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Friday, February 26, 2016

Another boat?



My lovely wife was put off of sailing for a bit. Surviving a shipwreck can have that effect on people. However, a week later we were on a cruise boat to the Bahamas. She saw a really nice little sailboat at the marina in Freeport that had come all the way from Texas. She could picture herself on such a boat. While sitting on the beach at the resort, we couldn't help but check out the navigational markers and channels. There's a good chance that another sailboat is in our future.

Of course, we still have our little Oday 19. We couldn't live on it for as long as we did on the Ranger 23, but we wouldn't have to. The Oday is a trailer sailor. Next winter could be a mixture of sailing and camping in our converted ambulance/camper. There is something to be said for using the stuff we already own.

I don't regret buying the Ranger. We had a couple good months of sailing. It was great for my health and mental state. After my dad passed I had to do something to clear my mind. It's too bad we lost the boat but it was good for me while it lasted.

One of things that we learned from this boat is that the Gulf side of Florida is best sailed with a shallow draft boat. Four feet of draft was too much for the way we wanted to sail. Live and learn. On the flip side, that keel was one of the reasons that boat sailed so darn well. That performance will be missed. Should we buy another boat, it will need to be both shallow draft and fast.

In the near term we will have to get our finances back under control. The last 5 months blew the heck out of our budget. It's time to build up the savings and clear a few bills. We've got to act fast before the boat buying bug hits us hard once more.

-Sixbears

7 comments:

  1. What ever you two decide I wish you luck. If it is another boat get a bigger motor Just incase its needed.

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  2. Like they say "When you fall off a horse the best thing to do is get up and ride again" I'm sure you guys will ride/sail again! Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Lucien! We'll definitely sail our other boat this coming summer.

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  3. BTW, I got your van to start yesterday with no problems. Huzzah!

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    1. Nice! Thank you. I was wondering about that. Bet it helps that I have the starting battery connected to the solar panel.

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  4. That's the spirit, keep the dream alive. Trailer sailing can be quite fun and might just provide the needed breaks in-between to get a proper shower and a good meal on shore and so keep the missus happy. Nothing like pulling up a centerboard and skimming along on two feet of water. It can give you some more flexibility to explore places you might not normally try. I've always been partial to something along the lines of Mat Leiden's and Sven Yrvind's concepts. http://sofiaboat.se/

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    1. Shore meals and showers go a long way. I did miss the shallow draft more than I thought I would.

      Gotta love those small boat guys. They've really pushed what is possible with small boats.

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