Learning to live on water

I have been asked multiple times recently about how I learned about boats, how to sail and a myriad of other things lately. Here is a little bit I have thrown together in case someone out there might be interested in being a liveaboard in the Santa Cruz harbor.

As soon as I got the idea to be a liveaboard I researched on my own, through friends and through the internet and within two months I had bought my boat and completely moved out of my former living space.

This link is a journal of someone who became a liveaboard. He is a great writer with a sense of humor and very insightful about the things you will need to know. Read everything on this site: Sleeping With Oars


This link is the noaa sailing conditions webservice. Always refer to this and refer your friends to it when planning to sail.

This is the link to the Santa Cruz Harbor. This has news, slip information, rules, regulations, etc...


Here is where I looked for boats to buy:
Craigslist
Yachtworld
Pacific Yachts
Wizard Yachts

Remember that to get into the Santa Cruz south harbor with a sailboat you will need a boat between 27 and 32 feet with a tabernacle mast. If the mast does not tabernacle it can be modified to tabernacle if it is a deck-stepped mast and not a keel-stepped mast. You will want either an outboard motor or an inboard diesel engine. For loan purposes, you will want a 1980 or newer, unless you have cash.

When I finally had the boat I needed to learn to sail. I tried scheduling a class with someone to learn but the person never showed up and I decided that if you don't need a license to sail, it couldn't be that hard. I read two books:

Sailing Fundamentals
Chapman Bible

Also on my first trip out I had my grandmother and grandfather there to answer all of the questions I still had after reading that book. They were very helpful and I suggest going out the first couple times with someone who knows how to sail. The hardest parts to understand are right-of-way, tacking/gibing and setting the sails based on the wind angle.

I have now lived on the boat for 7 months and gone on 12 sailing trips.

-Aaron