North East Trailer Sailors

Hi, all! My name is George, and I am the proud owner of a new-to-me '76 Venture 25. I am working furiously to get her in the water for the middle of September (if I can dodge all the hurricanes moving up the coast :-).

I've never sailed anything this big before. My father-in-law got me into sailing iceboats. I've built 2 of them, and while that has got to be the greatest thrill you could ever experience sailing, you can only do it a couple of times a year :(. Once bit by the sailing bug, I converted an old Sears 12' aluminum semi-v hull into a 'dandy' little sailboat, using a windsurfing sail and some leeboards. That sailed all right, but the hull shape was all wrong, it went thru the water somewhat like a barge, didn't point very well, and got very, very small on larger bodies of water.

I then purchased a Super Snark, which is much like a Sunfish. That was a lot more fun, but it proved to be only slightly dryer than a surfboard, and didn't like stronger weather (15 knot wind was about the limit). So now, it's time for something bigger.

For quite some time, I looked into different makes of trailer boats. The older Mac's seemed to have everything I wanted, and I managed to score one on istoleitfromwork.com (I mean, ebay). The hull is in great shape, but she definitely needs some help due to her age, and there are a number of parts missing (small parts, like the pins for the shrouds, gudgeons, etc). Fortunately, I am a machinist, so I can make many of the parts myself.

I am looking forward to some day trips around Buzzard's bay (my in-laws have a summer cottage on West Island - you may have seen my father-in-law sailing his canoe he converted into a gaff rigged, trimaran ketch. He sails all over the bay, out to the islands, etc. His favorite haunt is Pennekese (sp?)). My 'home turf' will likely be Narragansett bay (the nearest ramp to my house is in Somerset, Mount Hope bay), and I am eagerly anticipating sailing in Boston Harbor, visiting the islands.

Unfortunately, I will probably only be able to sail a couple times a year, and it will likely be a few years before I try an overnighter (I have 3 very small children, and don't even want to entertain the thought of taking them out for an extended trip yet). I am happy to have found this group, and look forward to meeting some of you!