Back in 2002 while living on the south shore of Long
Island, I read something somewhere that got me hooked on the idea
of retiring and living aboard a boat. What it was, I can longer
recall, but I soon had books such as
"Voyaging
Under
Power " and
"The
Troller Yacht
Book", and was consumed by the idea of living and cruising on a power vessel
when I retired. I did not consider sailing at that time as it seemed
too difficult for a single person and I felt that my retirement budget would
allow me to absorb the costs of fuel. I went out that summer and bought
my first boat. Man, I loved that boat. It did not love me back.
It could NOT have been a worse boat for a newbie. A
1976 Silverton 26' Flybridge
Cruiser. It was a single inboard with a minuscule rudder. I
could not get it on or off the dock without assistance, and after one or
two memorable attempts, I stopped trying. It became a dockside condo
for me. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I got a lot of
enjoyment out of sitting in my cockpit feeding the swans and ducks with a
glass of wine in my hand, a steak on the grill and enjoying the sunset.
But I bought the boat to learn TO boat, and it was not the right boat
for that.
Then in 2003 I got a little sidetracked, as the whole
boating thing was not going as planned. I decided to work on a retirement
"Plan B". I started researching oceanfront property. It took
about 15 seconds or so to discern that I couldn't afford any in the US so
I started looking at other countries such as Mexico (not comfortable with
those laws), Bay Islands of Honduras (difficult to get to), Costa Rica (too
expensive), and the Bahamas. I went to Long Island Bahamas in July
2003 and looked at some properties, and finally settled on a small unimproved
lot on the western shore. I started the purchase process, little did
I know it would take almost a year to complete.
Bahamas Lot
In the fall of 2003 I was thinking maybe I should buy
a power catamaran, as I loved the Bahamas and the draft of most trawlers
was going to present a problem. I was searching on Ebay for catamarans
when I stumbled across an auction for a crewed charter in the Bahamas on
a 42' Fountaine Pajot sailing cat. I bid and won, for a ridiculous
price. So in Feb. 2004, a friend of mine and I set out on a first for
both of us. We had a blast. It was wonderful. I was hooked.
As a side benefit, we sailed to Long Island and I got to visit my lot
from the water, which was awesome. I had just gotten word that the
sale, which had been stalled for a long time, was moving again and they were
in the final stages. I was definitely hooked on catamarans and thinking
maybe I should learn to sail as well.
2004 Charter
I also went to Barbados in 2004, I ended up taking a side trip to the
Grenadines and enjoying a wonderful sail in Barbados as well.
West Indies
2004
When I got back I signed up for a women-only intro to
sailing class up in Oyster Bay. It was fun, but it was very basic
and pretty short. I wanted to take a real class but I could never get
the time off that summer. In the fall of 2004 I found out that I would
be transferring to the Washington DC area the following spring. The
next two years saw my dream put on hold, as 2005 was taken up by moving,
training, then moving again, and 2006 kinda slipped by in a blur as I realized
I wasn't where I wanted to be in life. I know I made the right choice
in leaving New York, but coming to Dulles was a mistake. (I'm currently
in the process of tranferring from Dulles to Leesburg, I hope the change
in jobs does me good!)
In late 2006 I joined the Carefree Boat Club in DC right before they closed
for the season. It seemed like a perfect opportunity. Lots of
boats for use (including 3 or 4 sailboats), no maintenance hassles, and reciprocal clubs all over the
country. The only problem is, I still lack confidence and am
afraid/unwilling to go out alone. I did a few times in 2007, but not
as often as I wanted to. The club did have some really enjoyable social
events at events such as the 4th of July fireworks in DC and Aquapalooza
at Fairview Beach. My friend Kristi and I spent the night on a SeaRay
215 Weekender at the marina on the 4th and had a blast. The club also
sent a few boats to Aquapalooza. That was a fantastic day. The
only downside to the club is you cannot anchor out overnight. This
really limits you and is disappointing as that is one of my favorite things
to do. Anyway, this year I want to try to get out more and not let
my lack of confidence get in my way. I've seen some of these folks
docking, and if they aren't embarrassed I don't know why I am. Of course
I already chickened out on my first attempt of the year so not off to a good
start.
Update as of 2009....they have made some changes to the club....got rid of all the sailboats except for the one MacGregor 26X, and it's not allowed off the dock if there is a small craft advisory. Kind of pointless. The rest of the boats are at least allowed in the river. Also, the overall number of boats has gone down and availability is less. Gangplank Marina is also turning into a pain. They took away our gate cards which means that you have to ask a guard to buzz you in & out for every trip to the car and even the restrooms. Not to mention that the restrooms are closed right when you'd be either leaving or getting back. Add to that the hassle of having to go to James Creek Marina for fuel or pay a hefty refueling fine, and the DC location becomes more trouble than it's worth. Haven't checked out the new location in Occoquan yet.
CBC
Boats
Aquapalooza 2007
Anyway....to start off 2008 I decided that I am going to try to get serious.
I've had this dream for a while now and am going nowhere fast. So
I looked at the schedule and got a week of leave in April. I booked
a class through Fair Wind Sailing School on a 45' Leopard catamaran in the
Virgin Islands. What a great trip. I learned a lot, and got hooked
on sailing. I came back with ASA 101, 103, 104 and 114 certifications,
but still lack confidence and experience. I came back very determined
not to forget what I learned. I put an ad on craigslist and got a few
offers to go sailing. My first trip was with an FDA doctor and some
of his friends and that was a great trip. We rafted up and anchored
out which is something I can't do on my club boats but thoroughly enjoyed.
I also fell in love with the Chesapeake Bay. I just wish it wasn't
such a long haul out there. Soooo....being the idiot that I am, I decided
that I should.......buy another boat! :-) I figured I could keep
a boat out there and either find people to sail with me, or sail with other
folks and have somewhere to sleep and make a weekend of it. Plus it
would be fun to be able to go out to the bars and restaurants after a day
on the water and not have to worry about driving.
So now I'm boat shopping.
Virgin Islands Sailing
Class
First Sail on the
Chesapeake
I headed out to the Annapolis Spring Sails Event on May 3rd to go boat shopping.
The first boat I looked at was 27 years old, tiny, and cheap. And
it looked like it would be fun. If the guy ever gets the engine running
I'll probably make an offer on it. Then I headed off to the boat show
proper to check out the "big iron". The first boat I went on was a
Catalina 309. I was quite impressed. The rest of the boats there
were too large for me. I was not impressed with how difficult
it is sometimes as a female boat shopper to get people to pay attention to
you. A few of the dealers just acted like I was invisible. I
have encountered that numerous times over the years, even in places like
West Marine! It gets aggravating sometimes, other times I'm just as
happy to not be harassed when I'm shopping. :-) I wandered around
for a while then headed across Spa Creek to the Eastport dealers, where the
cats were supposed to be. Priority one was to look at Siyaya, an Island
Spirit 401 from Bay Yacht Agency. I had heard good things about these
boats but had never seen one. I wasn't to see one this time either.
I found Siyaya in the water, but couldn't find anyone to show her to
me. Oh well. It worked out for the best.
I wandered around the dock back towards the Lagoon I had seen earlier...I
wanted to get a few shots for Rudy. I've never been that drawn to the
Lagoons as their looks didn't appeal to me and they were a little too pricey.
Well, I am now a believer! Sign me up for the Lagoon fan club.
I walked up and took a photo or two, and the folks on board invited
to climb aboard and look around. The boat was brand new and beautiful,
and for sale by the Annapolis Catamaran Center. All I could say was
"Wow." Untill I asked, "How much?" Then I really said "Wow!"
To his credit, he still invited me along for a demo sail. What
an awesome ride. I got a good demonstration of the maneuverability
of the boat, along with it's ability to be single-handed, and its nice handling
under sail. I had the helm when the winds approached 25 kts with full
main and jib, and the boat felt rock steady. Very, very nice. I
plan to try to go look at a 380 as that may be the ideal retirement boat
for me. I can't thank Tommy Smith from the Annapolis Catamaran Center
enough for inviting me along that day. Everyone else on the boat felt
the same way. He did a great job of demonstrating the maneuverability
of the boat.
Boat Shopping and
Lagoon Demo Sail, 5/3/08
In spring of 2009 I decided some more schooling was in order as I never really got to sail again after all the activity in Spring 2008. I went with a four day liveaboard class on an Island Packed 32 from the Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship. It was great. I realized I had learned more than I thought and felt a lot more confident. Definitely was money and time well spent.
Sailing Class Photos
When I got back I was on fire to do more sailing, and went boat shopping. I found a great deal on a 1972 22' Westerly Cirrus currently down in Kinsale, VA and bought her on 5/27/09. She needs a little work, but not much at all.I can't wait to spend my first night aboard in a week or so.
Westerly Cirrus First Photos
So now I feel like I am getting on track towards achieving my goal of retiring
and setting off on June 1st. 2014. It's a good feeling.
Stay tuned for more................
gail@dreamingofcruising.com
© 2008 |
