Hello from Alaska

[bmhatch]

I had done a bit of sailing in a dinghy and that is about all. Then the wife says she wants a divorce. What to do? I think that me telling her I wanted to learn to really sail and then travel the world was too much for her non-adventurous spirit. So, 20 years down the drain. Oh well I guess, what can a guy do? Buy a boat of coarse! I bought a 36' Catalina in Valdez and sailed it to Cordova via the Columbia Bay and Glacier. What an awesome trip. Anyway, I've been lurking around the forum for a long time now and figured I might as well sign up being as how I'm officially a live-aboard now, which I love by the way. I happen to work a two week on two week off schedule, so I plan on sailing as much of my two weeks off a month as I can until I can retire in about 5 years and then travel full time. Meanwhile, the Catalina should be a decent starter boat until I can really figure out what I am looking for.

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard bmhatch! I bet you can have a lot of fun in your area in that boat!

[bmhatch]

Absolutely! Prince William Sound is amazing and I will be sailing all over it for the next few months. It'll be a bit cold, but what a great spot.

[BugzyCan]

I was just reading about the snow they get in Valdez every year. This line stuck out.
"Three to four feet of snow can easily fall in Valdez overnight. Almost every year a few boats sink in the harbor due to the weight of the snowfall"
I guess it will keep you busy if it snows that much. How do you keep warm?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, bmhatch.

[bmhatch]

The extreme snow in Valdez is one of the reasons I moved it to Cordova for the winter. Also, I've got a person lined up to clear the boat of snow during the storms when I'm not there. I've got a Lofotan Diesel heater, an Espar Diesel heater, and an engine driven heater. Doubtful that I would ever need to engage all three at the same time, because the winter temperatures in Prince William Sound rarely get below 20F.