Greetings from the Most Easterly Part of Canada

[sailingduke1950]

I would like to sum up my sailing this year - with brevity. Sold boat, no invitations to sail, looking for boat suitable to sail from Newfoundland to BVI and beyond, first mate wants Catalina 42 and I want Hans Christian 38 (Catalina 42 will likely be our boat ), amassing ICW information ()and would love any input WRT good references for chartlets, waypoints, anchorages and marinas. My, that was not all that brief !!

[Pblais]

first mate wants Catalina 42 and I want Hans Christian 38

Just because you think you are the captain does not mean you get to pick the boat.

Actually it was a bit brief for a first post but you start where you find yourself and go from there. Lots here in CF to explore possibilities and options. Just get the idea out of your head that you get to pick the boat - even if it is five times the boat the Catalina ever will be. For the ICW I'm more of a Skipper Bob fan even if poor old Bob died last year the family runs the place.

FWIW, I would start collecting many sources and then as you begin the trip you get more updated information along the way. The best places and options change. The world moves on and on some occasions what used to be good is not so good any more. Try to come up with as many options as you can so you can weed out the stuff that does not work and still find a place to land.

If you start cruising a long way and have a detailed agenda it has a way of becoming an itinerary and suddenly you find yourself with a deadline. Being in a hurry with any boat is always bad and adding a deadline often causes you to reach - the deadline. You do things an ordinary person would not do when not faced with a deadline. You reach beyond reasonable limits and suddenly you find out just how much you can't do. No one needs to prove what they can't do. Just because you think you can do something does not mean you can. But you can still have a good time doing what you can and you can always learn to do more.

Enjoy the place and browse around and ask plenty of questions. For the most part folks are pretty nice and having relatives from Canada myself and of course we have Gord too so we and the rest of the folks will watch out for you.

[Steve Pope]

The Hans Christian will be the boat to have once you get off the down hill run, that is if decide to head into the Pacific. Welcome anyway whichever boat your wife chooses!

[Lancerbye]

Welcome aboard. From the other side of this frozen land mass called Canada. eh.

[GordMay]

See Tom Dove’s ICW Anchorage Guide, written by cruisers, for cruisers:
Tom Dove Home Page

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Duke,
Welcome aboard! Either the Hans Christian or the Catalina are good choices. I think the boats you are looking at are a bit large but that's my personal taste. The Catalina will be more maneuvarable in a tight port. Hope you enjoy the forum. Lots of opinions and good information here. Sometimes the two are mutually informative.
Kind regards,
JohnL