Greetings from Minnesota!

[marty9876]

Guess I should get around to making one of these threads too....

Marty here, very new to the sailing world enjoying the forum here. Lots a great info, so many questions!

Took a few sailing classes last summer (14ft community class then ASA 101) and have a ASA 103/104 bareboat class scheduled in the BVI for this March. So looking forward to getting on a *big* boat! Got scuba certified so going to sneak a little of that in while there, first time in the tropics for me.

Looking to buy a boat, can't image next summer going by w/o a boat. Hard and expansive getting out on the water when you don't know anyone into sailing. Grew up on the lakes, very comfortable around the smaller power boats but really looking forward to the trip aspect of cruising. For some reason racing has little to no appeal to me.

Reading more books on sailing than I ever thought I would. Taking a meteorology class next semester in a local community college, working towards gaining a complete understanding of the cruising ways/long passage making being the goal ultimately perhaps.

Anyways, about sums me up pretty good.

[CharlieCobra]

Welcome aboard.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Marty,
Welcome aboard!! Good to have you here. Sounds like you are learning a lot by reading and you'll get your feet wet in March. Be sure to ask questions. There are a lot of very knowledgeable sailors here.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Pblais]

It all sounds like a fun time to me Marty. If it all still seems fun then you may be just right for cruising. I hjhave always enhoyed all of it but as you say I never got too excited about racing. Now after some years it's getting more exciting for me to consider racing but not on my oen boat. Trying to set up a ride for the New Years Day race we have at out yacht club. This isn't a race where winning matters but they do hand out iron to the winner. It's all followed up by a great pot luck and all the rest of the club shows up too.

I spent 28 years in Minneapolis.

Bottom line is the whole experience is a great deal of fun and you should enjoy it all (or work a way so you do). Learning is quite a bit of fun when it's related to cruising.

[jack7382]

welcome aboard Marty

[AVSkipper]

Welcome Marty! I am new to the forum and new to sailing myself. I completed a basic sailing course and chartered 30 foot Catalinas and a Newport 30 so far. I passed Coastal Navigation in October and I'll be doing an intermediate course starting in January. I love it!

Racing holds little appeal to me as well. It's sailing, but with a bunch of yelling, it seems. Sailing for me is not about getting yelled at.

Matt (AVSkipper)

[geordieschmalz]

Welcome Marty! and Merry Christmas!

It sounds like you are practicing due diligence and making the proper decisions, so I think you are the kind of sailor we would raft up with!

Good luck on yer boat search, you will find lots of good advice here. The Newport 30 mentioned is a nice one, I've sailed one and very easy to handle, weatherly, and fairly inexpensive; an 80's version is on the market at my marina for under 25k.

Geordie