Jacksonville, NC to Quantico, VA

[craig0330]

Greetings,
Where to start.... Well I'm a pilot in the Marine Corps and fly the MV-22 Osprey. I have had the sailing bug for quite some time now and I'm ready to act on it. I am moving to Quantico, VA in a week and I'm going to be taking lessons on base or at the Woodbridge sailing school. I'm not sure which is better but the Wb school offers the ASA 101 rating, and I don't think Quantico does. I plan on sailing as much as I can in a year. After that I want to buy a boat to cruise the family on the East Coast. I have no idea what kind of boat I want but there are 6 of us total. I've never sailed a day in my life but spent the first 6.5 years of service in the Navy (15 total) and I've crossed the equator twice. I've been through the panama canal, and suez canal, and flew over too many pirates (yes real ones). Those idiots even tried to attack one of our sister ships in the GOA. They received complimentary 20mm treats, courtesy of uncle sam. I even got to transport some as prisoners and made every radio call in my best pirate voice. Anyway, thats me and if anyone in the Quantico area wants to teach me something or just needs some extra ballast, let me know.

[Bob on OTTER]

Craig, welcome aboard. Retired Coast Guard who did some ops with II MEF SOTG down at Lejuene... Despite being in the Coast Guard for 29 years, and owning now my fourth boat, I still consider myself a novice! Lots to learn...great hobby for you and the family....my wife and I love learning together. In addition to the sources you mention, I'd like to suggest that you take a drive out to Deltaville, VA....where Rappahannock River meets the Chesapeake Bay....lots of ASA sailing schools, I took some courses form Norton's Yachts...there also many boats for sale or charter there....probably about a 2 hour or so drive from Quantico..... Stay in touch....CF is a great source of info.

Semper Fi/Semper Paratus
Bob

[gettinthere]

You might have buzzed us in Mile Hammock Bay in April!

Norfolk looks like a good sailing spot inside or out on the Chesapeake.

I'd suggest starting with an old 30' boat you can learn on and not worry about breaking things. Get a simple, seaworthy craft and you'll probably sell it for what you paid for it. Sail in protected waters so you don't scare the family half to death!

Good luck

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by craig0330

Greetings,
Where to start.... Well I'm a pilot in the Marine Corps and fly the MV-22 Osprey. I have had the sailing bug for quite some time now and I'm ready to act on it. I am moving to Quantico, VA in a week and I'm going to be taking lessons on base or at the Woodbridge sailing school. I'm not sure which is better but the Wb school offers the ASA 101 rating, and I don't think Quantico does. I plan on sailing as much as I can in a year. After that I want to buy a boat to cruise the family on the East Coast. I have no idea what kind of boat I want but there are 6 of us total. I've never sailed a day in my life but spent the first 6.5 years of service in the Navy (15 total) and I've crossed the equator twice. I've been through the panama canal, and suez canal, and flew over too many pirates (yes real ones). Those idiots even tried to attack one of our sister ships in the GOA. They received complimentary 20mm treats, courtesy of uncle sam. I even got to transport some as prisoners and made every radio call in my best pirate voice. Anyway, thats me and if anyone in the Quantico area wants to teach me something or just needs some extra ballast, let me know.

Thanks for your service to our great country Marine and former sailor and welcome to the CF...I have great memories of working at Quantico and at some of the residence housing at Woodbridge...My brother recenty bought a Oday 39.9 in Hampton and he seems to enjoy it a lot ...It has lots of space for a big family and handles well...I wonder how it must feel to be a Marine after being in the Navy!What does one do when when confronted about a Marine napkin?! LoL.. ...Good luck with your quest for the right boat...Semper Fi and fair winds...DVC

[craig0330]

Thank you all for the welcome, I'm looking forward to learning lots here. It seems like it's a great place for good gouge. @Bob on Otter, I had a good friend of mine just quit the Corps as a C-130 guy to go Coastie. I guess he wanted to save lives instead of take them He loves it so far. I think the Coast Guard takes the best aspects all every service and implements that as policy (I'm sure you have some horror stories though). @gettinthere, the bay you were at is right next to an attractive LZ (landing zone) and sits almost dead on course rules for us to get to the beach line. We are all over that place and the more V-22's we get the more crowded it gets. I look for boats out in the waters off of CL but usually only get out 10-15 miles unless I'm going to a ship out there. @ Tropicalescape, I see you're in the aviation business as well? I have a lot of buddies who don't seem to get enough at work and are looking at buying there own planes. Some already have. Me, I retire in 5-6 years (depends on how many extra I want to give uncle sam) and plan on cruising for a year before picking up another career. I looked into buying a Cherokee 6 for the family but realized that was too expensive and would bring no joy to us. Plus you can't live in a 6. Anyway, thank you all for the welcome and I'll keep in touch as I move through this process. Take care.

Craig

[Bob on OTTER]

Thanks for the shout out Craig! USMC and USCG share many core values and seagoing traditions....you probably know the only USCG MOH recipient (posthumously) was so awarded after saving Marines at Guadalcanal....picture of Douglas Munro seen hanging in a building at Courthouse Bay. Stay in touch, drop me a message if you're in Deltaville.... Bob

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Retired Navy here and thanks for your USMC service. You've got some great plans. Is that Woodbridge VA south of DC? If so I had some friends I used to stay there with from time to time. Nice area.
kind regards,

[Dcamp9709]

ASA101and 103 offered at the Pentagon Yacht Club for active duty and ret very
cheap and a great class on a fleet of Capri 22's. My wife and I just graduated.

MSgt USMC (Ret)

[Gadagirl]

http://www.quanticoyc.org/

[Gadagirl]

There's also a yacht club right on base. Come join us tonight for our monthly meeting. There always seems to be people looking for crew!

Oh and Welcome to Quantico!!!

[craig0330]

I was at the QYC meeting a couple weeks ago. I was there with Mark and I think we met. Thanks for the heads up.

[Gadagirl]

I hope we'll see you around often! I didn't realize that was you. Mark is very good company. I hope you enjoyed!