Looking For A Boat

When John and I decided that we would like to cruise and maybe liveaboard someday, we knew it would be a while before we would be able to leave New Mexico and make that dream a reality.  But we also knew that it might be a good idea to try sailing together on a small scale first anyways!  I grew up living aboard, but John has lived his entire life in New Mexico.  He had never been on a sailboat when I met him.

Over the past couple of years we have spent some time sailing with my parents aboard their boat, but we've never had to fix our own engine, repair our own sails,  or set our own anchor.  These all seem like things that might be a good idea to practice, so why not get a boat here in New Mexico and give it a try.

We began our boat search by looking at MacGregors.  Their water ballast and swing keels make them easy to trailer, and they are touted as being very easy to rig.  They are also fairly inexpensive, which is a huge plus.  There aren't too many boats for sail in New Mexico, but there is (surprisingly to me) a big market for 15'-30' sailboats in Phoenix.  So, off we went to Pheonix a few weekends ago to take a look at some MacGregors.  

We saw one MacGregor that we liked.  I was a little worried about the sails, and John was a little worried about the outboard.  But we put in an offer that seemed fair.  The seller wouldn't take it, and after quite a bit of haggling we walked away from the deal.  I'm so glad that we did.  

After we left that boat behind we were pretty down.  We had to be getting home that day and didn't really have any more prospects.  It was also incredibly and unbearable hot, which didn't help brighten our attitudes. We decided that we would go back up to the Sailboat Shop where we had looked at a couple of boats the day before, and go aboard as many boats as we could.  My mom had suggested going aboard as many boats as possible, regardless of whether we thought that they were the right size or price for us, just so that we could see what features we like and dislike and what was available   If you are looking for a boat, take this advice to heart.  You never know what you'll find.

The first boat that we went aboard when we got to the Sailboat Shop was a 1985 Catalina 25.  We hadn't looked at her previously because we knew we wouldn't be able to tow a boat that heavy.  It was also listed out of our price range.  As soon as we went aboard we knew that she was the boat that we wanted.  She was roomy, had a great little galley, looked tough and reliable.  We knew that Catalinas are good boats with great support from other owners.  We had to make an offer.  Thankfully we had come with cash.  The seller was willing to take a lower price for the boat as long as it was paid in cash.  Within an hour of seeing our boat for the first time we had bought her. 

This left us extremely excited, but also a bit nervous.  We had just bought a boat that we hadn't sea-trialed and that we couldn't pull with our vehicle.  What had we done!?

Note:  The Sailboat Shop on Lake Pleasant is just north of Phoenix.  Tom is the owner and is a great guy to work with.  If you're ever looking for a boat in the Southwest you should go check it out. 

Desert Sailing....

Hello World.

This blog is intended for all those sailors out there who aren't sailors yet. It's for all those sailors out there who love to laugh with other sailors.  And it's for sailors out there who want to learn from and be inspired by other sailors' mistakes and triumphs.

My boyfriend, John, and I recently bought a sailboat.  The idea is that we can learn to sail together on a smaller scale here in New Mexico, and then eventually move to a coast and become cruisers/liveaboards.  New Mexico seems like a funny place to start this journey, but it's actually following the family tradition.

My parents both grew up in Wisconsin.  They moved to Colorado in their early 20s and that's where they met.  They became ski instructors and were loving the ski bum life.  Eventually (around my dad's fourth knee surgery or so) they realized that they might not want to teach skiing all their lives.  Around the same time, they came across an article about living and raising a family aboard a sailboat.  They thought this was a great idea.  So, they bought a 26' Balboa and taught themselves how to sail on Lake Dillon and Lake Powell.  A few years later they moved my sister and I aboard our 41' Gulfstar and made their way to the Atlantic.  They still live aboard today.

And, so, here it is, 30 years later, and I'm following in my parents footsteps.  Starting small on desert lakes and hoping to move to the big water some day.