up and learn the small vessel cruising game.


Unfortunately the Shiela Net HF radio network on 8161 at 0800 ceased operation a few years ago, it was a great place to meet other cruisers who you could later introduce yourself to in various anchorages. You might join the Shag Island Yacht Club, it is a fun thing and I think they have a radio network and roundup at the Gloucester Passage every year where you could meet other cruisers.


Good luck with your plans and a cat is an excellent choice for cruising northern Australian waters.

[thelongsummer]

Originally Posted by beachbumkirst

Hi all, my hubby and I along with our 2 kids aged 3 and 6 are looking for our first sailing cat to live aboard. We have never done this before and we are super excited. For months we have been looking at different cats to see what size and layout suits us best. We've also been reading huge amounts of blogs and forum posts to try and best understand how our lives will be! I hope this isnt too much to ask but we would love to know if there are any other families living close by that would be open to a meetup? It would be great to be able to hear about peoples experiences first hand!

Thanks
Kirsty

Hi Kirsty,

We are heading to the Boat Show on Hope Island next weekend and in a very similar situation to you - family of four, looking for a cat and new to this.

Would be happy to meet up and exchange research and ideas! Happy to connect via message.

Cheers,