Hello from Michigan moving to Forida

[T.Mark]

First I just want to say how thankful I am to have found this forum, I have been reading for a few weeks now. It has answered many questions but as a newbie it has caused me to have so many more.

I would like to take a minute to introduce myself. I retired last year after 33 yrs in law enforcement and have always had a dream to move onto a sailboat and cruise. I owned a car wash which has kept me anchored in Michigan after my retirement last year. However, I just signed a contract to sell it yesterday so anchors away! I have a daughter, son in law and grandson in Naples FL so will most likely land in SW FL this winter.

I have no real sailing skills but have spent a lot of time on powerboats on Great Lakes and at my cottage on a inland lake in northern Michigan I did sail a sunfish and small cat as a kid on lakes in northern Michigan, and crewed on a Jboat on a couple races on the Great Lakes more recently.

MY very basic plan is to take the ASA 101/03/04 in August here and be in Fl by Christmas seaching for a boat. From there who knows at this point tenitively I would like to start cruising the carribbean asap!

So many questions but first were is appropriate spot to post the question what boat for blue water cruiser mid 30s to 40 that can be solo sailed ( that's a whole other story) LOL. Budget 45 to 50 all in.

Again I am so pleased to find so many with such a wealth of knowledge willing to share experiences and answer questions here. I look forward to a wonderful learning experience as I participate in this forum in the future.

Mark

[Matt Johnson]

Welcome aboard Mark! We're from Grand Rapids and are currently living on the East Coast of Florida by Stuart. Are you ready for the heat? It can be unbearable at times, but I think Naples is a bit better temps through the summer.... and less mosquitoes.

Matt

[T.Mark]

Thanks for the welcome and not sure about being ready for the hot summers in Florida but I'm sure I'm ready to leave behind the snow and below Zero temps we had last winter in Michigan.