Hi, from the Midwest!

[Kot Matroskin]

Glad to meet you all. I'm possibly being transferred to San Diego area, so my dream of learning to sail and maybe even owning and living on my own boat is looking slightly more realistic.

So, thanks for having me around!

[James S]

Welcome to the forum Kot...I hope you get your transfer and start sailing!

[Ashoreschool]

Welcome aboard. SD is a great place to learn to sail, and even a surprisingly reasonable to live aboard. Good luck.

[Ocean Girl]

Welcome to the forum
I hope your transfer goes through.
Happy sailing,
Erika

[swagman]

Welcome Kot,

Good to have you aboard.

JOHN

[Kot Matroskin]

Thanks everybody for the lovely welcome.

I'm Chris, by the way. I should have said. Kot Matroskin is my cat's name; named after a beloved and oft-quoted Russian fictional cat.

Actually, I'm coming out to San Diego on business for three weeks so now's my chance to do some real fact-finding. Where should I start?

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Chris,
Walk the marina docks and talk with boaters. Check to see if any sailing clubs offer lessons.
What facts are you interested in finding?
Regards

[Kot Matroskin]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Aloha Chris,
Walk the marina docks and talk with boaters. Check to see if any sailing clubs offer lessons.
What facts are you interested in finding?
Regards

Oh, well, just about everything!

I guess the first thing is whether all this is even possible. I went to a marina and looked around. I was kind of too shy to just walk up and ask questions.

I'd really like to live aboard what I guess they call a "pocket cruiser". I don't know what an ideal boat would be, but I suppose something around 30' would be about right. J-30? Catalina? Ericson?

What are realistic prices? I know there are boats for sale for under $5000, but I image they have problems that a novice wouldn't want to deal with. However, I'd like to live simply and not take on major expenses. It's kind of hard to know where to start.