# An introduction to a big idea



## Lookin4Freedom (Dec 2, 2008)

Hello all. I've been a lurker, and finally decided to post since I'm considering something only sailors could understand. I'm in my 20's and I want to pursue the cruising life. The prime of my life, and I have the fever for exploration. The water calls to me. It's almost haunting. I'll save my plans for another thread. In the meantime I hope to garner a reality lesson or two  - but I'm really looking for a push to break the mold and act on my dream. I hail from Ohio, grown up on the Great Lakes. What a wonderful resource we have. As irony would have it, I lived within a couple miles from Lake Erie until 2+ years ago and never sailed thru childhood. Since moving away from the Lake, my intensity to sail has blossomed, and I am now pursuing it.


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Welcome to Sailnet!!! I can relate to your dream as I am also in my (now late  ) 20's and am pursuing the cruising dream as well, albeit only part time at the moment as the rat race still has us somewhat in its claws.......

Reality checks you will find on here in the plenty, Sailnet is a great place to test one's dream as you will always get honest( sometimes brutal) feedback. It won't hurt too much I promise, and if you and your dream can survive it, then you'll be a better more informed sailor, and your dream will have a greatly increased chance of being reality.

Hope to see you out there one day man, when I do give me a yell and i'll row over with the first beer.


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## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

*Welcome to the asylum *


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Lookin4Freedom said:


> Hello all. I've been a lurker, and finally decided to post since I'm considering something only sailors could understand. I'm in my 20's and I want to pursue the cruising life. The prime of my life, and I have the fever for exploration. The water calls to me. It's almost haunting. I'll save my plans for another thread. In the meantime I hope to garner a reality lesson or two  - but I'm really looking for a push to break the mold and act on my dream. I hail from Ohio, grown up on the Great Lakes. What a wonderful resource we have. As irony would have it, I lived within a couple miles from Lake Erie until 2+ years ago and never sailed thru childhood. Since moving away from the Lake, my intensity to sail has blossomed, and I am now pursuing it.


Make acommittment. Years ago I wanted to move to Annapolis. Its seemed like a dificult thing to do. So what did I do? I chose a dentist in Annapolis. That way I would go there every 6 months or so and get reminded how beautiful it is there. Eventually I made it there, met my wife there, etc.

One thing that really got things rolling is when I started telling friends that I wanted to move to Annapolis. There's power in letting the world know that that's what you want to do. Friends and others help everything line-up to make it acheivable. Keep posting, keep saying what you want to do. Keep sharing the reasons why. It will become real in your converations and then really real in due time.

Hope that helps.


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## Lookin4Freedom (Dec 2, 2008)

I hope sailingdog will allow me to revive my own thread. The dream is beginning to come together. I am a boatowner! After spending last summer crewing, I realized the only way to get more experience is to own a boat. After all, when you crew, your never the skipper, and it's never your ideal location or timeframe. Plus, I want to go cruising, and I need experience doing so. I spent alot of time looking at boats, and sailing on boats - looking at 30+ ft cruisers, to small trailerable daysailors, I arrived at a Hobie 18. It's no Telstar 28, but it's MUCH more affordable  Even my little car could pull it. I really like the multihulls, but you can't touch the sheer beauty of classic ketch crusing monohull. My decision ultimately came down to something that is easy to trailer, store and maintain. I think the Hobie will limit my cruising ability, and therefore experience, but it's getting me out on the water. I would recommend everyone take as long as I did to get a boat. I spent 9 months looking - and almost bought 4 or 5 in between. People would look at me crazy, here's a small sampling of what I wanted/tried to buy:

A 45' custom built steel ketch (My dream cruising boat, honestly)
A telstar 28
A Sabre 28
A custom flying scot - modified to have a cabin (called a customflex mallard, small builder from toledo oh)
A compac 16/23
A Sanibel 23
A contessa 26
A couple Cape Dory's
A Crab Claw 21
A Pearson 35 (nice boat!)
An immaculate Ericson 32 (showroom - think luxury yacht)
A thistle
A 64 ft steel schooner project boat (I was the high bidder on this - just missed the reserve on ebay!)

Now, as to why the Hobie 18? Hopefully it will allow me to port hop in the Great Lakes, spend time beach camping, and enjoy the thrill and comfort of a multihull at much LOWER price. It's small, light, and a "daysailor"; not the cruising boat I had hoped. My thought was to either get the big boat right away, or get something extremely easy to own and use that would be cheap. I arrived at the cheap, and it's a good thing! Going from sailing oversized dinghies to a 35' boat is a big (and expensive) leap. This way I can really learn sailing, and not worry about all the systems on the boat. Hopefully this post will inspire others to do the same, and make the same _wise_ decision. Go cheap for the first one! The act of simply leaving the dock and sailing around the harbor is absolutely thrilling! I am going to enjoy this honeymoon period for all it's worth. Someday, it will merely be 'routine" as I cruise.


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

I don't know if it every really could become routine! Not in the way going to work every morning is routine anyways.

Best of luck man.


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## roofcoatings (Jun 16, 2009)

I am new to this forum


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