Does anyone else here sail?

[emily_in_nc]

My DH and I have just put a contract in on a 1989 Catalina 30. We're so excited, but scared too! We have only sailed small daysailers by ourselves, but we've taken a bunch of classes and are both certified in ASA 101, 103, 104, 105, and 114, so we've sailed larger boats with a captain. Still, this is an entirely new adventure! I'd love to discuss it further if anyone else here is a sailor... I only know men who sail, no other women.

Emily

[Blueberry]

I don't, but wanted to say congratulations!!!! Where do you plan to keep it docked?

CA

[Xrayted]

The last sailboat I was on was a 34" Catalina. What a gorgeous boat. I love the lines and details of those boats. I'm sure you will have a wonderful experience on her. Just start with taking her out with the engine and then let her loose. Congrats!!

[mimitabby]

I went sailing down a hill today; on my bike!
I WAS SAILING!!!

[emily_in_nc]

I don't, but wanted to say congratulations!!!! Where do you plan to keep it docked?

Thanks CA! We're excited! We're going to start at a small marina in Washington, NC, which is the shortest drive for us. However, we might change to New Bern after the first year as a couple of folks at work are members of a sailing club and marina there, and it's less expensive and sounds more social and lots of fun. Didn't know about it til we signed the year lease at the first place, but that will be a good place to start as it's more "rural" and fewer boats around, so we can practice to our heart's content!

Emily

[salsabike]

I don't sail now but I used to, both on Lake Erie and here in Puget Sound. I even crewed on some races here, both coed and women's races, the latter of which were a ton of fun. You will do fine on your new boat--you already know the basic stuff you really need to know, so once you do a few sails and get to know the boat, it'll be great. Keep us periodically posted!

[Pika]

Both DH and I sail- we have a santana 525 mainly just used for racing- DH would love to get a bigger boat for overnight trips- we can tolerate a weekend in the 525 but as I said it is pretty stripped out for racing.( It would be like comparing backpacking to camping in an RV)
This year I am on a team entered in the canadian national keelboat womens regatta Hopefully we won't be chewed up and spit out the back- we still need lots of practice!!!
Have fun on your boat- you'll be great I bet- nothing beats getting out there and practicing and just enjoying your boat
Have fun!

[7rider]

Wow. Congratulations! My old boss got a 34' Catalina and we got to sail on it. It was a really great time.

DH grew up sailling. I grew up with motorboats. The only sailing I did was on a Sunfish and an occasional HobieCat.

DH spends his free time looking for the perfect sailboat for us, is a regular reader of Soundings and Good Old Boat magazines. Good Old Boat is a great reference for boaters sailing "older" boats. If we had a good crop come off the money tree, and lots of time to ride bikes, kayak, AND sail, we'd probably get on a Freedom or a Nonsuch in the 28' - 33' range. Our dream retirement is to sail the Circle Route before settling into a "Sail and bike all summer, Ski (and bike) all winter" kind of life.

I've been looking at this place to take some sailing lessons. It's been a while since I've taken a USCG Boating Safety class, too.

Do a Google search on women's sailing clubs in your area and see if anyting turns up.

Congrats, and wishing you smooth sailing!

[Pedal Wench]

My parents are sailors! So, I grew up always on the boats - once it's in the blood, it stays! We had a trimaran for years on the Hudson River, out of Nyack or Haverstraw, and that boat is now in the Bahamas and they have a Cat in NY. (I think it's a Catalac?) It's an amazing sport - they both still race - Mom just did a women's race - and she's 76 years old!

There really is nothing like the feeling after motoring out from the marina, turning the boat into the wind with all the noise of the engine and sails flapping when the wind fills the sails and they snap taut and the engine is cut. That moment of perfect silence... Hmmm, I miss it more than I realized.

[emily_in_nc]

Do a Google search on women's sailing clubs in your area and see if anyting turns up.

Congrats, and wishing you smooth sailing!

Thanks Regina! I wouldn't want to join a women's sailing club, though, since this is an activity DH and I will be doing together. We took all our ASA classes together too. I just thought it would be fun to chat online with another female sailor. I found out after I posted this that a couple of people I work with (men) are members of a sailing club down at the coast, and they keep encouraging us to get on the waiting list to sign up and get a slip in the marina. It does sound like fun, but it's a longer drive from where we have already rented a slip for the next year, so we'll wait and see how we like where we'll be first. I will hopefully meet some other women on the docks!

It's good to hear from some folks who enjoy sailing here. BTW, you mentioned Freedom. our 2nd choice boat of the ones we looked at was a gorgeous 1987 Freedom 30 Sloop. The woodwork inside was amazing, and the carbon-fiber stayless mast VERY impressive! Ultimately, though, the galley was TEENY, it needed more work, it had no refrigeration or AC power, and the price was higher, so we went with the Catalina, which was much more of a turnkey boat, since we don't live very close to where the boat will be (2.5 hours each way) so can't be there working on it all the time. But that Freedom was a real beaut.

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

My parents are sailors! So, I grew up always on the boats - once it's in the blood, it stays! We had a trimaran for years on the Hudson River, out of Nyack or Haverstraw, and that boat is now in the Bahamas and they have a Cat in NY. (I think it's a Catalac?) It's an amazing sport - they both still race - Mom just did a women's race - and she's 76 years old!

There really is nothing like the feeling after motoring out from the marina, turning the boat into the wind with all the noise of the engine and sails flapping when the wind fills the sails and they snap taut and the engine is cut. That moment of perfect silence... Hmmm, I miss it more than I realized.

Oh I know, I know...I think that exact moment is what sold me on sailing, absolutely! It's hard to describe/explain to someone who hasn't experienced it. What a rush!

That is so cool about your mom! I grew up, as did DH, with completely non-boating parents, so this is all so new to us, and pretty intimidating. But when I look at how far we've come since our first class in Dec. '04 (what's a jib??), I am very proud.

Cats are cool. We sailed on a Manta 40 for our Bareboat & Catamaran Cruising ASA classes, and it was incredibly comfy and spacious. But they are a bit beyond our budget at this point, and harder to find a slip for.

Thanks for the post!

Emily

[Trekhawk]

Hey Emily I think Ninabike and her husband are a sailing couple if you are looking for more info.

[7rider]

Thanks Regina! I wouldn't want to join a women's sailing club, though, since this is an activity DH and I will be doing together. <snip> I will hopefully meet some other women on the docks!

Emily

Yes, of course, Emily. I was actually thinking listservs, socials, things of that nature. Sorry I wasn't more clear. I'd certainly want to sail with my DH, too, if/when we got a boat! I'm sure you'll meet others at the marina, too!

[Ninabike]

Hi Emily, I just noticed this post.

My DH and I have sailed for 35 years. In fact, it was in 1977, when we kept riding our bikes by a Catalina Yacht dealership, that we finally gave up cycling and got into sailing for good. The Catalina factory is located right here in So. California (Woodland Hills), very close to us and we have become very good friends with the main archetect, Gerry Douglas (his boat is just down the dock from us).

We have had 3 Catalina yachts. Our first was a Catalina 27; then a Catalina 38 (the old racing style with tumblehome sides; it is the Yankee 38 hull). We had that boat for 15 years, and then in 1995, we bought a Catalina 42, Mk II. Ours is Hull No. 2 of the Mk II. Both our Catalina 38 and Catalina 42 were the boats shown on the brochure. My DH and I are in both of those pictures. We are even on the website somewhere, but I never check that site so I'm not sure where.

The Catalina 30 is a very good boat and for years has been the mainstay of Catalina Yachts. The boats are built like cast iron, and they can stand up to anything. You can do most of the work on the boat yourself, which is a good idea, bacause once you start working on your boat, you will know how to fix anything no matter whatever or wherever things happen. After a while, you will collect all kinds of tools and spare parts. Never throw anything away. You will never know when you need just one little stainless steel through-bolt, or part of a cleat, or peice of plastic hose, etc. We have a "garage full" of "stuff" on our boat.

My DH and I have always rigged our boat so that either of us could single-hand the boat if necessary. We normally don't sail with other people and we don't race.

For many years, my DH and I sailed all the time, and we didn't ride our bikes. We even gave our bikes away. We have a mooring at Catalina Island (Isthmus Cove) and we keep our boat in Marina del Rey, California at the Catalina Yacht Anchorage. For the past 4 years or so, we have gotten back into cycling, so our sailing has suffered. But the boat is always there and it is like our second home.

If there is anything you need to know about sailing, or about Catalina yachts, just let me know. You can PM me, and I will give you my e-mail address. Sailing can become just as addicting as cycling so "be careful!!".

Happy sailing!!

[emily_in_nc]

Ninabike,

Thank you so much for your post. I look forward to discussing sailing with you further! I sent you a PM.

Emily