# Married into a sailing family



## johnny buddha (Jan 12, 2016)

Greetings, all!

As the title says, I married into a sailing family. My wife, @punahougirl84, grew up in Hawaii sailing on her dad's Columbia 43 and started sailing lessons when she was very short.

I, OTOH, grew up fishing with my dad on small (23' and below) power boats in South Jersey. Sailboats were something we avoided per the right-of-way rules or occasionally rescued when a tourist took a Hobie Cat into Townsend's Inlet and got stuck.

I spent several years during our visits to Hawaii as mobile rail meat during Friday Night Races on my father-in-law's Farr 42. Weight on the high side? I can do that!

We joined the Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore in 2014 and I learned to sail small keelboats - the center has a fleet of J22s and Sonars. Last summer I took the US Sailing Basic Keelboat 5-day course and passed - yay.

We are in the process of buying our first boat, a Beneteau First 38, with the intention of exploring the Chesapeake Bay and eventually racing. First task: actually buy the boat.


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

Good for you! You are a lucky man to have joined such a family and found a lady who is a great sailing partner. You are even more fortunate for your and her boat selection. The First 38 is a great boat. Your First could also be your last boat, having everything a person could want in a boat at a reasonable, manageable, size. Again, Good for You!


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## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

Welcome and congrats! The First should be a great boat for you both and for racing.


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## johnny buddha (Jan 12, 2016)

It's happened.
@punahougirl84 and I are the proud new owners of _Kaimana_, a 1984 Beneteau First 38.

The adventure begins...


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## Scotty C-M (Aug 14, 2013)

Wow, congratulations. Great family, great boat! Fair winds and following seas.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

Congrats. Just in time for the sailing season to start up.

Hope you get a lot of good time on the water.


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## johnny buddha (Jan 12, 2016)

Rhapsody-NS27 said:


> Congrats. Just in time for the sailing season to start up.
> 
> Hope you get a lot of good time on the water.


That's the plan!

So much to learn/see/do...


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

I'm not sure how you become aware of this kind of opportunity but I have a friend who keeps his 32' boat at a dock of a private house, up a creek near Annapolis for something like $1k per year. The property owner pays his share of taxes to satisfy his 1/4 boat ownership.


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