2016 New Years Resolution! The Next Step.

Well it's almost upon us...2016. A date we set forward over 4 years ago and it's time now to move on to the final part of our 5 year plan. Over that time we have learned how to sail, sailed the U.S. West Coast and Caribbean on charter yachts as both Captain and crew. We have studied and read everything we can get our hands on or find on the internet. We have gone to many Strictly sail and boat shows on both coasts, attending seminars and looking at boats and products. We have worked with brokers on both coasts looking thru numerous boats to visualize what will suite us best and have reviewed our wants and needs for a cruising boat with hours and hours of conversation together.

Looking out on San Diego harbor as the Baja-Ha-Ha fleet departed in 2012 from Cabrillo Monument in Point Loma  for Mexico we knew we wanted to be participants in 2016.  

HARDIN 45' VOYAGER

Now it's time to take everything we have learned and select our cruising sailboat. To help our readers understand some of our decision making in what we are looking for we will briefly explain our must have's. A boat selection is a very personal experience and must be made individually for anyone based on your own set of comforts and what we want may not be what you will want. Our 1st early decision was to decide a preference for a mono-haul or catamaran. We decided based on our potential cruising grounds and budget to go with a mono-haul. Next we had to decide on a few other important features as follows:

KEEL - We chose a range from full length keel to no less then a modified fin keel. We wont be in a race.

COCKPIT - We will be looking for a center cockpit which will have a better suited interior space for us.

SAIL PLAN - We have decided on either a Ketch or Cutter rig to have more options then found on a sloop. We will want our lines lead back to the cockpit for safety but do not necessarily want a furling main.

SIZE -  Knowing that we want at least 2 heads we will be looking over 40 ft but absolutely less then 55 ft.

CUSTOM JOMAR 55' by BRUCE ROBERTS

We chose to home port our new sailing home in San Diego, Ca. This is where we grew up and only a short drive from our current home in Arizona. This will restrict us to choosing a boat available from British Columbia, Canada thru the West coast of Mexico. Although if we found the right boat somewhere else for a price that would make since to pay for overland delivery it could be an option.

MUST HAVE INTERIOR FEATURES:

It will be important that our boat be a floating home 1st but with features that will make it safe at sea as well. Our short list includes a private and roomy master stateroom with a head including a separate shower space. We will want the bunk to be a center-line queen as we will only sleep there in a marina or on the hook in favorable weather. For offshore we must have good sea berths in the saloon. A comfortable navigation station is also a must. We will be looking for a comfortable arrangement for guests in the second for cabin as we will be sleeping there also if moored in ruff weather when without guests. Any galley arrangement will be fine so that it's close to center of the boat and with good ventilation. We may not get it all but we certainly know what we would like.

COCKPIT AND DECK FEATURES:

Sometimes greatly overlooked, we know the topsides is where we will spend most of our time. A comfortable cockpit that not only is a great work space offshore it must lend to comfortable living when moored. This is one of the reasons we chose to look for a center cockpit. We also will be looking for clear, wide deck space for ease of use when offshore and that will add living space at shore. Deep storage lockers will be a bonus as will space for safety equipment and alternative energy.

So what are some of the boats on the top of our list. Well although we are keeping an open mind to what we will find over the 1st half of next year that will be available for sale in our budget range the following brands have intrigued us.

GULFSTAR, ENDEAVOUR, IRWIN, HARDIN, AMEL, TAYANA, HYLAS, LAFITTE, MORGAN, BREWER, PEARSON, CT, VEGABOND, WESTWIND, Ect.

As we look for our future sailing home next year we will keep you posted on the likes and dislikes of the boats we find and how we will come up with a final choice. Stay tuned.

Almost 2 years have gone by but were still working forward to 2016! Here's what we have been up too.

2 years since the last post. Where has all the time gone...

In October of 2013 I opened a used car dealership with a long time friend as a co investor. Most of my time for the last 2 years has been spent in building up that business from scratch to a successful business that it is today.

Dealership and Inventory 1 of 3

Dealership and Inventory 2 of 3

Dealership and Inventory 3 of 3

We have also been cleaning out our home from a decade of purchases we will no longer need and wont want to store during our voyage. Making repairs and updates to the home so we can get a better price when we go to put it up for sale. Going from 3000 Sq. Ft to a cruising sailboat will be quite a challenge.

Our home on land 







   We have given lots of thought to the transition and wanted to get more used to a cruising lifestyle while stuck here in the desert and came up with a great idea. We bought and restored a 27' travel trailer this last year. We have spent our vacation time traveling thousands of miles with multiple stops in California and Arizona simulating pulling in and out of various harbours over short couple weeks span. This setting up, putting away, travel & repeat gave us an idea what it will be like going from port to port.

 We also feel like a transition to the trailer while we are outfitting the boat for it's long cruise will give us the sanity of not living in a construction zone or in a boat yard. We can tow the trailer to whatever city we find the boat in and sell it when we ultimately move on board. Moving up to the boat from the smaller trailer will also be welcome at some point we are sure.


Camping at Lake Pleasant, AZ

Almost home from 2 states, 5 campsites and 1,800 miles.

 



Camped Riverfront on the Colorado River in Parker, AZ


 



Our trailer is very roomy with the slide out open but  the décor was dated when we bought it and.needed some remodelling.

Completely remodelled inside. Complete new paint, window coverings and décor. It's so much more liveable now.

The 27' Prowler was also completely serviced on all of it's mechanicals and works like new.

 

We have continued to educate our self about sailing and cruising by reading many blog posts most of which we share with our fans on our Facebook page. We also take time to do some boating and have not been without our own power boat to continue to recreate on the water and manage our navigation skills with. One of the perks of being a dealer is always having a boat for sale that we can use.

 

 Although we have not chartered in the last few years, we have maintained our membership so that we can charter and take classes in the future when we get closer to buying the sailboat.

 

Amanda cruising our Sleekcraft "Big Red" @ Lake Havasu 2013

Docked is our 23' Glastron for a quick lunch @ Lake Havasu 2015

 

 

We will be continuing to countdown the months until we can untie our dock lines, never forgetting to be cognoscente of  learning and doing what is necessary to attain our goal. But as we don't want to miss the opportunity to live for now we will continue to enjoy the ride along the way. As we get closer we will certainly find more sailing activity to report on in this blog......stay tuned!

 

Dining at the Thirsty Pirate Beach Bar at the Pirates Den RV Resort on the Caribbean of the Colorado River in Parker, AZ.