Hello from a Newbie.

Greetings Brains Trust,
I am sure this has been asked before but here I go.
I'm landlocked at present but I want that to change. I'm looking about for a suitable single handed cruising sailboat and I'd be interested to hear what folks think.
Presently I live about halfway between Cairns and Cooktown. My cruising grounds would be, say Bowen to TI. For the first couple of years, I would be sailing for 6 months and landlocked 6 for months. My sailing period would be from December to May.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Saltuarius

Hi Saltuarius

Welcome to the forum

I am not experienced at all in the sailing you intend to do so I will leave the recommending of what type of boat may be suitable to other forum members

Are you in the Cape Trib area ?

Regards Don

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Click the link and have a read

Thanks Craig,
I found that post thanks.
Cheers

"........My sailing period would be from December to May.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. ....."

Isn't that the cyclone season ?????????

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Ramona said..
Depends on a few things. Like how old you are and are you prepared to travel. What sort of budget too. Do you intend to sail or just cruise? If you buy that Carter 37 I could stop obsessing about it!

Thanks Ramona,
I'm sixty-one this year and plan to only cruise. The Carter 37 is on my list, but I think a tad too big for me. If I buy it, I would have to buy a small sailing dinghy to explore creeks and islands and coral reefs with. Having said that it would be nice to have a boat that sailed to windward a bit better than others I have owned Travelling to buy a boat is no problem. That way I can fix things and get her set up on the way back north. My budget is the lower end of the market but who knows if the right boat comes along

Cheers

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Donk107 said..
Hi Saltuarius

If you don't mind me asking, roughly how much money are you looking at spending because if the forum members know that they can suggest boats within your price range

Regards Don

Hi Don,

I'm thinking 30 all up. That would be moored in the north here with everything just honkey dorey. I don't mind the condition of the interior. That is something I can work on over time. Because of the isolation of where I want to cruise I have to be certain of it's seaworthiness.
I've only been looking at Queensland boats to keep costs down a bit but oh boy I've just started looking in NSW and there are plenty to sort through eh.

Peter

I can highly recommend my Sparkman and Stephens Tartan 37 as a great beginner boat. I bought her with only 10 days sailing experience, and she has been kind to me. I can handle her single handed, and she is a good blue water boat capable of crossing oceans.
I have now taken a leap upward to a Hans Christian 38 which is a much heavier boat, which I may need crew for rather than single handing.
It is Cylcone season from December to May so what most cruisers do is head south in November/December, then north again in May June.

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Charriot said..
Not necessarily, there are many cyclon safe marinas.
You can alway duck in for a few days take shelter.
Yeppoon expirienced Marcia, cat.5 , who did not remove awnings
lost it, otherwise no damage. Gladstone, Yeppoon, Mackay, Townsville
Port Doglas, would be a few more, are rated safe.

Charriot, the Port Douglas Marina empties out during a cyclone. Everybody heads into the mangroves and finding a space can be tough with so many large charter boats in the harbour. If I was going to head for a marina I suppose the Townsville Yacht Club would be a pretty good one. I think my preference would be a mangrove lined bolt hole somewhere, depending on the size of the cyclone.

Well, I have started inspecting yachts and have crossed a few off my list. Next one to inspect is a Formosa 34. Has anyone had any experience with them? Cheers.