Sunday, March 06, 2005

Journal Entry – Sunday March 6, 2005 – 30 Something Party

Author: Scott

There are not that many 30 somethings out here doing serious long-range cruising. By this I mean that there are not that many 30 to 39 foot boats, and not that many people in their thirties cruising. In general boats have grown in size over the past twenty years. Back in the 70’s and early 80’s there were far more stout 30 foot boats like the West Sail 32, the Pacific Seacraft 32 and of course our beloved Valiant 32, but as time marched on and materials and of course pocketbooks evolved in the 80’s and 90’s, so did boat sizes. It is now common to see 40 foot, 50 foot, and even larger sailing vessels cruising the world. If you remember I chose Tournesol for her size (and my visual limitations when docking) with my original intention of sailing her around the world single-handed. We have also noticed that a majority of cruisers are in their late forties to mid sixties, enjoying the fruits of their many years of hard work that made their dream to come cruising a reality. Well, we fall into both minority camps with Tournesol measuring in at 32 feet and with myself at the tender age of 38 and Pam a bit more seasoned at? (never give a woman’s age, especially when it is greater than your own), let’s just say that we are on the younger end of the cruising age scale.

When we learned that there were three other boats in the 30 foot range heading to the South Pacific we decided that we should host a 30 Something Party! We also felt that getting to know the other 30 foot boats would be great because with shorter waterlines we would all be at the back of the pack together. We invited Graysal and Moana (both 32 foot boats) and Costa Vita (36 feet) over for a party on Tournesol. Today was the party and it was a heap of fun. Everyone brought a yummy appetizer and we provided additional food and beverages. The party lasted from 5:00 to 11:00 and we ate and drank just about everything. We all had sailing stories to share, and ideas for the upcoming passage. I think we would have all stayed up even later if we didn’t have the Puddle Jump Potluck tomorrow. For one of our first forays into the boat party hosting role, we think the party was a hit, and it was really nice getting to meet some new friends that we may see and will surely communicate with over SSB throughout the South Pacific.

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