Hi there!

[Dody]

Sorry mates, should have done my introduction ages ago, especially BEFORE I post my first message!

I was reading every now and again in your forum. It's alive and you've managed to get a great community excited to participate, I love that!

There is not that much I can do to support you with, but I promise I'll do my very best!

Ok, now, I guess I'm supposed to introduce myself. But, really, there is not much to tell. Maybe this: I've bought my boat about 19 years ago, left my homecountry in 2002 and live aboard since. My boat and I, we've had a lot of fun together and did a lot of exploring, but there was also the other side. She took care of me and me of her, and, I have to admit, there was lots of things I had to learn about, some the hard way.

Right now we're on the boatyard with a big mission to accomplish: replace our deck, build us a new interior and get some odd ends and pieces to meet. I'm very happy that Tonga is so patient with me and doesn't complain. I've been an office-girl and a sailor, not a boatbuilder, not an electrician, not an engine-specialist, not ... not ... not ... but I'm learning and I'm getting there.

Nothing different with the chemistry of my head, brain, and my 2 hands compared to others who have built their boats on their own. Getting better with each single day, it's slowly coming all back together and it turned out to be great fun doing this!

But of course, we're longing to be out there again in the big blue open spaces, feel the wind on our skin and the sails, ride the waves, catch up with the dolphins and off to new horizons and new adventures! Still quite a bit of work to do ...

Well, guess that's pretty much it.

Oh yes, maybe worth to mention: my internet is sometimes very flukey although I've got a powerful antenna. So, sometimes it might take a bit longer ...

Cheers & very happy times to you all!
Dody

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy and Welcome Aboard the Forum Dody!

With 19 years of experience and living aboard too, I think you will be right at home here, and I am sure you must have lots of experience that others would find helpful or interesting too. Why just the other day I was mentioning to another new member that some members here could share their experience with living aboard in Spain or Portugal and cruising those areas and the Med. I hope to see that someday myself.
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A few of my favorite tips:

Since you are new to this forum, let me mention a few things you might miss but that could help you more enjoy your time here:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ics-19760.html

There are also some "social groups" that are more focused on special interests. I am not a member of those groups, but you should be able to find them if you do some exploring of the forum website, look for "groups."

Cruisers & Sailing Forums - All Groups

For example, a female sailor might be interested in the Mermaids Group. It has 206 members.

Another group is Single Sailors Seeking Soul Mates. It has 608 members.
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Profiles Help People Relate

You can also post a profile (when you sign up you can create a profile on this site or edit it later) and in that you can also post photos (e.g. of your boat or travels, etc.) and a description of your sailing desires or experiences.

You may click on a member's name (avatar) to see their public profile and through that page you can also send them private messages if you wish. You can look at mine for an example, and see I have written something and also posted some photos in an album.

I encourage you to complete the profile early in your membership in the forum, so those people who would like to know something about a new member can learn. I did not post a complete profile (due to ignorance about that feature of the site), until after I noticed that my empty profile page had already had 1,000 views by forum members. This meant I missed sharing information with those 1,000 folks who had some level of interest in who I am.

Not everyone does post any written "bio" or even a photo of themselves, but I think it adds to the human factor of a community to see a face and know a little about that person, and makes it more "personal."

I also encourage the use of a photo of the sailor (or couple) as the avatar. I think it also adds to the "human community" aspect of the online experience.

Good luck on your refit of your boat, your future sailing adventures and have fun!

Steady