Bruce from Portland, OR

[brucew]

Hello, my name is Bruce, and I'm a 31yr old new sailor (actually, I can't even claim that; I've only been on a couple intro trips for a few hours -- though I've been reading about sailing for the last year or so). I've already fallen in love with it, and driving my wife crazy talking about it all the time. I'm cautiously optimistic my enthusiasm will run off; actually, it seems to be!

My plan is to take ASA 101 from Island Sailing Club here in Portland, and then continue to learn the ropes through experience and further ASA courses. My long term aspirations involve cruising, perhaps a circumnavigation. I have 2 kids, 5 & 6, and I have no intentions to retire in a little, quiet house after they're off to school. Who knows, maybe we'll leave before, or try living aboard here in town (I'm a software developer and work remotely).

This seems like a great group of people; lots of good information here, and a lot to learn. I'm very excited to join you.

[Svsilvergirl]

Island sailing is where we got our feet wert sailing , great bunch of guys . If your wife has any interest , owsa (oregon women's sailing association) is a great place to meet people and make confections that will get you out on other boats . Me and my lovely wife Robin , took the asa 101 class , and sailed their boats alot the first summer . We recently bought a 44 foot islander , and will be leaving for cruising full time next september . Hope your dream works out for you . Oh yeah , welcome to CF .

[brucew]

Originally Posted by Svsilvergirl

Island sailing is where we got our feet wert sailing , great bunch of guys . If your wife has any interest , owsa (oregon women's sailing association) is a great place to meet people and make confections that will get you out on other boats. .

Glad to hear you recommend ISC; we're going into this a bit blind ;-) As for OWSA, sounds good. My wife is a trained pastry chef, so I think we have a leg up in the confections department!

[Svsilvergirl]

Sheesh , damn spell check . Conections -not confections . Robin is the education chair at owsa . Before we bought our boat , we had the opportunity to do several boat deliveres from the puget sound back to portland , and met lots of people with boats in the porland area , that were always looking for crew . Get involved in the boating community , and you will have lots of chances to go out and learn from people who own the kind of boats you will be shopping for .

[Eleven]

If you are as new to sailing as you say, and are handy at woodwork, then it's time to pick up a sailing dinghy and learn the basics. A wooden one would teach you most, plastic ones are easier to own, harder to sail.
In a few months keep an eye out for a small plastic sail boat, prices are really low so be picky, you want one over 20ft to learn the basics and find out what;s good and bad about sailing, ideally with the 4hp outboard that you'll keep for life. It's big enough for two to weekend, one to live aboard for a few weeks at a time. A road trailer makes life cheaper if your house has parking for the winter.
All the stuff on navigation applies just as much to small boats as great big ones, you are just less likely to sink and expensive one so insurance is much cheaper.
In a couple of years your passage planning will be demanding a bigger boat and with your woodworking skills you'll sell the 20+ftr for more than you paid, and you'll have learnt a hell of a lot, including whether 'she' and 'they' are keen to come with you (or not). That will help you to decide how big your 'retirement boat' will need to be, and you'l be in a much better position to make the right decisions. You will also have learnt a great deal from being around marinas and seeing things going wrong!
The boat you OWN will always be the best in the world for you, just like the car that never breaks down on you, 'cept it doesn't have to be the fastest, biggest, shiniest. The modern man's equivalent to a shed.
Good luck with your sailing, and in life.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Welcome Aboard Cruisers Forum

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. Admirable dream you present there. Attainable for certain.
kind regards,

[brucew]

Just an update: both my wife and I completed our ASA 101 at ISC last weekend and have been spending as many hours as we can on the water (so far a Zap 26, a couple Capri 22s, and a Santana 23). Learning a ton every day (most of all, learning how much we don't know), and really enjoying it. My sons are already crazy about sailing (maybe its the novelty, we'll see).

We'll be looking at OWSA for my wife soon, and I'm anxious to look into ISC's racing and cruising groups -- and getting to know the wider boating community; nothing like new friends who need crew!

[Moonshine36]

Howdy neighbor, Eugene is home for me. My recommendation is to learn to sail in a dingy, smaller cheeper and responsive. If you do it right they move if you do it wrong you get wet and getting wet is a learning experience. Most former dingy sailers and racers can sail circles around the one that did not learn the feel of their boat. Willamette Sailing Culb would be a good spot to investigate, near John's Landing close to down town, it's river sailing and a very young family oriented place. Or Vancouver Lake Sailing Club west of I-5 on the Vancouver side of the river. It's on a lake so flat water and no current to deal with also a good group of folks to assist and teach sailing.