Where Do I Start?

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard,
Thanks for serving. Retired Navy here.
Looks like you are getting some great invitations.
kind regards,

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Rick Iverson

All;

In a few short days, I will retire from a forty-one year military career. Although we are currently living on a small lake in Minnesota, my wife and I will at least snow-bird to Destin Florida.

I was introduced to sailing in 1961 aboard a 17' Thistle out of Los Alamitos Bay CA, and briefly owned a Hobie 18. Hardly a propitious start, it was fun none the less.

It is my intention to purchase a manageable boat, say 30-35', and do some coastal sailing. I would be remiss were I not to say my wife, although an amazing women, lacks a sense of adventure. My instructions are simple: we are not to lose sight of land.

So it comes down to where I start. I have NO sailing skills, as my past experiences were brief and without instruction. My surmise is ASA certification on the Gulf, but what classes? Then bareboat charters and some systematic desensitization for my wife until we can't live with or without sailing, right?

VR

Iverson

Did you like a mono-hull or a cat better? What about the wife? If the wife can't stand heel, it is a consideration. So is money; cat can be expensive, but not always. My 27' Stiletto was ~ $12,000. Absolutely flat and relaxing up to ~ 8 knots of boat speed... and over that it's more adventurous. There are also older cats that are not too $$.

When I went to get a larger (32') cruising boat was clear that it would be a cat. Since that is what I wanted. She is a little short on the adventure scale, but not bad. She doesn't mind if shore disappears for half a day...oh, I do love my wife!

Food for thought. But be careful about what you charter; if it is too nice you'll have to buy it.

There is a lot of small cruising cat stuff on my blog, below. The older posts, of course, talk about the smaller cat and earlier trips.