| Sailing Journal |
| July 29, 2002 - 19:52 edt Went on my first sailboat in almost 10 years. The wind didn't cooperate, but I had a lot of fun anyway. The boat was a 32' ketch owned by John K. I did accomplish my main goal this trip, I didn't trip, fall overboard, get seasick or make a fool of myself in general. John proved to be very knowledgeable and tells a good story and I look forward to sailing with him again soon. On the way back, I stopped at Palm Cove Marina to wander around the docks and look at boats. Met Joe, who was touching up the paint on the bow of his 40-something foot homemade boat. Enjoyed our conversation and realized that even if I wind up not liking sailing (which I doubt) I'll always love hanging around marinas. |
| July 15-26, 2002 Fooling around on the internet, I came across the Latitudes and Attitudes website. First time I saw this magazine, I was in my doctor's office after having rehab on my torn-up shoulder. Saw it again a couple of years later at a friend's house in Ft. Lauderdale and really like it. Signed up for a subscription and joined the chat board. I have had an interest in sailing since my first trip on a 45+ racer on Lake Erie near Toledo. The last couple of months it has come more and more to the forefront and now I've decided to do something about it. Talking on the chat board, I got an offer to go sailing this Sunday (July 28, 2002) and am very excited. I've started formulating a plan and want to write it all down so I can look back from time to time to see which ideas were good, which were bad, and which were downright naieve. I figure I'll start as idealistic as possible so maybe one day when I'm more jaded, I can rethink old ideas and try to make them realities. Here goes: Goal: Retire in 20 years (age 55) and live with my wife on a sailboat somewhere tropical. Timeline (beginning July 2002): July - Oct.. 2002 - Hitch a few rides on sailboats, volunteering to be the crew. Best to find out if I'll actually enjoy sailing before I start dumping money. Have the wife come along at least once. She thinks she might be interested but has a tendancy to get seasick. Besides, she wants to make sure there's enought room on a sailboat for the good stereo, the good music and the cold beer. Learn how to play the guitar so I can sing Buffet songs while drinking beer and sitting at the marina in 2003. Nov. - Dec. 2002 - Forget it, busiest season at work. Jan. - Mar. 2003 - By the end of March, have completed a basic sailing course. Start looking for crew opportunities on racers. April 2003 - Join Sailboat club. 1 year committment at $150.00 per month. Discounts also available on classes. Begin sailing with my wife and other couples. May - Oct. 2003 - Complete two more classes and be prepared to get a captains liscence. Sail as much as possible on the clubs boats. Begin soloing (help my wife overcome the fear I instilled in her on hour honeymoon when I flipped a sunfish three times and she had to swim back to shore.) 2004 - Become a licensed captain. Continue Sailing as much as possible. Get SCUBA certification. Charter a 32' or so yacht in the Bahamas for my vacation. 2004 - 2010 - Become an old salt. Sail in the club and in races, going on as many club trips as I can possibley fit in. Sail, Sail, Sail, and when I think I've sailed to much, go one more time. During this time I also need to: Learn how to use a sextant Train someone to run my business so I can be away more. Learn what the hecks up with being an expatriate, Buffett talks about it like it's a good thing, but would I really want to live in the islands, how good can the medical treatments be down there? Take a vacation on a fully crewed yacht to see if this would be a business I'd like to retire to. 2011 - Start seriously looking into what type of boat I want to buy. Purchase one by the end of the year. (10 years, halfway through) 2012 - 2020 - Sail my own yacht constantly. Upgrade to a bigger yacht by 2017 and look into renting the house and living on the yacht. Again, best to see If my wife and I can live together on a yacht before sellingt everything and sailing off into the sunset. 2021 - Sell everything and become a charter captain based out of Ft. Lauderdale, The Keys or St. Somerwhere. |
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