Hello From Hudson Beach, Florida

[Live4boating]

I'm the 1st mate in this operation. Cpt and I are in year 2 of our 5 year plan. We may be a little different because our 5 year plan doesnt include retirement any time soon. Hubby works for an airline in Tampa, four days on/four days off. We plan to cruise part time in Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and east coast of US. Hopefully great loop one day. He will fly home 2 work as we cruise port to port.

We have step 1 taken care of: moved from dallas tx to tampa area. bought a small canal front home with 90 ft of deep seawall and clear, quick access 2 gulf . Working on paying of bills and getting youngest child thru college (he is a junior this fall). Next step will be upgrading our current small fishing walk around to something bigger for traveling. Sail or power? Not sure yet. For now we are content to boat in the local area including the north anclote bar and anclote key.

Anyway i've been lurking for a while and really enjoy reading all the posts! It's great to find other ppl who love the dream and so many living it.

[Live4boating]

Actually step 1 was when we bought our current boat in Maryland in April of '02, we just didn't know it at the time! Caught the boating bug then in the Chesapeake, continued it in tx with lake boating and now in florida

[haw1961]

Welcome to Cruisers Forum Live4boating. Good to have you aboard.

[FLLCatsailor]

Welcome aboard the board! The west coast is a GREAT cruising ground. I grew up in Tampa and loved sailing around there. Lots of searching to do before pulling the trigger! I would say that if you are based on the gulf coast, keep your draft to a minimum. If you go with a sailboat I would focus on a catamaran.

[Live4boating]

Originally Posted by FLLCatsailor

Welcome aboard the board! The west coast is a GREAT cruising ground. I grew up in Tampa and loved sailing around there. Lots of searching to do before pulling the trigger! I would say that if you are based on the gulf coast, keep your draft to a minimum. If you go with a sailboat I would focus on a catamaran.

I couldn't agree more about the draft. We live right near the hudson channel but most of the monohulls in our neighborhood wait 4 a rising tide to go out. if we go sail we will look at small coastal cats around 35' with smaller beams to fit in our canal, and that will fit in reg slips when we have to use a marina. If power mayb a trawler. We will determine which type of boat when we get close so we will have a better handle on our operating budget. Lots of time 2 decide. Don't laugh but I have never been on a sailboat in my life! So there's that... But i've spent well over 800 hrs in our current boat, she's small but she's got a little cuddy and we overnight on her sometimes, so I know I will love a bigger boat! Love love love the water here!

[FLLCatsailor]

What kind of boat do you guys have? Are you all new to the Tampa bay area?

[Dulcesuenos]

Hi there! we just left new port richey following our dreams, on our cat. Sold the house and moved aboard down in the keys. Cats are great in your area we used to carve our initials everywhere in our mono. One thing to consider if u plan on cruising most trawlers and powerboats don't hold a candle to sailboats for economy under power. Those i have spoken to who have cruised aboard trawlers have spent as much per year on diesel as we plan to on all our expenses.
Looking forward to hearing about your adventures

[Waterway Guide]

Welcome aboard!

[Live4boating]

Originally Posted by FLLCatsailor

What kind of boat do you guys have? Are you all new to the Tampa bay area?

We have a seaswirl 2101wa we bought new in 2002. We lived in md then so 1st season was on the Chesapeake bay. 8 yrs lake boating in tx. We moved to this area in 2010. Moved to hudson in 2011, we love having the boat right out back and try to get at as much as we can.

[Live4boating]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Hi there! we just left new port richey following our dreams, on our cat. Sold the house and moved aboard down in the keys. Cats are great in your area we used to carve our initials everywhere in our mono. One thing to consider if u plan on cruising most trawlers and powerboats don't hold a candle to sailboats for economy under power. Those i have spoken to who have cruised aboard trawlers have spent as much per year on diesel as we plan to on all our expenses.
Looking forward to hearing about your adventures

Operating cost will be one of the things we will consider. He will still b working so we will need to balance a schedule (power=speed) versus $$$ to operate. Living aboard ur cat must b awesome, especially in the keys! We would love 2 live aboard one day but we will need a home base 4 a long time. He is only 47 so will b working 4 a While. Luckily it's not the normal 9-5 grind!

[FLLCatsailor]

Nice thing about working in the aviation business is like you pointed out already... Not a 9-5, and easy to meet the boat somewhere. I specialize in catamarans do if there is anything I can do to help you out shoot me a PM

[Live4boating]

Thx fllcat...i will keep that in mind as we get closer. I think we r at least 2 years out mayb a little longer 4 bigger boat purchase. The youngest is in college in tx for 2 more years. 4 now content 2 plan and dream. And have fun on the water as much as possible now! Having fun is not a problem 4 us...I'll never 4get a non boating family members question to us after we had talked about how much fun boating is...he asked us what we DID boating all day, didn't we get bored? Just dumbfounded us! Yeah we'd rather spend all our free time cutting our grass like u...lets see...swimming, sitting on the island, drinking with friends, watching dolphin play, fishing, watching the sunset, drinking with friends, watching the sky 4 weather, and did I mention drinking with friends? Lol

Thxs for all the nice welcomes! I look 4ward to really getting into the forums and reading all the great posts.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here.
kind regards,