Hello everyone

[2tocruise]

My wife and I (charlie and brandi) have decided we want to live aboard and learn to sail and go to the Caribbean. We currently live in Montana. We've begun saving money and intend to move to florida next year (Jacksonville or St. Pete or???).

We have to jump in with both feet. At 38 we have decided that the only way to do it is to commit and do it. We plan on spending 4,000-12,000 for a older boat around 30 ft to live on, fix up and learn on. A larger nicer one can come later...if we don't snatch ahold of the dream we will never live it. We have lived in a semi truck...so space should not be the largest issue we face. It will just be the two of us and a 8 pound dog as our children are grown.

I intend to take some classes, and hopefully meet some nice people willing to give us tips. We were very glad to find this forum as it is very informative and should make the whole thing a bit easier.

[atoll]

lots of cheap boats out there just go for it!
welcome to the forum,
find yourself an old sea dog for your first few passages to accompany you
,you will learn far more than any sea school can teach you from a retired cruiser that wants to keep his hand in.

[Waterway Guide]

Welcome aboard, Charlie and Brandi! Sounds like a great plan...see you out there!

[Bashleys]

Welcome to the lifestyle!

[pistarckle]

More boats in Tampa/St. Pete , better selection .
Do it , do not wait until ya learn everything as you never will .
Wife and I had never sailed , we bought a 34 foot sloop in Daytona , less than a year later we cut loose and cruised the Carib for 13 years . Best thing that we ever did . Buy the smallest boat that you can live on , not the largest that you can afford . It does not have to be ready and perfect as the Carib is full of places to fix what broke .
Lots of boats in So Florida and its two or three days closer to Paradise . Many people will advise you to not go until you got every toy that the boat will hold , don't believe them . Get out there
and you will realize that you do not need all that expensive junk .

[atoll]

Originally Posted by pistarckle

More boats in Tampa/St. Pete , better selection .
Do it , do not wait until ya learn everything as you never will .
Wife and I had never sailed , we bought a 34 foot sloop in Daytona , less than a year later we cut loose and cruised the Carib for 13 years . Best thing that we ever did . Buy the smallest boat that you can live on , not the largest that you can afford . It does not have to be ready and perfect as the Carib is full of places to fix what broke .
Lots of boats in So Florida and its two or three days closer to Paradise . Many people will advise you to not go until you got every toy that the boat will hold , don't believe them . Get out there
and you will realize that you do not need all that expensive junk .

+1

[2tocruise]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Sounds like tampa/st.pete is the place to be. Gonna have to talk to the wife and start planning some more. Very exciting!

[Mknebes]

Hi - I'm new here too- lived in Jackson Hole awhile as well as South Lake Tahoe - now I call St. Petersburg , FL home. My husband and i bought our sailboat a few months ago (my first- him- last in almost 40 years). If you need any help down here -let me know. Quite a change you're getting in to and I can't wait to see how it goes!

Good luck!

Monica

[D&D]

Originally Posted by 2tocruise

My wife and I (charlie and brandi) have decided we want to live aboard...At 38...our children are grown.

Wow...kids off your hands at 38 eh? Well done...and welcome to CF!

Go for those dreams. The only limits are the ones you set for yourselves!

We wish you fair winds and following seas.

[2tocruise]

Once again thank you all for the warm welcome. This really is an exciting stage in our lives. We can't wait to make the move.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. If you can squeeze in a basic sailing class I'd recommend it before purchase. It'll give you a bit of perspective in what you might want to own.