# Hello from Florida ! My first sailboat !



## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

Hello, im new to sailing never even been on a sailboat...its always been a dream of mine.. I always admired them watching them in Clearwater and saint pete and the tampa area. I finally came about my first boat actually it found me ! She is a beautiful 1978 o'day 25 and she is as amazing as i always dreamed my first boat would be


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

had a issue loading pics from the mobile page. Here she is on the trip home


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Welcome to SailNet!









VERY Nice!!

I have an O'day 35, that I keep "up north" and sail in the summer, and teach sailing in the Ft Myers, Captiva area in the winter. I hope to bring her down to the Ft Myers area, someday, but the "skinny" waters around the gulf coast will be a challenge for my 5' 8" draft.

It looks like you have a centerboard, which is great for the gulf coast.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Oh, because I have seen a couple of disasters lately, let me offer a few words of advice about SailNet;
1 - be nice. Most members here enjoy helping other sailors. 
2 - be patient - Sometimes we may come across in our writing as curt, or snippy, but most of us are trying to help.
3 - stick around long enough, and you will learn whom you should pay attention to, and whom to ignore.


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

thanks for your response guys ! 

lol. Im a easy to get along with guy who has spent a lot of times on the car forums so I take everything with a grain of salt. Nothing really bothers me when it comes to things like that...


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

Welcome to SN and congrats on your first boat.

Plenty of info in the archives to research too.

Have fun out there.


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

just dropped a battery in it and all the inside lights work  only the red one turned on up front though... guess Ill get that sorted in the a.m.


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## MarkCK (Jan 4, 2009)

Congrats on the sailboat. I went sailing around the 10,000 islands today. Perfect day for Florida sailing.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Welcome to SailNut Tony Cote.

We sometimes race against an O'day 25' like yours. They often beat us.

Great boat for skinny water situations you will find on the FL west coast.

Tampa Sailing Squadron?


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

Tampa sailing squadron?

I dont know what that is.... I really want to get some hands on experience somewhere/somehow. Im going to make an ad on craigslist about possibly trading some deck hand labor for some deck time aboard a sail boat. I work during the summers on my buddies fishing charter boat in marathon, fl. So i have experience on the water just not a sailboat.... Maybe it will work out for me


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Tony,
Congratulations on your new baby.

You might want to Google sailing schools in your area (there's quite a few). If you learn by being deck hand for a day you'll only learn what that sailor knows - and maybe their bad habits.

Whatever you decide best of luck with her,
Jim


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Congrats. Sailing for Dummies. 


Motor into the wind at idle speed, put the sails up, she will know what to do.


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

JimMcgee thanks for the response. I guess that is true, didn't think about it like that.... 

Sal Paradise oddly enough that what everyone keeps telling me to do... lol. 

My biggest fear I guess is coming aground or bottoming out... From what I have researched my boat only has a 2'3" draft 

A friend of mine claims to have some sailing experience and thinks davis island is a good place to drop her in for the first time...... I was thinking more up in the Hudson area because of less boat traffic. I'm going to do more research on local depths and area boat ramps then probably put her in the water in two weeks or so....


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Tony Cote said:


> My biggest fear I guess is coming aground or bottoming out... From what I have researched my boat only has a 2'3" draft


When you run aground in a boat like that, you just ask everybody to get off and push. Just make sure you are holding on to your boat when it gets free.


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

krisscross said:


> When you run aground in a boat like that, you just ask everybody to get off and push. Just make sure you are holding on to your boat when it gets free.


haha I guess that's true. :wink

man you guys are helping build my confidence. my buddy wants to go out this weekend.... just might take him up on it :svoilier:


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

He is going to meet me here sometime this week and do a test rigging of everything in my yard I guess. I have 4 sails (no idea where any of them go) and a few totes with tons of ropes and what not. so I guess once we get it all together I can see if im ready to head out. The guy I got it from said it was water ready but from what I have read rarely are they.... lol


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

Yes, you definitely need to first rig your boat in the yard. Some ropes need to be properly installed on the mast before the mast goes up, like the halyards for the jib and main sail. It would be good if some experienced sailor was there to help you with the setup.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Tony Cote said:


> He is going to meet me here sometime this week and do a test rigging of everything in my yard I guess. I have 4 sails (no idea where any of them go) and a few totes with tons of ropes and what not. so I guess once we get it all together I can see if im ready to head out. The guy I got it from said it was water ready but from what I have read rarely are they.... lol


Welcome to SailNet. Congratulations on the new boat.

If your buddy suggests keeping the mast and rigging up for the drive to the ramp because it will save time...find another buddy. :wink


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## katiejai (Sep 9, 2013)

looks like a beauty--happy sailing.


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## CaptTony (May 22, 2011)

Tony Cote said:


> haha I guess that's true. :wink
> 
> man you guys are helping build my confidence. my buddy wants to go out this weekend.... just might take him up on it :svoilier:


What area are you in? I'd like to trade some help for a little time in the cockpit sailing if you are somewhere in the Tampa Bay area.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Tony, 
This may help. It's an online link to all the charts for your area. Scroll down, the charts for the Tampa area start with 11411.

The higher the number under scale the less detail, the lower the number the greater the detail.

Gulf Coast NOAA Nautical Charts

Jim


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Tony Cote said:


> haha I guess that's true. :wink
> 
> man you guys are helping build my confidence. my buddy wants to go out this weekend.... just might take him up on it :svoilier:


Everything you need to know
Captain Ron's philosophy on sailing


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

Congrats on the O'day. I really like those 25's. Take good care of her and...you know the rest.


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

JimMcGee

lol. I about pissed myself when I saw that... haha 

I was thinking it was going to be some big meaningful informative link..... went and got some tea before I clicked it and all.. ha 

I remember seeing that in the theaters with my mom when I was a kid.... 

what he says is true though I suppose :captain:


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

CaptTony said:


> What area are you in? I'd like to trade some help for a little time in the cockpit sailing if you are somewhere in the Tampa Bay area.


Sweet I'll private message you :boat :


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Tony, every sailor should watch Captain Ron. 

If nothing else it will help you laugh at your own mistakes when you make them


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## Dr. Strangelove (Jan 10, 2014)

A good way to learn is to find a local yacht club that has racing. Bradenton Yacht Club (BYC) is where I was introduced to sailing, I don't know about now, but they used to have Thursday night races during the summer and Sunday afternoon during the winter.

Find a yacht club with racing, contact them and ask about volunteering as crew. Most boat owners are always looking for good crew, good crew not necessarily meaning experienced sailors. Good crew brings their own food/drink (in a small, soft sided cooler), are looking to learn, willing to listen, pays attention, and generally don't make themselves a liability. No one expects a green crew-member to know everything. 

There are all sorts of racing boat crews, from those that are super-serious and imagine themselves in the America's Cup during every Thursday night beer can race to those who can barely be bothered to make the turns due to the food and beverage aboard. Talking with the skipper for a few moments will usually tip you off as to what type of boat they run.


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

I'm going to be joining the Hudson beach yatch club. i've filled out my application and will be going to the meeting on Tuesday.  

I'm pretty sure I have picked out my wet slip too. Skeleton key marina is where it is. Me and the family went there on Tuesday what an amazing area !!


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## Tony Cote (Aug 23, 2015)

Thank you all so much for the help and the advise !!


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## Ward H (Jun 23, 2012)

Hi Tony,
Nice boat. Congratulations.
That 2'3" draft will come in handy in skinny water. We love our 1980 O'day 25. Be sure to check the through hull valve for the sink drain. If it is the original gate valve, it most likely is badly corroded inside and should be replaced with a marine ball valve.
PM if you would like copies of the electrical diagram. I have them in PDF format.

Ward


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