Since you don't own a boat, you may try joining a local sailing club.
Generally inexpensive, you can pick the brains of the members. most of whom
should have a good deal of experience. I say sailing club as opposed to
yacht club because of the cost. I would guess that most sailing clubs are
affiliated with US Sailing, don't be put off by the emphasis on racing, the
affiliated sailing clubs generally have quite a few members that do nothing
but cruise.
http://www.ussailing.org/csa/memberOrgs.asp?state=FL
John Cairns


"Sink Or Sail" wrote in message
.. .
Hello Everyone,

My name is Alfred and I am married with a 4 year old son. We live in Fort
Lauderdale
and have spent our entire lives in South Florida. I'll spare you the
details
but
I've had it with things around here and I'm ready for a MAJOR change. I
have
wanted
to sail the Caribbean my whole life and never have. My heritage is Cuban
and
I
was born in Key West, 90 miles away, but never been. It's time for us to
travel.

I am selling my house and buying a sailboat. I plan on living aboard
around
South Florida for the first season to adjust to live aboard life and
sailing
out
come good weather next year. I have no sailing experience but quite a bit
of
small power boating in the Keys.

I am looking for advice on how to begin and what type of boat I'll need.
I've
lurked in newsgroups and forums for quite sometime and have spent a bit of
time
speaking with local sailors. I would like to ask a few questions and I'm
looking for all honest answers. I've considered eventually running all
the
way
to South America and up the Amazon.

Would a sailing course be best to start? or should I find someone with a
boat?

I'm considering a catamaran for it's shallow depth and stability.
Opinions?

Will a catamaran make South America safely?

My wife will most likely spend more time with our son. How large a boat
can
one man reasonably handle if properly rigged?

I'm very skilled in PC and Internet technologies. How difficult is it to
find
work in foreign countries? Will local authorities allow me to work for
provisions in the Caribbean or South America?

I realize this is difficult but, how much money does one need to live on
while
sailing the Caribbean for one year?


I know there are a million other things I should do and know before I do
this
but there is time for those. I very much appreciate any help I can get.
If
any
of you live in the Fort Lauderdale area let me know. I would be glad to
help you
out in exchange for a litter experience and advice.

Alfred

On Mon, 25 Aug 2003 11:38:44 -0400, "Sink Or Sail"
wrote:


I am selling my house and buying a sailboat. I plan on living aboard around
South Florida for the first season to adjust to live aboard life and sailing
out come good weather next year. I have no sailing experience but quite a bit
of small power boating in the Keys.

Hi Alfred,

My wife and I sold our house and bought a motorsailer a year ago.
We'll still be working for a few years. around 2008 we'll be on our
way to the carib and maybe polynesia. We're both 49 and the kids are
independent.

Would a sailing course be best to start? or should I find someone with a
boat?
You can get a lot of info by reading. Try Bobby Schenk who has lived
for years on blue water. He recently schwitched from a steel one mast
SY to a catamaran. His books are fun to read and give lots of info. He
even has a website where he answers questions like yours.
http://www.yacht.de/schenk/index.shtml
And then there a the groups like I didn't get
the feeling this helps much but it's nice to log in from time to time.

I'm considering a catamaran for it's shallow depth and stability. Opinions?
Will a catamaran make South America safely?
Two schools: 1: very comfortable when sailing upright, fast(er), ok
for shallow bay's. 2: risky cause you'll never get her upright when
capsized. Some people think sailing a cat shorter then 12 meters on
open seas is a crime.

My wife will most likely spend more time with our son. How large a boat can
one man reasonably handle if properly rigged?

Our experience is that when living aboard (and even more with one and
perhaps in a few years 2 children) you you should not be afraid to
pick a 45 plus footer. We bought a 52 ft alu cutter rigged one mast
sy. I sail her and anchor her on my own with ease. Manouvres in the
harbour are best done with two but that applies to most yachts in my
opinion. Look for electrical winches, when the genua exceeds 100 m2
Look for all the space you can afford. In my experience on the present
second hand market: the bigger the cheaper. Take a lot of time and
look for the one that's meant for you.

I'm very skilled in PC and Internet technologies. How difficult is it to
find work in foreign countries? Will local authorities allow me to work for
provisions in the Caribbean or South America?
I realize this is difficult but, how much money does one need to live on
while sailing the Caribbean for one year?

I cant help you here. I'm curious what answers will be given here.

Lots of succes. I hope to meet you in a few years.
Len, the Netherlands

katysails wrote:

Recipe for divorce...one non-sailing man,+one non-sailing woman+one toddler at the stage where he needs to socialize with other human beings to make it in the world...plop on a boat that's probably too small (anything under 40 feet) Add frustration, acrimony, and fear. Mix well. Child support and alimony at 120 degrees.


Yup! I suspect Alfred is escaping from family obligations - especially
since he mentions his wife will be staying ashore with the kid. Better
to get the divorce now than leave loose ends. BTW, if you sell the house
where do they live while you're gone?

Wow! Lots of great feedback on my post. Thats awesome. I really
appreciate everyones advice.

Len, thanks for the suggestion to try a sailing club. I have located
one locally and have plans to join soon. I'm very exited about the
opportunities this will bring my family and I'm gung ho ready to go.
Good to hear a larger boat is not so difficult to manage. I have had
concerns in not having enough space and want to make sure I get the
biggest boat I can handle. I as well look forward to potentially
meeting with you and anyone else I come across in these groups. I know
it caters to an international clientele but has anyone ever considered
a meet up? Maybe an alt.sailing get together in the Caribbean one
year? If so I'm in.

katysails, I appreciate your concerns regarding my family but I'm
secure in the fact that nothing will seperate us. I know that this may
be stressful at times but we are looking forward to being able to
spend more time together. I'll spare the group my rants on American
Society but suffice it to say I don't think this rat race lends to
closeness for anyone much less the family unit. My wife and I love
each other. I know people throw that word around as much as they do
sex but for us it does mean something. We have had our fair share of
trials and tribulations and weathered storms far worse than this
sailing adventure. As for social skills, its a crock. Don't belive the
hype. Complacency and submission to Gestapo like laws is the norm in
this country and "social skills" is but conditioning for it. In the
world I live in people treat kids like cattle, they herd them together
in schools of disinformation and churn out cookie cutter ignorant
zombies. My son will do just fine growing up traveling and he'll have
a cultural experience unlike that of most Americans. Do you have the
beauty of love and happiness in your life katysails?

Vito, you should consider speaking about things you understand. For
real men there is no escape from obligations.

Meindert, you are correct. My family and I are traveling together. We
are doing so with great anticipation. Can you give me more information
on your sailing life?

I realize that the sailing life has it's ups and downs. I know that it
will be difficult. Struggle in life builds character. I'm quite the
character. I'm young and hard headed. This may well be the biggest
mistake of my life. I personally feel that not following ones dreams
is a much larger mistake. I'm certain to encounter every type of
person and opinion in my journey. Thats great. It build strength in my
experience and enlightens me so that I may become a better father to
my son. I am glad to have opened up communication with you all and
look forward to more advice.

Alfred


"Meindert Sprang" wrote in message ...
"Vito" wrote in message
...
katysails wrote:

Recipe for divorce...one non-sailing man,+one non-sailing woman+one
toddler at the stage where he needs to socialize with other human beings to
make it in the world...plop on a boat that's probably too small (anything
under 40 feet) Add frustration, acrimony, and fear. Mix well. Child
support and alimony at 120 degrees.


Yup! I suspect Alfred is escaping from family obligations - especially
since he mentions his wife will be staying ashore with the kid. Better
to get the divorce now than leave loose ends. BTW, if you sell the house
where do they live while you're gone?

Were on earth did Alfred say that he would leave his wife and son ashore?
He writes "My wife will most likely spend more time with our son. How large
a boat can one man reasonably handle if properly rigged?". As I read this,
he means that his wife and son are aboard but his wife will be occupied most
of the time.

Meindert

Alfred wrote:

Vito, you should consider speaking about things you understand. For
real men there is no escape from obligations.

Being older, I understand more than you want to admit. You are planning
to take your son out of school and society in order to escape the rat
race. Where will that leave him? Being educated, intelligent, skilled,
whatever, means less and less these days - one has to have
*credentials*.

I *independently* developed a service protection circuit that was
immediately incorporated into the whole Bell System, nationwide. Who got
the credit? Why a Ph.D. from Bell Labs of course. After many had failed,
I developed computer SW to do target weapon pairing and scheduling. My
detailed flow charts and equations went to a think tank contractor who
got the credit and the $$$. My troubles aside, the point is whether you
want your son to suffer the same crap.

OTOH Dick Nixon did OK because he met the scion of Occidental Petroleum
at Harvard.

If you really are eager to shoulder your obligations then you should
bite the bullet for a dozen more years to earn enough money to get the
kid thru a prestigious law or medical school, or into the Jesus
business. There'll be time for you to escape later.

Vito wrote:

OTOH Dick Nixon did OK because he met the scion of Occidental Petroleum
at Harvard.

??? Nixon hated "the ultra-liberal Harvard professors in John F.
Kennedy's White House." Nixon received his law degree from Duke in
1937:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/les...esson-185.html

Al Gore was the son who benefitted from Armand Hammer's personal
largesse and friendship with his Senator Dad.
http://archive.salon.com/politics200...pi/index1.html

ShipWreckr

Best of luck Alfred...

follow that dream...
check out this site...
http://www.northernmagic.com/

royalld

Regarding size on the yacht - Big boats big problems, small boat small
problems (: Jarle Andhoy in a Albin Vega sailing from Norway to the south
pacific ++)
Check out the page http://www.wildvikings.com/
Not the most family-friendly type of sailing, -but for those adventurers
....:-)

Jon
70N 030E

"Alfred" skrev i melding
om...
Wow! Lots of great feedback on my post. Thats awesome. I really
appreciate everyones advice.

Check this out. I've been following Bill online for quite some time. he
started with a dream like you and no experience. Now he's planning a
Caribbean loop trip!

I'd advise you to get certified somehow. I did it in the Brittish Virgin
islands with 5 buddies and a great ASA captain/instructor on a 50' benetau.

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/...oat.html#Goals

Sink Or Sail wrote:

Hello Everyone,

My name is Alfred and I am married with a 4 year old son. We live in Fort
Lauderdale
and have spent our entire lives in South Florida. I'll spare you the details
but
I've had it with things around here and I'm ready for a MAJOR change. I have
wanted
to sail the Caribbean my whole life and never have. My heritage is Cuban and
I
was born in Key West, 90 miles away, but never been. It's time for us to
travel.

I am selling my house and buying a sailboat. I plan on living aboard around
South Florida for the first season to adjust to live aboard life and sailing
out
come good weather next year. I have no sailing experience but quite a bit
of
small power boating in the Keys.

I am looking for advice on how to begin and what type of boat I'll need.
I've
lurked in newsgroups and forums for quite sometime and have spent a bit of
time
speaking with local sailors. I would like to ask a few questions and I'm
looking for all honest answers. I've considered eventually running all the
way
to South America and up the Amazon.

Would a sailing course be best to start? or should I find someone with a
boat?

I'm considering a catamaran for it's shallow depth and stability. Opinions?

Will a catamaran make South America safely?

My wife will most likely spend more time with our son. How large a boat can
one man reasonably handle if properly rigged?

I'm very skilled in PC and Internet technologies. How difficult is it to
find
work in foreign countries? Will local authorities allow me to work for
provisions in the Caribbean or South America?

I realize this is difficult but, how much money does one need to live on
while
sailing the Caribbean for one year?


I know there are a million other things I should do and know before I do
this
but there is time for those. I very much appreciate any help I can get. If
any
of you live in the Fort Lauderdale area let me know. I would be glad to
help you
out in exchange for a litter experience and advice.

Alfred