Howdy from Dallas TX!

[phairest]

Hi all! I'm a 33yo DFW native looking to change my lifestyle a bit. I've always loved travel, ocean beaches, and boats, but my inland-based life only allows me to enjoy these things occasionally via vacations. I'd like to change my situation so that these things can be a larger part of my everyday life.

My ideal end goal is to live mainly aboard a sailboat, based somewhere along the gulf or atlantic coast that's close to a commercial airport, and icing on the cake if I can snag a job that would complement with cruising. I'm sure this will take some time though- the major moving parts are that I currently don't have boat/sailing skills, and do have property in Dallas and an employer I'd like to keep if possible. So, my immediate plans are to join a local sailing club to get trained up on boating, and keep an eye out for a transfer within my company to a gulf/atlantic coast location.

Looking forward to bugging everyone with noob questions And if you have any suggestions for me please drop a line- good beginner books, best Dallas clubs, or whatever else. Thanks!

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by phairest

Hi all! I'm a 33yo DFW native looking to change my lifestyle a bit. I've always loved travel, ocean beaches, and boats, but my inland-based life only allows me to enjoy these things occasionally via vacations. I'd like to change my situation so that these things can be a larger part of my everyday life.

My ideal end goal is to live mainly aboard a sailboat, based somewhere along the gulf or atlantic coast that's close to a commercial airport, and icing on the cake if I can snag a job that would complement with cruising. I'm sure this will take some time though- the major moving parts are that I currently don't have boat/sailing skills, and do have property in Dallas and an employer I'd like to keep if possible. So, my immediate plans are to join a local sailing club to get trained up on boating, and keep an eye out for a transfer within my company to a gulf/atlantic coast location.

Looking forward to bugging everyone with noob questions And if you have any suggestions for me please drop a line- good beginner books, best Dallas clubs, or whatever else. Thanks!

Hi, welcome to CF.

Do you currently have the kind of 'experiential advice' job which you could perform over email/Skype with the occasional face-to-face, or does your currently role/employer still insist that everyone must be in the same location? After you've reach your comfort level with the sailing, it may pay dividends to look at the flexibility of your career.

If you want to be on the Gulf Coast, then Clear Lake is [meant to be] the 3rd largest 'boating' community in the US, and is served by two major airports.

[phairest]

Thanks for the welcome and rec! FYI I work for a major insurance company and my current role is in a fixed corporate office, but that can change; the company frequently has opportunities to transfer to other roles and/or locations. Today I looked at the positions posted and found a similar role in a location that might serve, Jacksonville FL. I'd prefer a less office-bound role as well, but getting the location right first has priority, so I'll research the JAX area more and keep an eye on the postings to see what else comes up.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. How are you progressing toward your goal?

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy!

You asked about books.

Two basic but comprehensive books I recommend to new sailors are:

Chapmans. A classic bible of boating for over 65 years.
http://www.amazon.com/Chapman-Piloti...and+seamanship

Annapolis book of Seamanship.

Also there are many short training videos on YouTube and many sailing videos available via streaming on amazon.com and free to view if you are an amazon Prime member.

[belizesailor]

OP, you may not realize it, but you are in a great place to learn to sail. Despite its land locked location, the DFW area has a very active sailing community with a number of sailing clubs and ASA sailing schools.

Lake Texoma (89,000 acres at normal pool level) is large enough to be a mini cruising ground with many anchorages and even a chain of islands with sandy beaches. I've spent many weekends, and longer, cruisng Texoma.