Bought the Boat

[Stu Jackson]

Congratulations on BOTH events. Freedom!!!

[JTSmith]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Congrats on the new boat!

I did the same trip you're planning a few years ago. Three friends a I sailed my boat from St Thomas in November, and crossed from the Bahamas to Hollywood, just south of Ft Lauderdale. We sailed from there down to Sombrero Light nonstop on the outside, keeping the depth at 100-200 feet to avoid the Gulf Stream. We even had a fair current at times, and no more than 1 knot against us. We passed into Florida Bay at the Moser Channel south of Marathon.

A very helpful CF member had shared his GPS waypoints for the Florida Bay with me, which was a great help. There were *billions* of crab pot floats in the bay, so it was nice to have the sun behind us for spotting them (we left Hollywood at 9 am and reached Sombrero at dawn the next day, passing under Seven Mile Bridge at about 7 am).

The run up the west coast to Tampa Bay was uneventful, but plying the twisting channel of the Manatee River to the Twin Dolphins Marina in Bradenton in the dark would have been a lot more stressful without the borrowed waypoints. If you haven't yet picked a marina, I highly recommend Twin Dolphins--a great place all around.

That'll be a great shake-down trip for you in your new boat. Good luck!

Hud:

What was the wind direction and speed?

Jason


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[Cheechako]

Good looking boat.

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by JTSmith

Hud:

What was the wind direction and speed?

Jason


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We lucked out on the trip down the east coast. We turned south just after a "dry front" came through, and the wind was about 15-18 kts from the northwest. The wind pretty much died after we reached Sombrero, so a lot of motoring and some motor-sailing after that.

[bensolomon]

Beautiful boat! Great name! Will you name your dinghy Gallileo? Or perhaps "shuttle craft". (I am a big fan of the old Star Trek)
In all seriousness, she will serve you well. I have a hunter 37.5 Hunter legend and love the boat. Best of luck with her!


Ben Solomon
S/V Dawn 1989 37.5 hunter legend

[oldragbaggers]

Congratulations, and happy and safe sailing!!

[scotty c-m]

Congratulations!

Fair Weather, Smooth Seas, and a Gentle Wind At Your Back.

[nautical62]

Congrats. Buying that boat may very well be the second happiest day of your life.

I owned a Hunter for several years - many memorable cruises to the Bahamas in that boat. No regrets. I hope your destiny includes many wonderful adventures as well, wherever they may be.

[JTSmith]

Thanks to all. I just spent the day getting rid of s@$t. My martini shaker collection, the glassware from my bar, most of my books And
pretty much all my clothes. Cathartic, but bittersweet. The Reidel crystal wine glasses - ouch. But it's all good. Moving the boat from Lauderdale to Bradenton November 14th or there abouts.


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[JTSmith]

BTW, it's 50 degrees in northern Indiana and the wind is blowing like stink. Can't wait to get out. Hopefully before the first snow.


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[RTB]

Originally Posted by JTSmith

Thanks to all. I just spent the day getting rid of s@$t. My martini shaker collection, the glassware from my bar, most of my books And
pretty much all my clothes. Cathartic, but bittersweet. The Reidel crystal wine glasses - ouch. But it's all good. Moving the boat from Lauderdale to Bradenton November 14th or there abouts.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

So, are you moving aboard? Getting rid of stuff was a bit tough, but everything we own is on the boat. No storage building. Just do it and don't look back. You won't miss your old stuff if you are cruising. Just save a few pairs of shorts and some of your favorite T-shirts. Head to the Bahamas for winter. You'll probably need some sweats and a few sweaters even there, but not any heavy stuff.

If you are still working, and going to be tied up at a marina, then you might miss your old things. Good luck with your new life, and your boat. See ya out there.

Ralph

[JTSmith]

Thanks, Ralph. I actually spiked the crystal into the trash bag so it would break and I wouldn't feel compelled to retrieve it. Only taking what will fit in my office and then probably cutting that in half. Challenging, but cool in a way.


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[JTSmith]

Addendum, I write for a living, so if I can get an Internet connection every two or three days I'm good.


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[avb3]

Originally Posted by JTSmith

Seeing as how certain bouts of unpleasantness caused Coops to kill the Hunter/Catalina thread, I thought I'd start this one to thank all of you who chimed in and helped me with my decision. And to let you know that I bought a boat today.

She is a 1989 Hunter 40 and she makes me all tingly in my nether regions. Below is the only picture I have to date, more will follow.

Thanks to all who helped, especially Smackdaddy, with my process. To all the random Hunter bashers, well...

I take possession October 28th (the day my divorce is final) and will be sailing her from Ft. Lauderdale to Bradenton (my new home) November 15 or there abouts. Any advice on that delivery will be welcome.

I couldn't be more excited to be a new yacht owner and I'm pleased to be a member of CruisersForum!

Congratulations. I made the route last year via the ICW. What draft and what mast height do you have? I had a 4'9" draft and had to be careful in spots but did not have problems. Mast height might be an issue on some bridges.

[Panamax.]

Congrats. Just purchased a Hunter 36 myself.