# Taking the Plunge



## DayDreamer41 (Aug 19, 2016)

Hello all from South East MI. 

Currently in the final stages of purchasing a very fine cruiser, this will be the first large vessel I have ever owned and I must say I have had a few sleepless nights thinking about managing this beautiful 2007 Hunter 41 DS. 

My hats off to her previous captain as the vessel is absolutely flawless!

I made a deal with my wife, I will give up motorcycling and she will back me on purchasing a sailboat, so here I am just days away from taking over a boat, many are only able to dream about, I am surely a lucky man.

Back in the dark haired days of my life I sailed a 22' Viking with my father a fast and agile boat with a great inventory of sails, have many great memories of those days spent with my father, I lost my sailing partner when he passed and my interest fell away refocusing on work, family and golf, I donated the boat to a needy organization and moved on in life. 

Arrive to the silver stage of my life and a rekindled interest has sprung from I don't know where, but the urge in undeniably strong, strong enough to venture into the big boys game, no I didn't win a lottery, haven't acquired a wheel barrel full of 100's, I have just found a need to reopen a part of my life which holds some its most fond memories. 

The process of purchasing a vessel this size is a rather daunting I must say, and it takes time to find the vessel, tender the offer, counter the counter, find a surveyor within a reasonable amount of time, find an acceptable place to moor the boat, find a place to winter the boat, initiate the insurance.........shooooo, that was some work.

Well hopefully by the end of next week, all the work will be done and I will be backing the boat out of the slip she is currently resting and taking a 8-10 day journey, depending on how many stops we choose to make and what direction I head, from Southern Lake Michigan to the St Clair River, where the boat will be moored next, not having sole responsibility for the operation of a boat this size is yet another nervous thought I have. I am not really that apprehensive for the sailing part as I fully understand the mechanic's of sailing, its the docking and close quarter maneuvering that has me most nervous.

I do plan on finding a quiet inlet or bay and practice moving the boat around very slowly and see how she reacts to rudder input, prop wash, windage and change in prop direction (forward to neutral to reverse and back again), I do have a good friend who has a similar radar and navigation system on his boat and I am hoping that he will have time to run me through the steps of plotting a course and managing any corrections needed, until then I have been studying the manual.

My first mate has a bit of sailing behind her, but this will truly be an adventure for both of us, where I am sure we will be building the memories of a life time. 

I am sure I will have some that will give there head a shake and call me crazy, so be it, and maybe I am, but I have a deep love for sailing that has been rejuvenated, one can't be faulted for that, that I am sure of, at least not here anyway.

Never the less its good to be here, hope to learn from you old salty dogs and I am sure I will.

Mark


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## Lazerbrains (Oct 25, 2015)

Congrats on the new boat and welcome back to sailing. 

That's quite a jump from a 22 to a 41. You will find that sail trim and helm adjustments will take longer to "register" as opposed to the immediate
feedback you got from the Viking 22 (cool boat btw, those Vikings). That, and you will need much more strength to turn the winches. 

Smart on you to practice slip maneuvers under power - always the most nerve-wracking part of sailing, IMHO, and I always practice it with any new boat.

You know what they say, "Nobody writes songs about playing golf........."

Looking forward to your further posts.


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## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

Welcome, Mark, and congratulations! Hope it wasn't too big of a deal to give up the motorcycle for sailing, but my sister-in-law used to be a critical care nurse and the majority of her patients were motorcyclists. Sailing is definitely safer, but many people do both. Sounds like you're both approaching this in a rational way. Don't worry too much about the maneuvering. I jumped into a big boat (38') with little experience so completely understand your trepidation. It won't take long though for you to get the hang of it. Just be sure to go slow. And even when you're thinking you might be going too slow, think hard about speeding up as long as you are still able to maintain steerage. Might also want to always have in the back of your mind an escape route and how much distance you have to any "danger zone," if things go sideways.

Good luck!


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Congrats on the new boat.
Even as a professional mariner with many years of experience, I purchase an unlimited towing contract with TowBoatUS or SeaTow for at least the first year of owning a new boat. Might I suggest you consider doing the same?


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## Bleemus (Oct 13, 2015)

Congrats on the purchase. Lots of practice and if you are going to be docking alone I recommend getting more fenders than you think you will ever need. You may look silly but it is better than the repair bills on the boat next to you! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

To the OP, your post reminds me of why I love to sail. The enthusiasm comes through in every word. 

Wish you and your family great days of great sailing!


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## Telesail (Dec 28, 2011)

Congratulations. From the tone of your post, the boat found you as much as you found the boat. 

Only one bit of advice from someone who came back to sailing after 35 years (and a co-captain who had last sailed 30 years ago) before being found by a 41 footer..... Grow a thick enough skin that you are never too embarrassed to bail out of a manoeuvre before it is too late (and even before anyone else but you knows that you may not have it under control). That way, you can do things at your own pace and avoid everything getting a bit "quick" on you.

I once had a fuel dock hand joke that I would run out of fuel before I could come alongside because I motored out again (while my co-captain told me that she would have "stuck the landing" if I had just given her the wheel). But, it dawned on me, after entering the fairway in reverse, that we had never had to spring off a lee-dock going forwards without a bow thruster before. However, I was much more confident springing off going astern. I suspect that we would have worked it out, but had just seen someone damage two boats trying to dock rather boldly in the cross wind and thought discretion the better part of valour.

I envy you the "new boat" excitement and those early days of getting back into the feel of it. Good luck and enjoy!


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

Congrats on the new boat, and the rejuvinated life dream. Not crazy at all, I would say. 

Enjoy the journey. I passed through Huron and down the St. Clair River (and then on through Lake St. Clare and the rest of the Great Lakes) a couple of seasons ago. Fun sled ride down the rivers, which are moving at up to 3-4 knots in places. 

... but too bad about the motorcycle. It seems that the two activities often coincide. Must be the attraction to the open air, and freedom of the road/water.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

Don't worry about the motorcycle, you won't have time or money for it anymore.


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## DayDreamer41 (Aug 19, 2016)

Thanks all for your kind words of encouragement, tomorrow is the day the first mate and I go to try her out, secured a spot to keep her today once she comes home, survey is set for Friday this week, if all the pieces fall in place we will be the owners of a new to us, Hunter 41. I have been looking at the journey up Lake Michigan and down Lake Huron, appears to be plenty of points of interest along the way, really can't wait to get started.


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