Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Sailing on a $500k Yacht

What a ride!  John and I met up with Butch on Sunday for a three hour tour of the bay.  Our ride was a brand new Beneteau 45.  Three cabin layout, duel helms, and as beautiful as she is fast.  We cruised up the Oakland Estuary at about 7 knots and passing alot of smaller boats.  Once we were on the bay we pulled out the furling main and jib in about 18 knots of wind...and boy did we take off.  Butch sat back and we talked about his sailing career.  60 foot waves on a trip to Hawaii, starting a sailing school, and the advantages of buying new instead of used.  He was also a charter captain at one time.  We had a great sail up to Alcatraz and then back to the marina and Passage Yachts. 

One of the things he mentioned was a low cost way to sail now that I am boatless for the next few months while we convert to an electric engine.  He is a share holder in a company in Richmond called Tradewinds Sailing.  They offer sailing courses and sail boats for day sails on the bay.  The least expensive membership is a Mate Membership.  $40 a month allows you to join a boat going out.  They have boats from 22-36 feet including a 30' Catalina that is electric.  I am going to join on Friday!  Check them here.

Lastly, I found an amazing story of survival at sea looking around the news feeds on my blog.  Read it here.


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