# New here and new to sailing



## middlerivermisfit (Jul 8, 2015)

Good morning 
I just wanted to introduce myself long time lurker and first time poster

My better half ( defiantly better as she wanted sail boat more then i ) have been power boaters for a long time and just now moved to a sail boat. 
We found our new 1981 Cal 31 just half mile down river from our current marina and fell in love with the boat the price was very good as owner was being transferred out of state and had to sell 

here is a picture of our * Nepenthe * on the hard with fresh bottom paint we just applied ...supposed to splash monday at 10 so excited and scared at same time ...

Never having sailed before we are lucky that there are many sailors at the marina we live in and all have offered to help teach us have even gone out on one of our neighbors boats with them 
for our first lesson and learned that 4 sails are to much for me to want to deal with .....


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## mf70 (Nov 6, 2014)

I'll look for you on the water! Welcome! You'll have a wonderful time in our Chesapeake sandbox!


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## CarbonSink62 (Sep 29, 2011)

Welcome to SailNet!

Congrats on your new boat!


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## catlady (Oct 27, 2011)

Welcome aboard, and hope to see you on the Bay. Congratulations on the new boat!


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

Cal made good boats. I think you'll be happy.


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

> for our first lesson and learned that 4 sails are to much for me to want to deal with .....


Four sails or Foresails ?


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## middlerivermisfit (Jul 8, 2015)

capttb said:


> Four sails or Foresails ?


 four Sails

main , missen, jib, and one between main and jib not sure what that one is called

lots of canvas in the wind

Thanks all for the welcome looking forward to being here and on the bay


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I don't think that Cal made a 31 foot ketch or yawl, so you don't have a mizzen. What you probably have a Mainsail (main), working jib, genoa, and either another genoa, a spinnaker, or an older, blown out (badly shaped) version of one of the other sails. You would only use two sails at at time on this boat and I would start with only using the mainsail and the working Jib until you learn how to sail comfortably. That combination won't work well in light winds, but won't get you in trouble either. 

Jeff


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## middlerivermisfit (Jul 8, 2015)

Jeff_H said:


> I don't think that Cal made a 31 foot ketch or yawl, so you don't have a mizzen. What you probably have a Mainsail (main), working jib, genoa, and either another genoa, a spinnaker, or an older, blown out (badly shaped) version of one of the other sails. You would only use two sails at at time on this boat and I would start with only using the mainsail and the working Jib until you learn how to sail comfortably. That combination won't work well in light winds, but won't get you in trouble either.
> 
> Jeff


sorry for the misunderstanding 
it was not my boat i went out on to get my first sailing lesson it was one of the couples on the next pier , i do not get to splash mine and bring it home till Monday so counting the days


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

It would appear that the issue was with my reading comprehension and not with your post. I missed that you had not gone out on your boat for the first lesson. And yes, that boat could have has a Genoa, jib staysail, mainsail and mizzen. Once you have sailed for a while, you may decide that four sails isn't so bad, or like me you may conclude there is no need for that complexity. 

Good luck with the new boat and learning to sail,

Jeff


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## middlerivermisfit (Jul 8, 2015)

Thanks Jeff 

Looking forward to Monday getting here so can splash it , the wait seems endless and my wife keeps saying lets go see the boat ,,luckly the marina we live in is only couple miles away from Markleys where the Cal is on the hard at 

Chris


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