This is where I want to be

[grep]

Hi, new to the forums. Thought I best follow good forum etiquette and make a post here before pestering people with questions that could be answered with a search function

Just joking, I'm doing plenty of searching.

I've had a couple weeks experience sailing, done my comp crew 15+ years ago in the Solent (late 30s now) and whilst at college we went out on a challenger 70ft (i think..) and did the Irish sea for a week. Amazing.

I've always wanted to sail, father did it in the 70's with a concrete hull that they built in NZ. I ended up being distracted from that idea and went into the merchant navy (engineer). Now i've left that, I wish I just followed the path onto smaller boats.

Anyway, now I've got a bit of disposable cash and restlessness I'm exploring the idea of getting out there with my own boat. Currently in love with the HR 352. But maybe a bit out of my budget. Having something that could do an Atlantic crossing safely and (somewhat comfortably) is a must for me.


On a side note, I love this traditional forum webpage, please never change. Its a remminent of erly internet that we miss very much now!

[JPA Cate]

Welcome aboard CF grep.

We have a friend who single-handed circumnavigated on an HR, called "Sourdough". The vessel was definitely up to it. I hope you can find one you can afford.

One time, in Fiji, the engineer on a cable laying ship invited us aboard the ship for a look around, and it was really interesting. A really nice guy.

Enjoy your stay here.

Ann

[rls8r]

Well, with a name like grep I'm not surprised that you've already done a lot of searching.

Like Ann says - enjoy your stay here. Keep us up on how your search for a boat goes, and don't be shy about asking questions. You'll get at least as many opinions to sort through as there are members here. I've found that it's a good place to get useful information and encouragement.

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard grep!

There is a site put together by a fellow from the UK that might be of help

https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/

[woodboro]

I did not want to start another thread. Excuse me for overlapping.

I am 100% novice to sailing , retired living in northern Wisc. I have pretty much hunted all of over North America, have two hunting dogs , and live on a horse farm.
Here is the catch : At 65 I realize I at that age , tracking up or down a mountain is not a real good idea , because of my back. (I injured it twice and have sciolous) My doctor informed me I should stop riding horses , and can not cut or chop wood anymore.
So I called Bayfield marina about lessons on Lake superior , explained my situation , and was informed not to even attempt it. ** another crushing blow.
I would like to take the three day course , but now am wondering if I should find someone I can sail with for a 1/2 day to see if I can do it.
*** I have been pining for this for over 18 months , even picked a boat I would buy Catalina 32-36 if price is right.
Where can I connect with a caption to sail for a 1/2 day ???

[Adelie]

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by woodboro

I did not want to start another thread. Excuse me for overlapping.

I am 100% novice to sailing , retired living in northern Wisc. I have pretty much hunted all of over North America, have two hunting dogs , and live on a horse farm.
Here is the catch : At 65 I realize I at that age , tracking up or down a mountain is not a real good idea , because of my back. (I injured it twice and have sciolous) My doctor informed me I should stop riding horses , and can not cut or chop wood anymore.
So I called Bayfield marina about lessons on Lake superior , explained my situation , and was informed not to even attempt it. ** another crushing blow.
I would like to take the three day course , but now am wondering if I should find someone I can sail with for a 1/2 day to see if I can do it.
*** I have been pining for this for over 18 months , even picked a boat I would buy Catalina 32-36 if price is right.
Where can I connect with a caption to sail for a 1/2 day ???

Welcome aboard woodboro! I don't know about finding a captain in your area but my first question for you would be, how are you pulling on a rope? Does that hurt your back? Many things that require exertion have work-arounds these days, but there may come an urgent moment when you'd have to pull on a line. And how about going up and down the stairs in a companionway? How is that? The sailing school may not want to take on any liability with your back injury, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't do it. If you start a thread with a title like "looking for a chance to sail on on Lake Superior" or something like that, you'll likely get someone from that area to chime in here from there. Good luck!

[woodboro]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Welcome aboard woodboro! I don't know about finding a captain in your area but my first question for you would be, how are you pulling on a rope? Does that hurt your back? Many things that require exertion have work-arounds these days, but there may come an urgent moment when you'd have to pull on a line. And how about going up and down the stairs in a companionway? How is that? The sailing school may not want to take on any liability with your back injury, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't do it. If you start a thread with a title like "looking for a chance to sail on on Lake Superior" or something like that, you'll likely get someone from that area to chime in here from there. Good luck!

good point Don ... I can pull ropes , climb 100 stairs a day.
My biggest issue is boat bouncing over waves ... I was fishing with brother in law , and bounced over a wave with a 100HP in board, and felt it immediately.
But I have just seen a post on another thread , and they stated typically Lake Superior has calm waters from July thru August , when I would tour around the apostle islands. My research has shown a catalina 34-36 is a heavier boat plowing thru waves.. (kinda of the boat I would target if I am sail worthy) Good idea about a new thread. !!!!!

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by woodboro

good point Don ... I can pull ropes , climb 100 stairs a day.
My biggest issue is boat bouncing over waves ... I was fishing with brother in law , and bounced over a wave with a 100HP in board, and felt it immediately.
But I have just seen a post on another thread , and they stated typically Lake Superior has calm waters from July thru August , when I would tour around the apostle islands. My research has shown a catalina 34-36 is a heavier boat plowing thru waves.. (kinda of the boat I would target if I am sail worthy) Good idea about a new thread. !!!!!

Sailboats don't bounce over waves like powerboats do, so you should be fine there. The only time they slam like that is if you are in the bow of a sail boat with a flat bottom in the bow and you are going upwind in some steep chop. That is something you can easily avoid. The Catalina will be fine for you though I think I'd suggest the 30 for starting out.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, grep.

You might consider joining our “Great Lakes Group”, though it’s not very large, nor active.
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...kes+group.html

[grep]

Nice to hear from some of the members I'm still at the day dreaming stages. Could anyone have a look at this 1980 HR 312. A bit cheaper than the 352's.


https://www.yachtworld.co.uk/yacht/1...navia-8652034/


I have to say it seems quite expensive for a 43 year old 31ft. But it looks like its been looked after. Any fleeting opinions on it?

[Cpt Mark]

age 68. Have had 5 spine surgeries, residual pain, nerve damage. 5 knee surgeries on right knee. 2 TKR's. Lots of pain and instability there. Setting out on my circumnavigation this year. Nerve damage in hands from carpal tunnel. Other than that I'm fine. LOL.

My Dr's are excited to see me off. They think it's awesome. I have workarounds for my needs.

I've taken yoga classes in the past. Sometimes forgot to mention my physical condition. I'd tell the instructors to not worry about me. I'll do what I can and not try what I can't. The good instructors would work with me and give me alternatives I could do.

You might look for a disabled sailors group in your area. They would welcome you without reservation.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by grep

Nice to hear from some of the members I'm still at the day dreaming stages. Could anyone have a look at this 1980 HR 312. A bit cheaper than the 352's.


https://www.yachtworld.co.uk/yacht/1...navia-8652034/


I have to say it seems quite expensive for a 43 year old 31ft. But it looks like its been looked after. Any fleeting opinions on it?

Well you could consider this..
https://www.scanboat.com/en/boat-mar...un-31-17472568

[lifeofreilly57]

Originally Posted by woodboro

I did not want to start another thread. Excuse me for overlapping.

I am 100% novice to sailing , retired living in northern Wisc. I have pretty much hunted all of over North America, have two hunting dogs , and live on a horse farm.
Here is the catch : At 65 I realize I at that age , tracking up or down a mountain is not a real good idea , because of my back. (I injured it twice and have sciolous) My doctor informed me I should stop riding horses , and can not cut or chop wood anymore.
So I called Bayfield marina about lessons on Lake superior , explained my situation , and was informed not to even attempt it. ** another crushing blow.
I would like to take the three day course , but now am wondering if I should find someone I can sail with for a 1/2 day to see if I can do it.
*** I have been pining for this for over 18 months , even picked a boat I would buy Catalina 32-36 if price is right.
Where can I connect with a caption to sail for a 1/2 day ???

I'm in your age group but have sailed for over 40 years. I have 5 compressed Vertabrea from a life of too much fun. It's not a show stopper, the size boat your suggesting could be easily handled if set up right.
In my case, as long as I keep in shape and keep the weight under control I have no issues.
I'm in your age group, so thats similar too.
I found that while cruising I had very few back aches, I think the kind of motion you use regularly on a boat helps strengthen your core muscles, or at east it did in my case. Exercises to strengthen your core muscles and stretching help. In 4 years of cruising a 47 foot boat I only had backaches after doing engine work, mine is a center cockpit, so access to the motor can be difficult, even more difficult to get to the generator behind it.
The Catalina 36 is a good sailing boat and quite user friendly, in the past I've found their customer service to be excellent, much better than a certain French maker I've dealt with.
Just make sure the ergonomics suit your ability.

[DragonflyBob]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

I'm in your age group but have sailed for over 40 years. I have 5 compressed Vertabrea from a life of too much fun. It's not a show stopper, the size boat your suggesting could be easily handled if set up right.
In my case, as long as I keep in shape and keep the weight under control I have no issues.
I'm in your age group, so thats similar too.
I found that while cruising I had very few back aches, I think the kind of motion you use regularly on a boat helps strengthen your core muscles, or at east it did in my case. Exercises to strengthen your core muscles and stretching help. In 4 years of cruising a 47 foot boat I only had backaches after doing engine work, mine is a center cockpit, so access to the motor can be difficult, even more difficult to get to the generator behind it.
The Catalina 36 is a good sailing boat and quite user friendly, in the past I've found their customer service to be excellent, much better than a certain French maker I've dealt with.
Just make sure the ergonomics suit your ability.

I’m a pretty athletic 65 year old and (knock on wood) no orthopedic issues other than a 15 year old hip replacement (due to a running injury) that has performed flawlessly for me.

If you keep yourself in good mechanical order and have decent strength and cardio fitness, I think one of the main issues an older sailor has to be aware of is balance. Because we are not as quick on our feet as we were in our 20’s and 30’s, I find I need to be more thoughtful and aware of my movements on the boat especially in a bigger sea state. That’s one of the reasons my wife and I chose a trimaran for our coastal cruising and short passage cruising needs. The motion in chop and waves is smoother and easier and the outstanding sailing performance pretty much offsets the slight bit of interior space we give up compared against a similar size monohull (at least for our Dragonfly). There are a lot of older racers and cruisers that have gone to the dark side for that reason.

Back to the OP, enjoy the ride and once you get a boat, do a lot of coastal cruising to build a foundation upon before embarking on an ocean crossing. In many ways coastal cruising will challenge you more than open ocean sailing.