Best Boat for Me???

[David J Barbelo]

Hey to all,,,I will retire end of year,,and start to live my dream,,of Sailing all over the pacific...I will go to alaska in summer,,and tahiti new zeland hawaii,etc,etc...in winter,,,maybe even San Diego??I have read about 20 books on buying "your first boat",,but i figure it is best to go to the source...So,,, if anyone has an opinion on the best boat for this future sailor,,i would like to hear it...I have it narrowed down to five,,here they are,,,in no order,,Tayana,,,Jeanneau,,Cabo Rico,,,wauquiez,,,island packet....I will get a 36-38 ft,,with all the toys for safety,,,and will go to sailing school for two weeks,,after that i will spend the first year in the san diego area learning to sail,,then all over the pacific...any advice will be helpfull,,,your friend David

[Duane Barr]

I bought a 1991 Crealock 34 in 2004 and took it up the Inside Passage that summer. What a wonderful experience!! The Inside Passage is fairly tame yet you spend day after day cruising to get somewhere. You can stop by a Safeway or a McDonalds almost everynight...or you can anchor out in a pristine, remote lagoon everynight. Your choice. I chose the Crealock because everything I'd read said they were tough, well-built, blue-water boats. At 34ft it is pretty easy to single hand. I've now had her 4 years and have had no major maintenance issues.

[David J Barbelo]

Thanks to all,,and to duane barr,,,I too will take the inside pass.. someone told me the wind is very light that way,, did you have any down time??Since i put this up a while back i also like the "baba" and the "vagabound",,the baba is very close to "tayana" anyway it is getting close to my time to sail,, i had to move it back 3 months to finish my last golf course,,,So i will go to San Diego in Jan 09,,and that is it for the work,, from then on till????it will be sailing and more sailing,, i will be a liveaboard from then on..I will.keep in touch,, your friend David

[Duane Barr]

I motored most of the way, or sometimes motor-sailed. Only a couple of times did I stay in an inlet or port to wait out gale force winds out on some open stretch of water. Every year there's an Around Admiralty Island sailboat race and that particular summer I think everyone had to just shrug their shoulders and motor in. Going to Alaska was a Bigger Than Life experience for me. Next time I'll take it slower and stay in some spots longer to enjoy the beauty. You're going to Love it.
Duane

[David J Barbelo]

I have gone to Alaska 5 times so far,,always in the moterhome,,up the al-can, or the corsair hyway,, it takes me one soild week from seattle to anchorage,,I drive 6am to 6pm,,have over 5 albums of the greatest pictures,,, even built a golf course there awhile back,,very seldom do they build a good g.c. that far north,,, can only make money 5 months a year...unless they paint the golf ballls black...take care and hope to see you on the water,,,David