Will The Dream Come True?

[Julie Moriarty]

The year was 1970. My dad's friend invited me on his sailboat, a 1936 Alden 44. The moment I stepped on deck, I was in love. I told myself I would one day own my own sailboat. But as time went on, with kids, a house and everything else sapping up whatever money I made, I finally conceded I will have to wait til another life.

Then my SO stepped in and helped make it happen, that is, depending on how the survey goes. The boat, a 1986 Aloha 32, has been perfectly maintained and it's got all the bells and whistles, with the exception of some older electronics. Monday is the survey. This is a picture of the boat. I still can't believe it.

407377

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Woo Hoo! Good on your SO.
I've never had the ambition to own a boat, although I live in one of the most sailable areas of the world. But just having a dream realized is a wonderful feeling.
What a wonderful, caring gesture.

[Frederick Skelly]

I guess a "survey" is a pre-purchase inspection?
I hope it goes well and you get the boat! That would make the move to Florida all worthwhile.
Best of luck.
Fred

[Kev Williams]

Been a boater most of my adult life, own 4 of the things right now, however, I've never owned a sailboat. Those things require a different type of person than me ;) - which is to say, I'm an old gearhead who loves everything engines, and I lack the patience needed to be a sailboater. But whether your vessel is pushed by a propeller or the free wind, what comes along for the ride is a profound disconnect from the rest of the world that's hard to describe, almost magical. Just looking at the pic above calms my nerves :o

Good luck with the survey, don't forget the champagne for the maiden voyage... respect Mother Nature, enjoy the ride, feel the magic, have fun :D

[Nike Nihiser]

You know what they say.... "the 2 happiest days in a boat owner's life are the day they bought their boat and the day they sold their boat" Good luck, have fun

[michael langman]

Their i s nothing like being on the water in the ocean. And a sailboat puts you in a personal relationship with your surroundings. Good luck tomorrow with the inspection.

[Bob Glenn]

Good to hear today is the "first" day. Enjoy.

[Lee Schierer]

I give sailing lessons.....I hope the survey goes well.

[Tom M King]

Congratulations! I've raced everything from boards, to big boats, but other than delivering other peoples' racing boats up, and down the East coast, I've never been much of a cruiser. My BIL, and my Wife's Sister love it though.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Congratulations. There is something in me that must be on the water regularly. My grandfathers on both sides were navy men. Grandfather Schweizer was a world-class boatbuilder. Must be in the blood.

[Tom M King]

Looks like it's really well equipped already! Does it have a wheel, or a tiller? I have so much tiller time that I'm faster with a tiller than a wheel.

[Jim Becker]

Wow....not only are you likely going to live your dream, you clearly found a really nice conveyance to do it! That's a beautiful looking vessel. No worries on things like dated electronics. That kind of thing can be dealt with as money allows. In the mean time, you'll be happier than an octopus in a well stocked reef!

[Julie Moriarty]

Well, thank you all! All this good will kind of makes this a little more real.

I'm still trying to grasp actually saying, "my boat". I've been lucky enough to do a lot of sailing but it's never been on "my boat". But to be honest, I'm a bit nervous. Not the sailing part, I've cruised thousands of miles on a sailboat. It's worrying something will happen to it that makes me nervous.

Frederick - Yes, the survey is a pre-purchase inspection. When buying a boat it's Caveat Emptor in every sense of the meaning.

Kev - Since you're a gearhead, you may be surprised just how cool it is putting those mechanical skills to work tuning the sails to perfection. The principles that govern flying apply to sailing, both above and below the water. It's pretty cool.

Michael - I couldn't agree with you more! You took the words right out of my mouth.

Malcolm - I'm the same way. Something about the water that just seems right.

Tom - It's a wheel. I was "raised" on wheel steering but I have done tiller steering and it is fun! As for the wheel on this boat - it's teak. For real.

For anyone interested, here's the listing (https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1986/aloha-yachts-32-3239284/?refSource=standard%20listing)

[Tom M King]

Looks like it's about ready to go around the world!

I spent so much time in a Laser, with mainsheet in one hand, and tiller in the other, that it's natural to me. Any stalling of the rudder is slow, and I never sailed a boat with a wheel where I could feel that.

I was helping some friends sail a 50 footer from Ct. down to Annapolis. It wasn't 50 feet long, but held that rating in whatever the ocean racing classes were back then in the early '90's. We had sailed it down Long Island Sound, and motored through NYC. (another long sailing story) Anyway, as we sailed out, and turned down the coast of New Jersey, it was my time to take the tiller. This was sometime in the early Spring, and it was blowing 28 from the SW, so we were on a close reach.

We were supposed to be using delivery sails, but the guys had raised the good ones. With the wind coming off the shore, we were staying close enough to the shore for the waves to not be so big (but still big enough to be taking water on the bow at the bottom of the wave, but far enough out so the wind was steady-still in green water, and not quite far enough out to be in blue water.

I had steered for a couple of hours, and had gotten a good feel for it. Going up a wave, I do a couple of little bumps of the tiller to keep the rudder from stalling, and going down the other side, I'd do a little pull-pull. This had gotten so monotonous, and it had been a long night the night before, that I fell asleep.

The other guys said I had been steering like that for about 20 minutes before they decided to wake me up to see if I was alright. They had taken some video of me steering, and back and forth to the knot meter. After that, they always said that I was a half knot faster, in my sleep, than anyone else was awake. None of them had been Laser sailors, but always just big boat sailors.

I can't do that with a wheel.

I have some other good sailing stories too, like sailing 85 miles one day from Maui to Oahu after the Hobie 17 Worlds that year. That was my most memorable sailing day, but another long story.

If you are fearless, and weigh around 105 pounds, I'm actually looking for a crew for the Hobie 16 Worlds this year, since it's in the U.S. My Wife doesn't think she wants to go. We haven't raced much since we raced a Hobie 21 in the Prosail series back in the 1980's, but still do a fair amount of sailing.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Boat : A hole in the water, surrounded by metal, wood ,fiberglass, or concrete, into which the owner pours money. Our boat has developed an allergy to water, we can't get to go in any more. One thing to budget is NEW batteries EVERY year. AAA doesn't make calls out on the water. Wear life jackets at all times. Of the over fifty people who have drowned in local lakes in the last ten years, none were wearing a life jacket. Our rule was, unless the boat was tied up, or beached, EVERYONE had to have on a life jacket. I've had guest say they were too restrictive of movement. I would answer, yeah, but not as much as a casket.

[Ole Anderson]

Had boats all my life, mostly inboard ski boats, but now I have a old 19' center console sitting in salt water in FL and a pontoon in fresh water in MI. And my son keeps his ski boat at my dock in MI. BUT I would love to have a friend that has a sailboat...growing up my uncle had a wooden 24 footer up in Cheboygan MI that he would take out to Mackinac Island.

Edit: How could I forget? My wife grew up on a lake that had a small Sunfish club that raced every Sunday. Her dad had one that we ended up with. Sailed it a few years on our lake but too many weeds for the centerboard so we sold it. Got real involved with tournament slalom and trick skiing with my buddies and lost interest.

[Tom M King]

I grew up with inboard ski boats here too, and only took up sailing in my early 20's.

[James Waldron]

Nice boat, Julie. In my life, I've found a boat to be a hole in the water into which the owner and others pour our hearts.

Maybe, if its as good a boat as it seems, you'll have the moment, alone on watch, most often on an overnight passage, steering (or supervising the autopilot) when your boat sings to you. Can't be topped! Listen for it.

From the listing, it looks like a very good value. Ellis designs are good performers and pretty comfortable boats, too. Appears very well equipped for long range and off-shore work; the old electronics are not that shabby if they work, although spending on repairs may not be worthwhile if they aren't working. You might benefit from updating chart software if it's not current. And keep up your piloting and dr skills on paper charts, too, since the gear can fail or juice to run them can be lost.

I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best on your survey.

And about that little J Class boat, ....

[Roger Feeley]

I know myself well enough that I wouldn't be happy owning a boat although I love the idea of owning a boat. I live too far from the water that it would be a weekend thing and then I would just spend my time cleaning and maintaining the thing. Then, our pool guy clued me in. He has a boat at some marina around here where it's stored in a warehouse. He calls a couple of hours ahead and they take this giant forklift and put his boat in a slip for him. Cleaning is included. That and unlimited visits costs him a couple of grand a year. In the DC area, that's pretty competitive with slip fees. The marina offers full repair services that he says are fairly priced. Now, I'm a little tempted... That's almost as good as having a friend with a boat.

[Malcolm McLeod]

... the old electronics are not that shabby if they work, although spending on repairs may not be worthwhile if they aren't working. You might benefit from updating chart software if it's not current. And keep up your piloting and dr skills on paper charts, too, since the gear can fail or juice to run them can be lost.

....

And about that little J Class boat, ....

Forgot where I heard this (maybe SMC...:confused:), but I find it classic and it seems appropriate: Guy shops for weeks for new GPS system for his blue-water boat, then has his friend (a world-class expert in GPS) review his selection. Guy says, "It will hold ALL my charts; no need to carry chart books."

Friend picks up chart book and SLAMS it to the floor, retrieves it and hands it to the guy, commenting, "This one still works."

...How is the J-Class coming??

[Julie Moriarty]

Reading all the replies made me feel I'm in good company. Certainly brought a smile to my face. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has ever brought me more joy than the times I spent on the water. I have tales from gorgeous sails, beautiful sunrises and sunsets to harrowing storms. I've loved them all.

Malcolm, I was raised on paper charts and dead reckoning. Years later my dad bought a LORAN but I never abandoned the paper charts and won't start doing so now. I've never had a chartplotter on board. But lessons of the past taught me well, paper is king.

One time coming back from the Bahamas we hit a nasty squall that pegged the anemometer at 70. Then the lights on board started flickering. I went below to take a reading off the LORAN and watched as the numbers vanished. Fortunately, right below that was the paper chart I had only recently marked our position. What had my dad in a panic was the depth sounder was reading 0.5 ft but I knew we were in a shipping lane. Later I figured out the transducer must have been out of the water. We were heeled over far enough for that to be the case.

[Steve Jenkins]

I hope your survey went well and you will soon be on the water

[Malcolm McLeod]

Sounds like you have this one covered, so I’ll just hope my story was smile-worthy.

Good luck on survey, and safe travels!

[Julie Moriarty]

Got the survey today. Everything was good. The surveyor said the hull and deck were rock solid. When he started up the engine he was surprised at the absence of black smoke. He said the owners have taken excellent care of it. It was good to hear. With all that I've got going on the house, I don't need another project right now. Looks like we'll close next week.

I'm starting to feel nervous again...

[Tom M King]

Glad to hear it. I thought it looked good in the photos. How close is it to where you live?

[David Helm]

Congrats!! By the way. whatever happened to the Alden (John Alden may have been the best boat designer of all time)? How was it rigged. Many of that size were either schooners or cutters with the occasional yawl.

[Frederick Skelly]

Congratulations!!!!!!

[julian abram]

I'm late to the party but wanted to say Congratulations! It's wonderful to see folks get to live their dreams.

[Julie Moriarty]

Thanks again for all the well wishes. I'm still in that seeing is believing stage. We're supposed to close Tuesday.


How close is it to where you live?
If we take the Okeechobee Waterway, it's about 250 miles. From Titusville it's about 100 miles south to Stuart. That's where we enter the OWW. From there to home is another 150, give or take. I'm thinking we need about 10 days to bring her back. With all the bridges and locks, we'll be lucky if we average much more than 25 miles a day.

[Julie Moriarty]

Congrats!! By the way. whatever happened to the Alden (John Alden may have been the best boat designer of all time)? How was it rigged. Many of that size were either schooners or cutters with the occasional yawl.

When I sailed her she was a sloop but she was originally a ketch. The owner, a close friend of my dad's, passed back in the 80s, when he was in his early 50s. I don't know what happened to her after that. But here's a link to the Alden registry for that boat (http://www.aldendesigns.com/99years/detail.php?ID=964&s=1). I do know she won the Chicago-Mac race in 1937 & 38. In '36 she was one of 8 boats to finish the race. A big storm came in and most boats quit.

http://www.aldendesigns.com/99years/rawimages/605_Rubaiyat.jpg
I don't know if my dad's friend converted her to a sloop but she was still named Rubaiyat then.

[Tom M King]

I'd just sail it around the outside. Sounds like it might even be quicker.

[Julie Moriarty]

I'd just sail it around the outside. Sounds like it might even be quicker.

We've been looking at that. Problem is the Gulf Stream. It gets really close to shore around Ft. Lauderdale. Get caught in that and you're going backward.

And then there's crew. The times I've done overnight sails, we've always had 4 or more crew aboard. My rule was always 2 in the cockpit for overnight sails - one at the helm while the other is close when needed. Even a sleeping crew member in the cockpit is better than trying to rouse sleeping crew below. I know that from experience.

[Julie Moriarty]

Oh, and I forgot to mention... If we ever went down into the Keys and around Key West, it would take us months to get home. :rolleyes:

[Pat Barry]

Oh, and I forgot to mention... If we ever went down into the Keys and around Key West, it would take us months to get home. :rolleyes:

Time shouldn't matter

Ed. I mean, you have the boat, take your time and enjoy it while you can. ;)

[James Waldron]

The inland route? Take several good books! And don't stray from the channel!

Key West would be more fun.

[Tom M King]

No thanks on 10 days in a ditch, with mosquitoes.

We did Beaufort to Annapolis once with 3 of us. Four hour watches, with one sleeping. It really wasn't that bad, but I'm usually good for 2 watches through the night. I love sailing at night. On that trip, there was a half moon, and just kept the North star right off the forestay all night going up the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.

edited to add: Just stay offshore a little farther North to stay in the Northward flow of the stream, and then go towards shore to get home with the flow. (I'm assuming you're talking about the current coming back at you as you get closer to home.) We use that to our advantage when racing in some places, by getting as close as possible to the seawall when going into current-like in San Francisco Bay.

On that trip that I mentioned when we motored the IOR 50 footer down the East River. The boat owner was not able to leave as early as we wanted that morning, so we were off timing for the current direction. I kept the boat a couple of feet off the bulkhead all the way through. There was a lady pushing a baby stroller, along the railing, that was exactly the same speed we were for about 15 minutes, that was only a few feet away. If I hadn't kept it in the reverse flow, it would have been impossible until the tide changed. On the old maps, that part of the river is named Hell, and we saw why.

[James Waldron]

Back in the day when I was a bow man, I did a few Key West races. There is a bit of counter-current. In most weather, with a really good Naviguesser (up-to-date chart plotter) to keep you off the reef and out of the Stream, it can be a pretty decent sail. 36 - 48 hours on the fifty/sixty footers I sailed aboard, 48 - 72 hours on your shorter wl length. No mosquitoes. One day (?) of "rest" and then a leisurely cruise North. Just don't go down the Keys in a SE breeze; short tacking can be grueling. Wait in Miami or Lauderdale to party until the weather changes.

[Tom M King]

There should be plenty of good anchorages, and even docks along the way, so as not to have to push through every night, or ill wind.

That's why they call it Cruising, and not Racing.

[James Waldron]

There should be plenty of good anchorages, and even docks along the way, so as not to have to push through every night, or ill wind.

That's why they call it Cruising, and not Racing.

Geez, I've never cruised in the keys. You may be right! That way, Ms Julie can party every night!!! :cool:

[Lee Schierer]

There should be plenty of good anchorages, and even docks along the way, so as not to have to push through every night, or ill wind.

That's why they call it Cruising, and not Racing.

Years ago we cruised from Marco Island to Key West and back. We anchored in the Florida bay near the Everglades twice. Tied up at Cow Key and Key West. We just called the Harbor and asked. The Gulf side of Key West has lots of shoals.

[Lee Schierer]

My rule was always 2 in the cockpit for overnight sails - one at the helm while the other is close when needed. Even a sleeping crew member in the cockpit is better than trying to rouse sleeping crew below. I know that from experience.

At night anyone on deck should be harnessed and tied off for safety if you are not anchored.

[Julie Moriarty]

Drove to Titusville yesterday. Came back with a few less bucks in the bank and a title to an Aloha 32 in our pocket. Yesterday I was believing it. Today it still seems a dream.

We're going back this weekend hoping to get it ready for splash and dash.

[Jeff Bartley]

Congrats! Take pictures on your maiden voyage so we can live vicariously through you.
Have you read the Josh Slocum book? Highly recommended if not.

[lee cox]

One of the happiest monemts in a boat owners life is when you first buy it. I owned a Philip Rodes Bounty II 41' sailboat for about 10 years in the past. It was a lot of fun. There seems to be nothing square when building on the boat. Everthing has to be custom fitted. Good luck.

[Dave Zellers]

Wow!
I’m not a boater at all, but I know a special moment when I see one.
CONGRATULATIONS!

[Malcolm McLeod]

Big time congrats and enjoy!

Sailed (freshwater) a very little with a cousin-in-law. A big cigarette boat throttled back politely to pass us in a channel, when clear he throttled up and roared off. Cuz’ said, “He’ll be to the other side of the lake in 5 minutes; it’ll take us 3 hours.” Then he smiled and added, “When he gets there, all he can do is turn around and come back.”

We had a GREAT day - and a quiet one! I hope you have many of the same.

[Julie Moriarty]

Thanks, all. This has been a long journey. Sometime in the first week in May we will begin the trip to bring her back. Bridges and locks will slow us a lot. I just want to sail but that probably won't happen until we exit the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. If the weather cooperates, we'll go offshore to Boca Grande. If anyone is interested, go here and zoom into Ft Myers FL. That's where we'll exit the Caloosahatchee River. You can see heading north the option to go around Pine Island (lots of shallow water) or go outside to the Boca Grande Inlet.

[Julie Moriarty]

Have you read the Josh Slocum book? Highly recommended if not.
Oh, yeah. Great book! Another is Voyage For Madmen, the first solo circumnavigation race. And there's The Long Way, Fatal Storm, Fastnet, Force 10, and so many others. I also read The Billionaire and The Mechanic and was surprised how much I liked it.

[Tom M King]

I hope you have a nice trip. I don't know those waters, having never been there, so wish you luck. The Hobie 16 World Championship is on Captiva Island this November. I still want to go, but haven't found the right 105 pound crew yet.