Introductions / How did you find sailFar.net?

[Needle]

 ;D

I finally found you!   (link on sailnet.com)
From what little I have seen, this looks like a wonderful  place! People interested in simple sailing as opposed to telling everyone why their bigger boat is better...
I am a long time sailor, started on 470 at a young age, sailed Lightings, Thistles (great communal racing up the Hudson), owned Pierson Ariel, sailed around NYC with family.
I now live full time on my Nordica 30 doublender, oddly named OZ. The name came with the boat, and the more time I am in it, the better it fits....
( I wonder why...) I live in Portland, Maine and sail in Casco Bay with my 3 children.
I am getting the boat ready for sailing far, Europe and South America seems to be beckoning..And I hope to find sensible info and ideas here about how to make it happen.

[CapnK]

Welcome aboard, I hope you'll find at least some of what you need here!

And - Have a Grog! ;D

[jotruk]

Well I have been lurking around in the shadows for a while and like what I see.

I was turned on  to this site when I helped another member when he purchased his "new boat" and I want to thank Polecat for that.

I have a 79 27' Hunter and everyone I run into seem to think that it is only good for lake sailing I tend to disagree. A proper handled sail boat regardless of size is a potential world cruiser, a stink pot is only good as far as the next fuel dock , that said I'm glad to have found this site and look farward to learning and improving my knowledge as I go.

[polecat]

Well --- Welcome aboard Danny.  Great to hear from you!  Your gonna like this bunch. 
Guys - As a friend of the PO of my Renegade,  Danny helped me 2 weekends running to get the mast down and load her on a shallow water ramp (not an easy task at all) took us a little more than 3 1/2 hours- with 6 guys working.
and here's a grog to you
jim

[Bluenose]

Apparently the proper newbie etiquette is to introduce yourself. I like that so here it goes.

I have been sailing on and off my entire life. I started trailer sailing on the lakes and rivers of the South and Midwest with my Dad on his Sun Flower, then his LS-16 and finally his O'day 20 (I think). I took some time off while I was in college but I started keel boat racing and windsurfing when I moved to San Diego. After a 15 year sabbatical I moved to the San Juan Islands and bought my first sailboat. A small one design keel boat called a Bluenose Sloop. For the last three or four years I have obsessively daysailed her without an engine and loved every minute of it. I tended to launch late but always sailed well into the fall. She was a true joy to sail.



You may have noticed the past tense. After getting married the Bluenose, which had served me well, started to seem a bit small. I also had an itch to spread my wings and sail outside of my normal daysailing area and spend nights and weekends aboard.

But I wanted to continue to sail without an engine so sailing performance was very important. In addition I have a fondness (okay a sickness) for sailboats with a bit of overhang.

Well one thing led to another and one of my crazier ideas met Tim Lackey so I purchase an older Shields class one design



and contracted Tim to perform a conversion to convert her to my vision of a sort of modern Knockabout Sloop.



I am currently awaiting delivery but plan to daysail and weekend her this year. But after that the future is wide open. I really would like to visit the Gulf Islands and the Inside Passage comes highly recommended. And also, since she has a trailer, I just can't seem to get the crazy idea of taking her to the Sea of Cortez or the Caribbean. But those are just crazy thoughts and nobody ever listens to those.

Cheers, Bill
Lopez Island, WA

http://knockaboutsloops.blogspot.com/
http://www.lackeysailing.com/bolero/bolero.htm

[Frank]

Welcome   BEAUTIFUL boats!!   love your taste. Have fun.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Wow! - Discerning tastes  8)

[jotruk]

Very nice boat should be a lot of fun to sail

[Shawn T W.]

Howdy!

I found sailFar through Cruisers Forum, it seemed to fit my tastes!

I'm just getting started in this sailing stuff!

Looking for a boat now . . .

Shawn

[dnice]

Hola Folks!

I am a newbie sailor, 32y/o with no money :) I sailed when I was young growing up in FL, mostly on a HobieCat, but nada since then. I have been thinking about world travel/boats for years but it wasn't until about 2 years ago that I realized you don't have to win the Lottery to make it possible.

So for about a year now I've been doing serious research and learning about sailboats and the cruising lifestyle. I have come to the conclusion that the 'go small go now' philosophy is what I'm all about. I have actually been living the lifestyle of a cruiser on land for many years already (traveling for construction jobs/living in a van/construction sites etc...)

I have been reading the various sailing forums over the past six months or so, and have decided that for the most part, they are very discouraging. People have way too much money to spend and they seem to shoot down any boat that isn't the 'perfect' boat.

Which brings me to you guys :)
I found sailfar via google searches, searching for exactly what this site is about, small boats long distances. From what I read here, you guys are my type of crowd and I look forward to joining discussions, and learning as much as I can over the next few years.

[CharlieJ]

Welcome to the board dnice. We are a pretty nice group- just be careful of that dude called CaptK- I hear he drinks a lot ;D ;D ;D ;D

[s/v Faith]

Glad to have you aboard.

   ;D

they seem to shoot down any boat that isn't the 'perfect' boat.

  Amazing isn't it?  I was on another board the other day and some blowhard poster was explaining to someone exactly why a Norsea 27 was unsuited to cruising, and was pretty much just a daysailor.... then one of our members (Greg of s/v Guenevere who has cruised with his wife Jill aboard their Norsea 27 since 1996 set the record straight.   ;D

  Small boat sailing / cruising is different, and I think the folks who are drawn to it are too.  That is why I am glad this place is here.  Let me buy you your first grog for the reminder.   ;)


On edit; oh yea, like CJ said watch out for Capt Bligh K

[Frank]

Welcome dnice. I like the way you're thinking.There are LOTS of people out there on adventures sailing budjet boats and seeing a multitude of places.Have fun

[David_Old_Jersey]

I have been reading the various sailing forums over the past six months or so, and have decided that for the most part, they are very discouraging. People have way too much money to spend and they seem to shoot down any boat that isn't the 'perfect' boat.

Which brings me to you guys :)

Welcome. I think you have hit the nail on the head about this place. It's very open and no big egos wandering around........sometimes I think boats are kinda like Dogs, the choice tells you a lot about the owner (not always of course - but often enuf that a stereotype is fulfilled now and again!).

Discouraging? Yeah, that's a good description. Sometimes folk can find it hard to accept that their is often more than one way to skin a cat (different to the way they have discovered / been told?).....and that although more money is usually nice  ;D, it is not always the answer to everything.

But I would add that good people and sailors do come in all sorts of boat size - and just because someone has a large boat doesn't mean they do not have a lot of useful knowledge to share......often enuf they started on a smaller boat!

[dnice]

Thanks for the welcome guys

But I would add that good people and sailors do come in all sorts of boat size - and just because someone has a large boat doesn't mean they do not have a lot of useful knowledge to share......often enuf they started on a smaller boat!

Yeah I agree, I wouldn't judge somebody by the size of their boat or their bank account. And there are plenty of good people and knowledgable sailors out there... even on the other msg boards :)

What I find discouraging on the other boards, is the advice I see so frequently given to noobs like me.
They tend towards
'you need to be a highly experienced skipper to go offshore'
and 'the boat needs to be bulletproof and designed for cruising'

as apposed to
'if you feel comfortable in it, go for it'
or 'the best way to learn is to get out and do it'.

Obviously there is and endless supply of good advice out there, but sometimes its hard to find unless you know what your looking for.

I just feel like alot of people who may be interested in cruising or just buying a sailboat for the first time, happen across a board like that, only to find out that you have to have a $100,000 boat and 10 years of experience before you can take off to distant shores.

But I suppose, if they were serious about it in the first place, then hopefully they are the discerning type and will figure out where they fit in :)

[Lynx]

Nice boat, Looks like fun to sail in the Bahamas or south Fl.

I could make this happen and I think you can to.

[Karletto]

i registered on your forum because i have a bit of sailing experience. my family owned a 3m, 6m single hull, a 9m catamaran and chartered 8m ELAN boats in Croatia. at the moment i have no boat. Adriatic sea and Beaufort  5 is my experience only.

i'm writing a diploma with the tittle Ships arrival and departure form port (in English :o). of course i visit maritime school, deck cadet but done a bit of maritime engineering too.

here's my plan/ dream ->

to go in USA or at least 1 ocean/ continent away and buy a small boat,  sail to Europe or something. live aboard is to me very, very interesting and it can be considered too. so is my plan crazy?

tnx in advance

edit: place the post somewhere else if necessary

[s/v Faith]

Karletto,

  Hello and welcome to SailFar!

  You asked if your plan was crazy.  I think many people here are thought to be crazy for this idea of sailing long distances in small boats.  ;D  No, I do not think your idea is crazy.

  I have spent time in the Adriatic sea also, sadly not aboard my small boat.  I have a question about the sentence you wrote;

i'm writing a diploma with the tittle Ships arrival and departure form port

  Do I understand that you attend a maritime school now, and that you are writing a paper or report on the arrival and departure from port?  Or is this the name of the course of study?  Either way it sounds interesting.

  I look forward to hearing more about your plans and wish you well.

Welcome aboard!

[Karletto]

in maritime school you can choose deck, maritime engineering or both. sometimes there are also electronic officer. there was also communication option/ officer but it was ended couse of modern, easy communication systems.
in the first year exams are the same like: medic, firefighting, math (like overall math) etc
than the exams are not the same.
diploma comes when you successfully passed all exams and practice. you choose a professor and he gives you a tittle. when you successfully passed the diploma you'r a deck officer.

"Ships arrival and departure form port" is not a course.

[s/v Faith]

Ah, ok I think I understand now.

  I you are writing a 'thesis' then you will graduate.  Very good.  My step father was a merchant marine ship captain.  I used to ride aboard the ship, and one of my favorite places was the radio room.  The position of communications officer becoming less common even back then.  The Telex was used much more often then manual methods of communication on the radio.

  Here is a 'grog' for you to help with your studies!