Sundown Sailing Adventures

Editors Note: Since many of you reading this are not familiar with boats and marine terminology (it’s okay; I’m still learning myself), I’ve added some parenthetic explanations where I think they might be helpful.

I just read an article in the July 2010 (yes, 2010 – that’s not a typo) issue of Sailing magazine about “Steering by Compass.” The tips it offers about how to steer a boat “…along one of the 360 degrees…marked on the compass” seem analogous to life and, for us, how we found our boat:

• Look at the horizon, not the compass
• Steer to a range, not a single heading
• Don’t over steer.

The Horizon vs. the Compass or The Long-Range Plan

For the past three years or so, my husband and I have given much thought to how we want the next chapter (the empty-nest chapter) of our lives to read and determined we want to live simply and travel. We agreed we can achieve both by living on a sailboat. We also agreed we needed a little time to wrap up our land-based ventures (like raising kids), so gave ourselves a seven to nine year window in which to prepare.

To this point, preparation has included:

• Me getting comfortable with the idea of pulling up deep roots and sailing away from everything familiar (or “How to Turn a Landlubbin’ Mid-western Girl Into a Sailor”)
• Taking a course through San Juan Sailing in Bellingham, Washington, to earn our American Sailing Association Basic Sailing to Bareboat Charter Certification (ASA 101, 103, 104)
• Chartering a sailboat from San Juan Sailing for 10 days and enjoying a great family vacation
• Educating ourselves about the vessels best suited for blue-water sailing and their price tags (via yachtworld.com and other assorted websites)
• Researching all the aspects of cruising we could think of.

Ranges vs. Single Headings or “Be Flexible”

My father-in-law taught my husband to sail when he was a wee lad of 5 years old; salt has been in his blood and on his brain ever since. He lived in Blue Hill, Maine, from the mid-‘80s to mid-‘90s during which time one of his jobs was working at Webber’s Cove Boatyard, affording him the opportunity to experience many makes and models of boats, as well as develop a mental inventory of likes and dislikes. So when we made a list of sailboats we would consider purchasing (a range), I relied heavily on his experience and knew that regardless of the boat we chose, I needed to be flexible, because no boat would feel exactly like a house built on land.

The Hans Christian is one of the first makes that caught my husband’s attention. He appreciated their traditional styling, and their wide beams (widths) making them comfortable and very seaworthy. Similar to the Hans Christian are Tayana, Young Sun and Pacific Seacraft (recommended by Mark Grindle, a family friend), so they made our list.

Of the few boats I’ve actually been on, I gravitated towards Island Packets because I liked one of their floor plans that makes the captain’s berth (bed) feel normal (instead of unusually V-shaped) and a head (i.e., bathroom) in which you can turn around without tripping over yourself. My husband’s a smart man, and knows that “when mama’s happy, everyone’s happy.” Island Packets made the list, too.

Determining the size or length of boat you want is important, as is the condition of a boat. Tied to these issues is how you intend to use your boat.

Questions to ask include:

• Will you primarily be day sailing and taking weekend trips or will you be sailing the ocean blue and living on your boat for extended periods of time?
• How much space do you need?
• Do you have the skills to repair and equip a boat yourself or will you need to hire a contractor?

I’ve sailed a 21-foot Swampscott dory built in 1985’ish by Longfield Dory Company in East Blue Hill, Maine, and a 43-foot Hans Christian, Argonaut, designed to sleep eight people comfortably. Argonaut seemed safe and very spacious for a couple. But I know that even a 32-foot vessel is safe in big waters and, with the right interior layout, could be sufficient. Our size range, therefore, became 32-45 feet.

Then there’s perhaps one of the most important ranges of all – the price range. For some people, price might not be an issue, but for us, it was a large determining factor. My husband works as a paramedic and I’m the director of a small nonprofit organization. We love our work, but aren’t in it for the money. We also have five children between us; three of which we help with postsecondary expenses. Three also live with us most of the year, and they and their friends eat a lot!

Circumstances necessitated we take a serious, realistic look at our budget and financing options to determine what we could afford. We also met with our accountant just to make sure purchasing a boat wouldn’t have any negative tax-related consequences.

Once we dialed in a range for makes, sizes and price, we limited our yachtworld.com searches accordingly.

This concludes Part One of “How to Find Your Dreamboat.” Stay tuned for Part Two which will feature how not to over plan (hard for me) and the really cool, serendipitous story about how we found our boat.

– krs