Introductions / How did you find sailFar.net?

[Auspicious]

Welcome aboard Dennis.

You might enjoy First you have to row a little boat by Richard Bode. If you learn anything about sailing from it, it will have been an accident. The book uses Mr. Bode's sailing experiences to talk about his life experiences. It is however a lovely book and most of the sailing does take place on a river.

I carry a couple of extra copies to give away to people who may appreciate it.

My sister lives in Wappinger Falls NY. I have limited experience sailing on the Hudson (some) but can appreciate your joy in that river.

[River Wytch]

thank you !
i read your post,"early scoot" . . .
i'm thinking that it's going to be awhile before i'll be catching up with you anytime soon,so i better get the book myself and you can find me something else to read when we do meet . . .
it sounds like something that i would enjoy reading . . .
A philosophical celebration of sailing. When he was a boy, Richard Bode was taken under the wing of a legendary local sailor and learned from him how to ..."

the verplanck/collyer book actually has plenty of helpful things a river sailor should know in it . . .
the river's been dredged and the channels are marked now but the winds and tides are the same as they were in the 1800's . . .

i've been able to find other river related stuff on the net but hardly anything in book form . . .
i love reading the old stuff . . .
you just can't beat a line like this . . .
"and the amount of profanity uttered by the vexed sailors was sufficient to demoralize the whole district."
Benson Lossing describes the overslagh near Castleton in 1866
i love it !

once again,have a good trip and i'll be waiting to read about it . .

dennis

[jotruk]

Just wanted to say welcome aboard. I think that you will find a lot of people here that will willingly share there knowledge and will be very helpful

[matt195583]

welcome to sailfar Dennis. Its an awesome feeling getting out on the water and learning a few things about sailing for your self. I have been doing the same thing here in Brisbane Australia for the last 12 months.

[CharlieJ]

 From aboard Tehani anchored off Punta Gorda,  Fl

Welcome aboard to the two latest members. It's a really good group to hang with.

[Mario G]

Hey Dennis 
I bet it would be hard to beat a river sail in the fall where your at.
I grew up just west of you.  Like you I triped feet first back into sailing after many year , 6 mounths  of practical reading (this fourm) before splashing but have enjoyed getting out and staying on my Chrysler C-22 every weekend since.   Yes I'm one of those guys,  Please tell Lyle to email me if he hasn't gotten on the Chrysler fourm Maybe he can straighten out the guys over there.

[tomwatt]

A link, to a link, to a link... I don't honestly remember how I found the site. I was chewing through info concerning my (new to me) boat, and ran across the site, thought some of the advice seemed sound, the folks friendly, and decided to join (after having been declined from another site, perhaps because my boat is too small?).
Glad to be here... it's going to be a rough passage, as my boat has sat on the hard for at least 5 years while the owners were elsewhere engaged.

[nowell]

Welcome aboard! What kind of boat do you have? Give us a bit of background! Lots of great people and information here.

[MSter]

Hello All-

I found this group via Google while searching for related info on "Cruising on a small sailboat".

My name is Marty. My wife Janice and I are relatively new to sailing but have been constant in our search for knowledge and experience. I regularly crew aboard a friend's 47' Catalina and to date have participated in several coastal trips and my first offshore race from St Pete, FL to Isla Mujeres, MX.

We keep our '81 Watkins 27 in Apollo Beach, FL on the dock closest to the Tiki Bar...by design. It makes for the perfect pit stop, to and from the truck, when unloading the boat after a weekend sail.

I am a computer consultant and am able to take my work with me as long as I have broadband or WiFi connectivity. Having this ability, starting in May 2010, we decided to take a 2-3 month cruise from Tampa bay, down the West Coast of Florida, and into the Keys and maybe even the Dry Tortugas on an extended weekend.

In the short time we have been sailing, we have found this is how we want to retire, albeit on a bigger boat. Its amazing how fast this one shrunk!!!  Anyhow, we figure we can someday sail off into the sunset and repair our "new to us" boat in exotic Caribbean ports....

I hope to use this forum as a means to possibly meet people along the way, pick up some local knowledge from folks who have been there and done that, and contribute where I can.

Fair winds to ya......

MSter

[nowell]

Welcome aboard to you two! I also do computer work, but wish I could telecommute more! Sounds like you guys are off to a great start! Are you sure the boat has shrunk or is there just alot of stuff that might need a re-consideration, that's cluttering it up?  ;D

[tomwatt]

Welcome aboard! What kind of boat do you have? Give us a bit of background! Lots of great people and information here.

Well, you know I'm still trying to navigate my way around, and finding replied to posts isn't happening that well for me, although I shouldn't plead lack of web-saavy. Sorry to not see this until now.
I have an old, somewhat gutted and almost free Bristol Corsair 24 that needs love, attention and lots of cash. Honestly, despite the boat being a bit dirty and rough, I count myself lucky at having a shot at bringing this old gal back from the boneyard.
My plans include making a live-aboard out of it, with an eye towards retirement in a few years, and doing my fix-ups in a customized way to enhance that ability.

[nowell]

I have an old, somewhat gutted and almost free Bristol Corsair 24 that needs love, attention and lots of cash. Honestly, despite the boat being a bit dirty and rough, I count myself lucky at having a shot at bringing this old gal back from the boneyard.
My plans include making a live-aboard out of it, with an eye towards retirement in a few years, and doing my fix-ups in a customized way to enhance that ability.

Excellent platform! They are little tanks from what I hear! Can't wait to see and hear about your restore project! Good luck!

[TOMT]

 Found sailfar.net while browsing sailing sites on net. I read a lot of threads and enjoyed them very much. I own a Kittiwake 23 and am in the middle of a total refit. I,am 67 yrs old and spent most of my growing up living and playing in/on the Chesapeake Bay. Been sailing forever and I am still loving the lifestyle. I have owned various boats along the way, beginning with a Yankee Skiff I rebuilt and painted Sharks Teeth on the bow and along with my childhood friend(dog) Inky I rowed all over the Hampton Roads. Other boats were a Hampton one I rebuilt, an old Classic sloop, an old 25ft skipjack, a 7 meter Cinder build by tyler boats in UK, a H-28.   In 1990 I bought an Irwin Center Cockpit Ketch,which I still own. I bought the Kittiwake because the Irwin has become to much to single hand. I now sail out of Mobjack Bay in Gloucester VA. BTW I am a retired Firefighter/Btn Chief.    TOM

[nowell]

Tom-

  Welcome to SailFar. Great group of people here, and alot of good info! I just moved to Houston from the Norther VA area. Sailed the bay a few times in my past. I really miss the beauty of the fall and spring on the water!

Welcome Aboard!

[TOMT]

 Thanks NOWELL. The weather here is nice but getting colder. No snow yet but you beat us to it this year.    TOM

[jotruk]

Welcome aboard TOMT I was stationed in Norfolk while in the Navy and did get to sail a little on the Chesapeake again welcome aboard

[TOMT]

  Thanks jotruk: I grew up across from Norfolk on Hampton Roads. I also spent 4 yrs. in the Alligator Navy aboard an LST out of Little Creek Va from late fiftys to early 60s. Signalman 3rd class.   TOM

[GregX999]

Ahoy all!

I just found this site today and can't imagine how it escaped my notice for so long. I've been on-and-off dreaming of sailing for, oh, 15 years now. More "off" than "on" to have gone so long without getting a sailboat I suppose. But the last year, 6 months especially, I've been REALLY focussing my dreaming.  ;D

So, I guess I'm in the "preparing to start planning" stage - I've decided I WILL get myself a sailboat (28-32 foot range) to live on and sail about the globe. I'm currently saving money for said boat while also trying to absorb as much info as humanly possible about various boats, equipment, strategies (both "sailing" and "life"), cruising grounds, etc.

I hope everyone doesn't get sick of all the total noob questions I'm sure I'll be asking!

Later (from snowy Rochester, NY),
Greg

[Captain Smollett]

Welcome aboard, Greg.  Have a grog to settle in (I cannot resist an empty glass).

Please post all of the noob questions you want. We all love to yack about sailing and we were all noobs once...well, we all still are in some ways since none of us has experienced EVERYTHING.

If we cannot answer your questions, we'll sure beat them to death for you... ;D

[Seadogdave]

I'm not sure how I found Sailfar.net, maybe through a link from Trailer Sailer Discussion Forum or maybe from just sailboat surfing the web.  Boats have always been in my blood.  I built my first boat probably at about age 5 when I nailed a few boards together in our basement and sat in it dreaming of what it would be like.  My next boat was a raft I made in Boy Scouts from six inner tubes and a wooden frame I could unbolt and carry - it was a fun wet ride.  I was able to take my first trip with a friend for about 5 miles down Pennypack Creek in Philadelphia.  My next boat was a Luger 16 a friend and I built from a kit while in college.  Over the years I had a runabout, a 32 foot shrimpboat. 36 foot lifeboat hull shrimpboat, Kittiwake 23, 16 foot catamaran, Paceship 23, and currently am blessed with a Balboa27 (forsale) and a Catalina 27. My cruising history occurred mainly about 30 years ago - shipwrecked the Kittiwake 23 in the Gulf, island hopped with friends on a 30 foot S2 through the Bahamas, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.  And now after marriage, raising 3 kids, and getting near the end of a career, I try to spend as much time as possible at the boat.  There is not a day that goes by that I'm not thinking about the next boat project, modification, or making plans for the summer cruise.  Next Summer I'm considering Bermuda or coastal hopping down the east coast.  I'm a jack of all trades, master of none.  I like fixing up what noone else wants, keeping costs low, and making a vessel seaworthy in all respects.  I like the vastness of the ocean, and the freedom one finds crossing the horizon!  I also like sea chanties - thus my boat is named Sea Shanty.