I remember vaguely that there's a guy on SA who lives near here with a J/30. I PM him and ask if he'll give her advice. He agrees (he is the fleet cap't.). She seems surprised when I explain to her that this guy will take care of her and probably get her out for a sail. I tell her that I've never met the guy and she gets suspicious. I say, trust me.

I think about this for about 10 secs when it hits me that I should just do her a favor and start a thread about the boat asking for pros and cons. I start said thread and send her a link.

I get a call from her yesterday. "SA rocks," she shouts into the phone and proceeds to tell me that not only has she gotten solid info from about half a dozen J/30 owners and been offered a sail with the fleet cap't this week--but someone on SA went out of his way to locate the owner of a prized J/30 for her. Several others PM'd her to say that this guy was getting in touch with the owner. Sure enough they made contact yesterday too.

A lot of this comes down to the J/30 class and the nature of the sailing community. But the fact that all of this could happen in five days is a testimony to SA. So congratulations on having created a real institution here (even if the place does need a fucking warden some times) and your so right about why SW isn't getting any mail anymore. I like that magazine but why send them mail when you can get any level of question answered here with such thoroughness.

07/13/06

Chicks Dig It

I am the “she” referred to above ...and I had a few thoughts to add.

Yes, it’s true, I did call the writer of that piece and actually yell into the phone...and I meant it. SA does rock. (As does my friend, a long time anarchist, who began all this, and fielded more than his share of questions)

Mind you, I have been warned as well, and just a peek over at “the women of SA” forces me to lend credence to the warnings, ;-) but...all of that not withstanding, SA provided me with more information than I thought possible to gather in such a short time, quite a bit of hand holding from those whom I fondly refer to as my J/30 angel brigade, and just some incredibly solid advice.

Yesterday, I made an offer on a boat which was accepted. (insert Edvard Munch's “The Scream” here).

I am going to go so far as to say honestly, that if it weren’t for all of the e-mails, PM’s and postings that occurred over the ten days or so, not to mention meeting and attempting to race with a key member of my AB, (the weather was entirely uncooperative), I don’t think I would have pulled the trigger. Truly. And for that, I.......thank you? (i kid...)

I have been trolling Yachtworld for a couple of years now fantasizing about buying something, but the choices were so overwhelming, and the thought of owning a boat from the standpoint of being such a neophyte was just enough to keep it dangling on a stick just out of reach.

Oh, that and cash.

After some remarkably detailed advice, especially from David Levine who compiled a list of things for me to check that, when typed out, filled three pages...I went in confident, if nothing else, in my ability to call those Anarchists who had graciously given me cell numbers, I had visions of me huddled in the head, hand cupped over the mouthpiece muttering “what the hell is a cutlass bearing, anyway?! “

I did find lots of things on the boat needing attention that I never would have otherwise, which sort of made me feel like I was on one of those Verizon Wireless adds where each person has their “network” standing behind them. It was very reassuring, I must say, (even if some of mine were chanting for me to take my top off...) ;-)

I did finally settle on a j/30 for all kinds of reasons. (sorry those who tried, in vain, to dissuade me), but chief among them was the willingness of so many of the fleet members to really and truly go out of their way to help me in ways large and small.

Are there faster boats? No question. Are there more comfortable cruising boats? Without a doubt. However, do those others come with such a stalwart band of aiders and abetters? I would be surprised if they did.

As I mentioned to another one of my key advisors, I definitely got the full court press from the fleet members, ....and the devotion was such that I was sort of checking around for the communal Kool-Aid, but, in the end, whatever it was...it worked. And if all goes well, I will be thrilled to knock back some of that Kool-Aid not only as the newest member of the fleet., but as a lifelong Anarchist.

Many many thanks to both the fleet, and to SA. You both do, indeed, rock. Big time.

Teresa