Hello and question!

[SkeeterJ]

Greetings, Everyone! I'm new to sailing but hope to learn this summer here in northern New England. My thoughts are to learn locally for another 3 years until I can draw my retirement, then maybe spend time heading south on the ICW, then run through the Caribbean.

My first question is this - I'll be 59 or so when I start heading south if all goes well. I'm in OK health and love learning new things. I'm considering a monohull probably 30-35 feet. Is this something I could handle OK at that age as a relative beginner?

Thanks in advance! (BTW - I'm also a ham radio operator and scuba diver)

SkeeterJ

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Skeeter.
Most likely, yes.

[boatman61]

Hi Skeeter.. Welcome to CF..
30 to 35ft is near perfect for what you want to do.. depending on whether you want the KISS approach to cruising or the Full Bells & Whistles approach many deem nessecary these days..
The more toys.. the more feet.. many will say 40ft+ should be your minimum but remember.. its not their money you'll be living on..

[Drew13440]

Welcome and I agree with above, you'll likely be fine in this size range. I would encourage you to do your initial learning in boats smaller, much smaller. That will make a sailor out of you.


FWIW, if I won the Lotto tomorrow, I would not buy a boat any bigger than what you're proposing. The 40+ foot crowd will be along shortly - resist, my friend!

[gjordan]

It sounds like you plan to single hand. You are asking about a very practical size boat (30-35 foot) , and when the bigger boat crowd chimes in, just remember that the yearly cost of boat maintenance goes up dramatically as the size goes up. Setting your boat up for easy handling can make or break a cruise. Ground tackle that is heavy and well planned for ease of handling is the best insurance policy that a cruising boat can have. The previous advice on learning in smaller boats is wise. You will end up a much better sailor that way. This is just my OPINION and you will get lots and lots of OPINIONS on C.F. Welcome aboard. ____Grant.

[dougweibel]

I would recommend a two boat approach In addition to a 30-35' boat I would also look for an inexpensive used 12-16' boat. If at all possible buy a small boat that you can race in a local fleet. it is more important IMO to buy a boat with an active local fleet that you can participate in than what particular type of boat it might happen to be. It will not take much effort to learn the basics of the racing rules and you don't need to try to be winning races but participating in races, even if you are always at the back of the pack, will put you on a fast track to improving as a sailor. You will learn to pay attention to the wind and learn close quarters boat handling quickly while having fun.

[mottseng]

Remember that 20 years ago a 30' boat was considered a yacht and was probably one of the bigger boats in any marina. Our CS30 is a very comfortable boat for the two of us. We spend every weekend on her in the summer including a two week cruise. For one person I really don't see any issues with a 30-35' boat. At that range it also becomes very cost effective and easier to manage.

[Foolish]

Welcome to the good life. That sounds like a perfect sized boat. I'd suggest that you read the free book on singlehanded sailing that you can download here: Resources | Singlehanded Sailing Society

Have fun.

[Stu Jackson]

Chesapeake Bay Sailboat - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[SkeeterJ]

Thanks for the replies so far! I appreciate them.

I plan on taking ASA courses on Lake Champlain this summer. They have 23'-27' boats to learn on there. I will probably continue on this size range over the next few years while I continue to learn.

My wife is slightly disabled (shoulder/back), so I can't rely on her to help. There will be times she can and will assist, but I have to be able to fall back on single-handed running planning.

I've been following some vblogs which I like. They all show the inevitable maintenance that happens under sail, scheduled things to ensure take place, and good things to know to do things yourself.

Steve