Hello
OK, so this is a long shot, but... I am looking for
boat friends!
I'm a (widowed)
single mom living in
Miami and for the past year or so have been entertaining the idea of
living aboard with my 7-year-old. I have friends who do it in
Key West and St. Pete and have encouraged me to give it a try, but I must have lived my life completely wrong because I don't have any friends with sailboats here! LOL
It's a bit of a Catch-22 because I don't want to buy a
boat before I have a) a place to put it and b) some sailing skills, but it's also hard to develop sailing skills without a boat. I called around to find
liveaboard marinas and see that it's possible at Dinner Key, but you have to have a boat ready to go when a slip comes up. I know I could live on the hook at 79th street or around the Venetian Causeway but I have no idea how to operate a
dinghy, set an
anchor, or take care of a boat in bad
weather. I looked into lessons for me and my son but most don't have programs for parents and
kids together, or are expensive, or don't even teach
kids until they are 8.
My friends recommended hanging around
marinas, so I did try hanging out at both the Rickenbacker Marina and the
Miami Yacht Club some weekends to try to make friends, but it's kind of awkward cause the
men at the bar think I'm hitting on them, and doing so with a kid underfoot like a weirdo. LOL I know there are meetups, but they seem adult-only.
I was recently laid off, so have some time to investigate this idea a bit more seriously. So... I thought I'd see if there are any friendly folks here, or families, who might let me, or me and my son, tag along. I really just want to be able to hang out, learn how to operate a
dinghy, tie up a boat, get a feel for different
boats, see if my son likes it, decide whether this is something we could seriously do or just a nice dream, etc. I would be happy to bring dinner or beers or even clean
boats, like an apprentice, in exchange for this knowledge! I am flexible during the day but pretty much always have my son on evenings and weekends. It seems so hard to break into sailing unless you were raised in it. I DO know port from starboard and can tie a mean bowline! Any suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance