Best place in U.S. to learn sailing/sailboats for ~1 year before sailing away?

[sailorboy1]

better to learn to cruise on a ...........................cruiser

anchoring, sail handling etc etc etc is no big deal to learn

I now say bye to the topic

[leecea]

A couple of things to consider:

You say you plan to work remotely from the boat while spending the minimum amount of time in a marina. If you work with laptops and need an internet connection that implies something like StarLink and a power system to keep that and your laptops running, in addition to the other stuff like a fridge, etc.

When you look for insurance they'll ask about your experience and where the boat will be based (at least they did for me). If you don't have much experience on comparably sized boats it could be a challenge.

[SV_FlyingTigress]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I learned to sail and lived in NE and sailed out of Salem MA. After being up/down the east coast, to Bahamas, and the Gulf I would say that NE was the best for sailing.

But for learning to sail the location doesn't matter. All that matter is to go sailing. But for getting cruising I feel learning to sail is the easy part, sailing is pretty easy really, learning the other parts of cruising take more time.

BTW I disagree with wasting time and money of a small boat that isn't in line with your end goal. If you want t be a cruiser, learn to sail on a cruiser. If you are going to want a 40' boat don't waste time ona 30'. All you will learn is you want a bigger boat.

I agree with Sailor on just getting a viable long-term (maybe not the ultimate) cruising boat out of the gate. The step up in learning from a 45' vs a 35' isn't that significant for similarly rigged vessels and it will be nicer to live on, give you more relevant training and learning of the systems on your boat, if you make improvements it will not be for something you will need to throw away and go through the sales cycle etc.... If you feel you reaaaaly need to get a "learning" boat, get a learning boat and get something super cheap like a Catalina 22 or 25 (or similar) that you can buy for <$9K ish (outgrow in 4 months) and flip for what you purchased it for.

I just completed a full sailing trip from Pensacola, down the FL west coast, around Florida, through the keys, up the east coast and am now in Beaufort, SC on my way north, having skipped Georgia per recommendations on this forum. As a newer cruising couple, we are *not* fans of sailing in Florida. In addition to some great experiences, we have had a load of negative experiences in FL that have a lot to do with the amount to boating and financial pressure there, and my wife an I are going to try to avoid the state as much as is possible other than a jump off for the Bahamas next season. South Carolina and most places north of that are reputed on many forum threads to be much more cruiser friendly and our experience certainly jives with that so far (re: number of boats, boat wake consideration from other boaters, availability of free dinghy docks for anchor outs, marina friendliness, pricing etc). I would recommend you avoid Florida unless you, basically, are a millionaires.

If you are going to stay in Florida, build into your budget a slip or mooring ball so you have realistic and predictable access to shore facilities, pumpouts etc. We did like Marathon/boot key harbor, Stuart a bit more than most of the stops. St. Augustine was nice to visit but had a pretty challenging current ripping through the mooring field and often against wind, turning the mooring field into a washing machine so we cut our stay short to just a few days and proceeded north.

[SV Confianza]

It may be worth joining a yacht club. Lots of folks will volunteer to help you learn the ropes.

We work and live aboard our 44ft cat (part time for 4 years and then full time for 4 years). Feel free to message me directly with any questions.

If you are on video calls a lot for work, we wrote up an article that was featured by Practical Sailor and Peplink that might be worth a look - https://www.clevermariner.com/post/o...nk-integration

[jhall767]

I have to vote Chesapeake Bay above all the others. At least April through October. Very easy to find any type of marina/environment you like and very easy to move from place to place. You can spend a year on the boat there and never go to the same place twice. All types of sailing and when you are comfortable move to the lower bay and venture out in the ocean to get some time on your resume.

Good luck!

[CMH]

Well, I must be a real whack job! My first boat is a 65
foot ketch. And because of this, (and thankfully) I rarely have boat envy. No doubt I’m in the same corner as Sailorboy.

Skip the 30 footers and even the 40 footers of you can afford it and buy something roomy and comfortable so that you will both enjoy your time on the water. Further, consider learning to sail on the San Francisco Bay. If you can sail there,, you can pretty much sail anywhere.

SF has both ASA and US Sailing courses. I completed US Sailimg courses thru Bare Boat plus Coastal Navigation. My club at the time was Club Natique.

We are currently in the Sea Of Cortez full time and will begin our third year as full-time live-aboards next month. The sailing and the sailing community here is down right stellar and far cheaper than on the other side of the continent.

Lastly, I see lots of boats for sale around the sea. We bought ours in La Paz but I don’t know the current situation there since 70 boats were lost there during the last hurricane. Have a look-see in Puerto Peñasco for example. It’s a 45 minute drive from the Arizona border and the border crossing is hassle-free.

Chris on SV Blue Pearl

[Foswick]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

buying a smaller boat sure wouldn't help you learn what you want!

This is not good advice. Please listen to Kettlewell on this.

[Foswick]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

For sailing, PNW is NOT the place to be.

Why would this be?

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Foswick

Why would this be?

Why do I say sailboat is not a great choice for cruising PNW? Calm winds. Short season for an open cockpit vessel. Strong currents in cuts are difficult for slow boats. Cold, long, and dark winters.

Great cruising grounds - amongst best in world. But a sailboat is not the best to experience the area. If it's what you have, great - just go. But I have a hard time imagining someone saying "let's move across country and buy a sailboat to cruise the PNW!" I know there are sailboats there and I'm sure there's a decent sailing community, but it's neither cheap nor a world class sailing destination. There are many places where there are sailboats but not the best conditions (Clear Lake TX comes go mind). Fine places to sail if it's where you live and work. But moving across country and buying a sailboat?

[sailorboy1]

you can pretty much tell which posters are, or started out as, as just sailing compared to those that started sailing to cruise

[Island Time O25]

Sailorboy's advice is fine if one's finances can absorb a hit of the wrong "first boat" 40' or bigger. For most of us average folks that's too much risk to takei in case we don't end up with the right boat for our intended purposes. Plus a serious crusier by definition must be a good DIY owner. I'd rather hone my DIY skills on the first "disposable" boat than on $150k-300k "keeper". But that's me, YMMV.

[Kettlewell]

Some seem to think you need a big boat to do serious cruising. My first cruising boat was 17 feet long with a tiny cuddy cabin and no engine. We sailed her all over southern New England for up to two or three weeks at a time. My first liveaboard boat was 26 feet long. I went to Labrador and back on a 29-footer, sailed south to the Bahamas and back twice on a 30-footer that was our fulltime home, took my family of four down to Colombia, South America, and back on a two-year cruise on our 38-footer. I have noted on here before that the folks on the smaller, simpler boats out cruising are always the happiest and having the most fun. Tieing up a huge chunk of money in a big boat inherently adds a certain amount of stress: insurance, maintenance, repairs, dockage fees, haulouts, etc. Lots of people on here really prefer big boats with all the modern doodads, but there are tradeoffs. My personal opinion.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

Sailorboy's advice is fine if one's finances can absorb a hit of the wrong "first boat" 40' or bigger. For most of us average folks that's too much risk to takei in case we don't end up with the right boat for our intended purposes. Plus a serious crusier by definition must be a good DIY owner. I'd rather hone my DIY skills on the first "disposable" boat than on $150k-300k "keeper". But that's me, YMMV.

The thing about that is all the money you spend on your "starter" boat is money that could have gone into your real boat.

I started with a 39' boat. Knew in 3 months it wasn't the boat for us. All it taught us was that we should have gotten a bigger boat to start with. All it took as a 2' longer different type of boat.

Pretty only old sailors turned cruisers started with small boats. Based on my experience the last 8 years is that each year more and more cruisers did not start with small boats, especially the younger cruisers.

I don't really care what boat people get in the end. I just say if you want to be a cruiser take a cruiser learning route. If you want to be a salior type a different route.

[sailorboy1]

BTW - unlike a lot of people here I never sailed till I was 48 years old and I have been a member here from before then. I only got into sailing to cruise, not to be a sailor. The OP wants to cruise!

[CarlF]

Don't move yet. It's exhausting to sell and pack up your house. Instead:

1) From now until October get on some boats and talk to their owners. This is remarkabley easy. Fly or drive for a weekend to several place where there are lots of cruisers, go to a maraina and look for a boat with the owner (or better couple) "puttering". Introduce yourselve and say you are thinking of buying a cruising boat and theirs is one you're considering (it helps if you read up on the popular cruising boats so you can at least appear semi-intelligent).It doesn't hurt to bring some beer but not necessary. Most cruisers love to talk about their boat and how it's worked out for them. They'll talk your ear off. In most cases you'll be invited aboard within 15 minutes. What you are trying to do is find people "like you" who are enjoying cruising. Take advantage of their experience. You can also get an idea of different areas and even marinas you might like.

2) In mid October go to the Annapolis Sailboat show. This week long show is full of cruisers. They even run a unversity where cruisers talk about all the things you need to know about. Walk around the docks looking at the new boats and listening to what the other attendees are saying. Try to strike up converstations with couples that "look like you". Try to make new cruising friends. It's amazing how open cruisers are to new friends. Make up some "boat cards" with your name picture, email, phone to hand out. Once you have a boat, make new cards with a picture of the boat and her name.

3) During next winter charter a boat in the Bahamas or Caribbean. I'd do it 2 or 3 times. Pick charter boats owned by a couple who like to teach new cruisers. They aren't hard to find. It's really important to get the wive's perspective as much as the husband. What they agree on and what they don't agree on.

4) After the charters you'll have answered a couple of really important questions 1) Do either of you get badly seasick? About 20% of couples find that one or the other just gets too seasick to enjoy the life. It's fine to get a little seasick but if you dread a rough day then this isn't for you. 2) See how much you like living in a small boat. It's more comfortable than tent camping but only a little bit.

5) Along the way, consider your budget. Buying the boat is the easy part. The challenge is the extra $50,000-$100,000 it will take to make the boat one you'd want to live on. So take your budget and subtract $100k and that's the boat you can buy. You'll probably have to go a bit smaller than you first planned. Don't consider a "fixer upper" - it will break you. And look for a boat that is being cruised now by a couple you like. They will have equilped it for cruising. Don't get frozen looking for the "perfect" boat. Very few cruisers stick with the first boat they buy.

6) By next Spring you'll have narrowed the boat you want to about six. Start traveling to look at them. Keep making cruising friends.

7) "Liability Only" is probably not the best plan for a new cruiser putting a lot of their assets into a boat. At the Annapolis Boat Show you can learn all about the ins and outs of insurance. You can also start getting a feel for good marina slip options.

8) Don't refer to yourself as "live aboard". To many marinas that means a boat that never goes anywhere. You are a cruiser. Always go in person to talk to a marina. See if you like the people living there. Don't have crying kids or a large dog along. Make it clear to the marina manager that you are getting a very nice boat and have the money to maintain it. The marina doesn't have to worry that you will someday disapear or stop paying your slip bill. Many people keep a boat in a marina for 6 months and cruise for 6 months (and if you can afford it, I'd keep your current house - or downsize to a condo). It's nice to go see old friends and family. 12 months on a boat is not easy.

9) By this point you'll probably feel ready to buy the boat. Plan to stay close to your marina for at least six months. There will be lots of stuff to do - like new foam for the mattrsses because your back hurts when you sleep on it - or a better head that doesn't feel like an 19 century experiment. Take short "shake down" trips to gain confidence.

10) I'd recommend that your first long cruise be to The Bahamas for 3 months. It's real cruising but easy to run back to Florida if you have serious boat problems. Then consider going to NE (especially Maine) the next summer during hurricane season. By the time you get back from that you will be ready to teach new cruisers!

11) I've sailed in NE for over 50 years. It's wonderful but the season is too short for what you plan. July and August are the only really wonderful weather months. And it is wonderful - no air conditioning needed! By Sepember you have to start south or you risk getting trapped in NE for the winter. The Chesapeake has a much longer season but it's miserably hot July-September. It's no fun to sit in a marina slip to be plugged in for air conditioning. What we've done for 10 years is Bahamas in the winter, Maine in the Summer and Spring/Falll in our Boston condo and moving the boat on the ICW (be sure your boat's mast is not taller than 63' so you can get under 65' ICW bridges). It's worked out great. After a few years you can decide if you want to head for the Carribean or even Europe - but that's not today's problem. In many cases you'll get a new boat before leaving.