Introductions / How did you find sailFar.net?

[Godot]

My name is Marcus White. I live in Pasadena MD very close to the Chesapeake Bay. I have had a dream of owning a sailboat for about the last 20 years after I went out on my Brother in Laws (Richard) C&C 33. I remember my last time out on it (Or any other sailboat for that matter). We entered the bay from one river while a larger boat was entering from another branch at the same time. We were side by side about 100 feet apart. I asked Richard if we could keep up with her and he said most likely not because our "opponent" had more sail area then we did but he said we'll give it a try. Not sure what the wind speed was but I remember it was "windy". With my assistance :) we started trimming the sails for speed and the C&C really took off.  She was heeled over almost to the side rail and I mean we we were flying. It was so thrilling. We not only kept up but actually pulled away from the other boat. I'm told that C&C's are fast boats. Well if that wasn't enough, the women (not to be sexist) came up from down below with hot BLT's and cold bears out of the refrigerator!!! Well that was it I was hooked. Unfortunately the C&C's been up on stands ever since needing a replacement engine. So all I've had since were memories and dreams. Well even poor souls like myself get thrown a bone every once in awhile it appears. A boat came up for sale and it was a deal I just couldn't pass up so I'm taking possession of my 1969 Coronado 25 at the end of the month. Yahoo!!! Now I'll just need to find a Club to join and boats to race (as long as they aren't C&C's). Oh, and some beer....and bacon. Look forward to perhaps meeting some of you fine folks on the water some day.

I used to keep my boat at Oak Harbor Marina in Pasadena.  Good luck with your new Coronado.  I hope it works out well for you.

[vistastang]

I just looked at Oak Harbor in Google Earth and every slip was occupied! I was wondering what you did with your boat during the winter. There doesn't appear to be much ground space for storing boats on land and I didn't think you could keep a boat in the water because of the ice?

[Jim_ME]

Welcome aboard Jack. I've also got a Westerly, but it is on a trailer (found used and reasonable) and that helps make owning and using it more affordable, but even so in these economic times, I have fallen back on an additional smaller sailboat (as you and others here may have)--to keep sailing at and even more frugal level. I'm also in Maine and have had a similar dream of heading South for part or all of the winter, most likely trailer-sailing. My thinking that I could then stay here as long as it was tolerable (say through November), and then get down there in a few days, whereas if I was going to cruise down I would have to leave much earlier... Although I admire those who cruise down as CJ/Laura and others have. Congrats on getting the Dawson and best of luck with your plans.

And welcome, Marcus. I was just looking at the Coronado 25 design and comparing its layout to the similar Columbia 26 (that I was recently looking at in regard to the free boat in CraigsList). Interesting how the Coronado designer opts to offset the companionway to allow space for a larger dinette aft seat, taking advantage of the narrow (but larger) galley on the port side, and a quarter berth. It has a bridge deck (even if not full height) and the long fin keel should help the boat track better than a narrow one (and reduce the draft), and would perhaps offer more protection to the spade rudder. Anyway, let me join Adam in wishing you well with your new boat and plans.

CJ your Meridian must be just shy of being documentable? I owned a 25-foot sailboat years ago, applied for documentation, got my preliminary approval and doc number. I promptly got the raised plastic numbers and glassed them over onto the exposed hull in the cabin. Awhile later I got another official letter informing me that it was too small after all. I was tempted to write back and say that it's too late, the boat is already documented, and send a photo of the number in the cabin to prove it.  ;)

Andrew, thanks. Grog to you for your excellent website and work.

[CharlieJ]

CJ your Meridian must be just shy of being documentable? I owned a 25-foot sailboat years ago, applied for documentation, got my preliminary approval and doc number. I promptly got the raised plastic numbers and glassed them over onto the exposed hull in the cabin. Awhile later I got another official letter informing me that it was too small after all. I was tempted to write back and say that it's too late, the boat is already documented, and send a photo of the number in the cabin to prove it.  ;)

The 7 foot beam kinda killed it. The Ariel JUST sneaks in with it's 8 foot beam. LOT's of lost volume . Just couldn't make it reach, even under the new measurement standards. Not a real problem though. Don't really need it.

[Cruise]

I saw a bumper sticker in Washington,NC

[DrClick]

I found the site because someone here linked to my site and it came across my analyitcs. Great site and based on the response I read to the trick question, my kind of people. I am a crazy guy that is going RTW in a Triton. Some people know me, some dont. I am Tom Watson. Nice to meet you all and look forward to reading through this forum.

[CapnK]

Tom - will you re-post this response (& the Triton RTW one) under your original account, not the DrClick one? That way I can delete the DrClick responses and account, in order to keep sailFar 'shipshape'. Thanks in advance! :)

[Surveyor]

Ahoy, new member here.

I found sailFar.net last year while googling for boat porn. At that time I was hot for Tritons and a picture that I was lusting over brought me here. I have been lurking since then and the recent plastic classic forum move prompted me to finally join.

I am in the beginning stages of totally refitting my A30. She is is good shape for a 43 year old boat but needs quite a bit of updating. I have her on a trailer and parked in the common area of the apartments in which I live. This is where I am doing the refit! My land lord is a real sweatheart and is allowing me to get away with things that no other tenant could even think about. She even let me construct a pvc/tarp arrangement over my back porch! This enraged a few neighbors. Anyway, it is still a challenge under these circumstances.




Hopefully, I will be sailing Far in about a year!

[FreeBird]

Hi All, I am the proud owner of a Sandpiper 565, the 565 stands for 5.65m which works out to be 18'6"long, it has a  7'6" beam and a 10" draft with the keel up. At 1200lbs she is really easy to tow and launch, the whole process from launch ramp arrival to in the water lets go sailing takes 20min. I feel the neatest thing about the Sandpiper is its retractable keel, the 300lb keel is lifted vertically into its housing by a brass Naval Jack Screw, 97 turns on the screw lifts the keel and along with the kick-up rudder gives you the ability to beach her and she sits flat.

Here is a photo of my Piper at rest on Lake Ontario....



Most of my sailing has been done on Lake Ontario in the past 4 years. I stumbled across this site while looking for information on broadening my horizons and what information I have found here.

Happy sailing sailors, I have some reading to do.

[Jim_ME]

Welcome aboard Surveyor. Now that seems like an adequate trailer-sailer setup. ;) Reminds me of my Typhoon on its trailer, only enlarged about 200% (by length, or 500% by displacement). That is quite a creative solution for a sheltered shop area at your back porch. Have glanced at your blog, and am interested in reading it over time. My thoughts have also been about simplifying the dirt-dweller part of life, to free up more resources for cruising eventually. Easy to say; hard to do! (for me, so far, at least)

Welcome to you, too, Freebird. I had a similar-sized trailerable boat (a Sovereign 5.0) and enjoyed it a lot on one of the local big lakes. Then I saw a similar sistership sell on eBay for a surprisingly high amount, and decided that it was time to sell and reinvest. Two years have gone by and I'm still trying to get things sorted out. Maybe shoulda stuck with what was working?  :D One great benefit is that when a hurricane is heading this way, can haul out and relaunch after it passes, but if I pay to have the boatyard or transporter haul out a bigger boat...that's the end of the season.  :'(

[FreeBird]

Welcome to you, too, Freebird. I had a similar-sized trailerable boat (a Sovereign 5.0) and enjoyed it a lot on one of the local big lakes. Then I saw a similar sistership sell on eBay for a surprisingly high amount, and decided that it was time to sell and reinvest. Two years have gone by and I'm still trying to get things sorted out. Maybe shoulda stuck with what was working?  :D One great benefit is that when a hurricane is heading this way, can haul out and relaunch after it passes, but if I pay to have the boatyard or transporter haul out a bigger boat...that's the end of the season.  :'(

Thanks Jim_ME for you're welcome, I have lost count on the amount of times that someone has come up to me and said " Hey that's a Sandpiper I used to
have one ". Most of the time they sold out for a much bigger boat, but they all regret giving up the KISSability of the smaller Piper.

[Squirrel669]

Was referred by my boyfriend (Nowell). Hi I am Sheryl and my son is Kain (10 yrs old). My boyfriend bought an Albin Vega and we are in the process of restoring her back to beautiful condition. Although we are only in the beginning phase of it and still have a ways to go before we can take her out into the open ocean. I sure do look forward to the day when we board her for our new adventures of living on the boat and sailing all over the world.

[Captain Smollett]

Was referred by my boyfriend (Nowell). Hi I am Sheryl and my son is Kain (10 yrs old). My boyfriend bought an Albin Vega and we are in the process of restoring her back to beautiful condition. Although we are only in the beginning phase of it and still have a ways to go before we can take her out into the open ocean. I sure do look forward to the day when we board her for our new adventures of living on the boat and sailing all over the world.

Welcome aboard Sheryl and Kain.  It will be great to have another, shall we say "pre-driving" sailor on the board.  My 9 yo and 6 yo like looking at the stories and pictures posted on sailfar, and they love talking boats.  You know "it's working" when your little one starts calling even land based facilities as "the head," "the galley," etc and stands among friends saying things like, "hmmm, the wind is out of the North today, maybe 10 knots...be great to be on the water" with that distant, far-off look in their eyes.   ;D

Please take plenty of pictures during your restoration.  It's fun to see before-after sets, and of course, you'll NEED a record of your progress to prove to yourself that you ARE making progress in the early stages.   ;)

Fair Winds and Keeping Looking to Sail Far.

[CharlieJ]

Would that be Nowell from the Texas coast?

Heading back that way now. Plan to get there


Someday ;D

[gregorygraham]

Hello all,

I've just been accepted to Sail Far and wanted to post an introductory message.  I hope I'm doing it on the right thread.

In November of 2010 my brother-in-law (George Laramee) and I bought a 24 foot 7 inch "Eastwind" by Paceship made in 1963.  Hull number is unknown.  Paceship was a builder located in Mahone Bay Nova Scotia.  The Eastwind is a full keel sloop.  It has an inboard Palmer gas engine, but we use a 8 horse outboard.  We call her "Aunt Sis" in honour of my deceased Aunt, Colonel Elizabeth Blomer of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.  When we were thinking of buying the boat, my mother said she had recently found a gold coin that had belonged to her sister and, if we wanted, we could have the coin and sell it and put the money toward the boat purchase.  As it happened, the old gold coin paid for about 70% of the purchase price.  So my Aunt's generosity has continued after her death.  In the circumstances, we felt it only right to name the boat after her.

The boat went in the water in May, so this is our first season.

She's kept at a marina in Ashbridge's Bay in Toronto and we sail her in Lake Ontario.  It has been a fabulous summer getting to know this grand old boat.  She needs cosmetic work and a few upgrades, but essentially this boat is in great working order.  Here is a photo:



I found Sail Far when googling sailing issues I needed answers for.  Look forward to chatting with you about keeping old boats like ours on the water.

Gregory Graham
Toronto
Sailing Vessel "Aunt Sis"

[CharlieJ]

What a neat thing to do- naming the boat like that.

Welcome aboard

[gregorygraham]

Thanks Charlie.  Just two more weekends before haul out day.  Sailing time is now getting ever more precious here on Lake Ontario.

[Captain Smollett]

What a neat thing to do- naming the boat like that.

Welcome aboard

I agree.  She'll always be with you, and what better motivation to take 'proper' care of your boat.

Very cool, and welcome aboard, Greg.

[Jim_ME]

Let me add my welcome, and appreciation for your story of naming your boat.

When I got my Typhoon back in 1994, she had a name that was an acronym that had no meaning to me and so I had renamed the boat after my grandmother. She lived to almost 105, born at the end of the 1800s, was old enough to remember the Wright Brothers first powered flight and see man land on the moon. She lived the entire 20th century and into the 21st. [She was always going to go for a sail "the next time" and since we all must have believed that she was immortal, there was no rush. I know that she was pleased to know that there was a beautiful little sailboat out there named in her honor, and it added to her life to know that she could go, even though she never quite did...]

So I felt a pang of sadness and regret on the day that I went back over to launch the boat for her new owners and get my trailer when I saw the blank transom. It was a reminder of how a name and tribute can mean so much and become a part of the sailing and boat owning experience. How removing a name can have the feeling of erasing a tangible part of your history. Alas when you sell a boat, you sell the naming rights. Sometimes we don't fully appreciate things until time has passed, or we get older, or they are gone and we increasingly appreciate the hole that they have left. What was I thinking...? I'm sure that this is part of the motivation for getting another Typhoon.

Anyway, here is a blog by the owner of another Paceship East Wind 26 owner, which you may enjoy. I thought that he was also a member of Sailfar? The index for this blog ends in June 2009. I wonder how he is doing.

[gregorygraham]

Thanks for the welcome gentlemen.  I concur with your thoughts about how important people are remembered.

With respect to Robin Scott Johnson, yes, he seemed very active on the paceship.org website for a while.  I'd like to hear more from him.  Hope all is well with him and his Eastwind "William Bligh".