Captain’s Log – March 2024 through April 19, 2024.
Our clients took delivery of their Leopard 45 in October 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from Just Catamarans.
Their first experience.
The boat could not take advantage of the ICW due to its size, a 72-foot mast. Moving the boat in November from Fort Lauderdale to Fernandina was plagued with bad weather and rough seas.
NOTE: Something to remember when buying your boat in a different state are tax ramifications and costs. Their boat had to leave Florida by March 31, 2024, to stay in compliance with the Florida requirements and avoid a higher tax payout.
Our clients had never owned boats. They had done several different sailing schools such as Offshore Sailing School in the BVI’s and participated in Cruiser University over the past few years. They had no offshore experience, and no practical experience.
Their Catamaran is beautiful and a perfect size for up to six people. They knew there was a lot to learn, and they wanted to have fun, an enjoyable experience and they wanted to be safe! They were wise enough to know that they didn’t know what they didn’t know. They saw an opportunity to get the training they needed with “Concierge Cruiser Coaching”! We were able to develop a plan based on their needs and what I could include appropriate skills to master to make their experience comfortable and fun. Cruiser Coaching included all facets of cruising – living, planning passages, using the equipment purchased with the boat – like the chart plotter, provisioning for overnight and multi-day sailing, working shifts, routing, learning rules of the road, how to use the VHF and when to use it. Good safety best practices, understanding sailing at night ship what I am seeing out there and who I’m sharing the seas. Be clear of the intentions of others and be sure they understand your intentions. Learning how to maneuver in tight places, spinning the boat, backing the boat, bringing the boat into the dock. Learning how a boat feels with currents, wind, and slack tide. How does the boat handle downwind seas and wind, how does she handle with the seas on the beam, what’s it like when it’s a beat? Getting the sails up and learning the steps for raising the Main and lowering. By learning new skills, we were also building confidence; when mis-takes were made, we reviewed, recalibrated, and then had the opportunity to do it correctly.
Every day brought new opportunities for learning and growth. The crew was good natured and considerate and just had fun. Both owners did each task and learned their boat. We made decisions based on weather which meant we spent some time in port that all of us would have preferred to be at sea. However, when Mother Nature decides to be nasty on the Ocean know you have options, it is not required to be “out there,” then take a moment and enjoy life.
So, then we made it a land adventure, checking out new communities, coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques, Spas, grocery stores, and meeting people. The people overall in these ocean communities were friendly, and grateful for the business.
Four weeks went by so quickly. Two new sailors built a foundation of safety and skills. Every day was a learning experience and building skills no matter the level of difficulty and challenging situations put before them. As the Primary Instructor I am so proud of each of their accomplishments and grateful that my husband, Hugh (also a licensed Captain) provided extraordinary skills and participated in bringing his perspective, fun and a mindset of success. I am grateful to have made two new lifelong friendships.
If you would like to discuss this service and how it could be you next, just send me an email at Captain@sailingandboatingllc.com