n00b introduction

[stimpsonjcat]

50 years old.

Only have experience sailing small single-hand boats and Hobies and the like.

This year signing up for courses on the lake, planning to take ASA 101, 103, and 104 right here on lake Lanier. As well as 105 which appears to be classroom only.

Then plan to spend the rest of the summer using the academy's rental fleet as I can't get another boat on my dock and can't get from my dock to the sailable portion of the lake even if I could.

Later in the year or early next I plan to take the 106, 107, and 108 courses.

Assuming all of that goes as planned, and I like it, next year (or the year after more likely) I plan to take the RYA offshore course out of Charleston and try my hand at the ICC exam.

Too ambitious? If so I will back off, but the goal is to be insurable in between 5-10 years out.

Next order of business will be acquiring a boat for the great loop, which is my plan to see if the wife is into living aboard a boat on a trip with lots to see and relatively little 'open water' to deal with. She can even come and go easily enough if she needs a break from it (or me).

Assuming we survive that adventure and still love the boat idea, the next plan is to go to the Caribbean for a while.

After that we may come back to the States for a complete once over to check the boat is good for a crossing and then go across to Ireland and England for a summer (the reason I want the ICC rating). Depending on how late we stay and how that is going we may stay or put her up on the hard and fly home for the winter.

Now that's the plan, and it could come unglued at any point and I will be OK with that. But I am an engineer and I need specs.

Right now I am eyeballing Morgan 415 Out Islands. Their shallow keel and completely protected skeg setup is appealing for the loop, and they are huge on the inside. This will let us have folks come visit, or just give us space since both of us claim the other snores on occasion.

I plan to buy a project boat and do a complete refit, the engineer in me (and the budget) won't allow otherwise. The wife is always making fun of me because no matter what I buy or what condition it is in she claims I am never happy with it until I have taken it apart and put it back together.

There isn't a ton of sailing on the loop, so I am considering de-masting the boat of her full size rigging and going to a steppable fractional setup for the loop. I'd probably add some meat and a tabernacle where the keel-stepped mast penetration was through the deck.

Did I come to the right place?

[darylat8750]

Sounds like a good plan to me. We did the Loop and it was 3 years well spent. We bought a "fixer upper" and even though I enjoy projects if I were to do it over again I would start with less of a project. Boat parts can be expensive even if you do all the work your self.

Also look into America's Great Loop Cruisers Association. Home - America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, stimpsonjcat.

[boatman61]

The cheapest and easiest way to deal with the planned new deck stepped mast is glass up the hole, position and drill the holes for the tabernacle then use two sections of scaffold pole threaded at one end.. two scaffold base plates and a scaffold threaded joint.
Make sure the holes for the plate and tabernacle match..
Want it pretty..?? get it chromed.. or just paint it.

[stimpsonjcat]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Want it pretty..?? get it chromed.. or just paint it.

Have TIG, will stainless.

[stimpsonjcat]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

Sounds like a good plan to me. We did the Loop and it was 3 years well spent. We bought a "fixer upper" and even though I enjoy projects if I were to do it over again I would start with less of a project. Boat parts can be expensive even if you do all the work your self.

Also look into America's Great Loop Cruisers Association. Home - America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association

3 years, eh?

Yep, I am aware of the AGLCA and will join when nearing launch year.

[darylat8750]

Originally Posted by stimpsonjcat

3 years, eh?

Yep, I am aware of the AGLCA and will join when nearing launch year.

Yep, 3 years. A lot of folks do it in one year but there is LOTS to see and do. We also left the boat for a month several times to visit grandchildren and do some work.

[stimpsonjcat]

Forgot to say thanks for all the help in this thread!