Don't do what I did
Chip,I was a wannabe sailor & boatowner for many, many years. Used to go to the Atlantic City Sail Expo every winter, where I drooled over all the sparkling, new boats. They all seemed beyond my price range, so I just kept thinking about it.I wanted a boat big enough to have a cabin with head & galley, but small enough to singlehand. From my browsing at the boat shows, that looked to be in the 27-30' range. For new boats, that was about $80,000+.After years of dreaming, I finally decided to look at used boats, and began by answering ads & going to see the boats. One thing led to another, and within 3 months I found & bought my first boat, a 1987 Hunter 28.5.After I bought the boat, then I took a basic keelboat sailing class. I know the conventional wisdom is to do it the other way around. If you have friends with boats, learn as much as you can from them. Sailing classes and day rentals are good ideas, too. But if you're really serious, don't waste too much time studying and researching. There are a lot of good, inexpensive used sailboats out there, so many, that I'm sure there's one to fit anybody's budget.The important thing is to take action. Sailing is a lot of fun, and is incredibly relaxing. I only wish I had started sooner.Eric Lorguss/v Explorer 87H285