Are boats only for the elite and wealthy? I think not!

I'm constantly amazed by the assumptions that some people make about the boating lifestyle. When I tell people that I am off sailing, or racing, or selling sailboats, people always say things about cost, the wealth of owners, and other thoughts about us "yachties".

Certainly we all fantasize and think about the truly over the top yachts like this: (Daedulus, Ice Bear & Odessa) but the more time I spend in this sport/lifestyle the more convinced I am that anyone can do it. I walked down our dock today at Signature Yachts and found Five boats that could sail around Vancouver Island, and be purchased for less money than my International 14 foot dinghy. (See post "Extreme Sailing in a River")

A 1985 Elite 30 for $29,900. A nicely built french boat offering high performance and a cool interior.

A 1979 Dufour 31 at $26,900. Another nice French boat, with a big interior for a 31 footer.

A 1975 Ranger 33 at $19,750. A Gary Mull Design, nice sailing boat, big interior & big cockpit.

1980 Yamaha 30 at $19,750. These are great little sailing boats, built well and sail beautifully!

A 1977 C&C 29 at $29,000. Built in Canada, with a solid reputation, let's go racing or cruising!

If you are thinking of getting into the sport you do not need a boat you can host Thanksgiving dinner on or sail around the world. Get a little boat and get exploring all the wonderful places you can reach around here on a boat. Then as your needs change, you can change boats.

A good friend of mine who owns a 44 foot pilothouse sailboat recently purchased a Thunderbird, 26 foot sloop sailboat for around $7,000. When I asked him why he did such a thing when he owned such a cool cruising boat, he responded by saying: "My fondest memories are of sailing small boats, and I wanted to get back to that!"

Life is short, Go Sailing!