Greetings,
I just joined and thought I should introduce myself to the group. I am Gene. My wife, Crystal, and our two children, Byron (2) and Rowan (5 months) have just sold our house and are planning to move aboard. We are currently still landlocked and boatless while we wrap things up with my Medieval tent building business and search for the boat.
We were turned on to the Junk Rig by Annie Hills writings, and are pretty convinced that the specific advantages brought by it strongly outweigh the disadvantages for our needs. In particular, the low tech, self sufficiency aspects.
Our intents are to go very simple with the boat. Minimal systems and minimal reliance on the complex, high tech supply chain are an increasing part of our scheme, regardless of weather we are on land or water.
I am a reasonably competent woodworker (though with no boatbuilding experience) in addition to my tent making skills (which I hope will give me a head start on sailmaking and other boat canvas work)
Our sailing experience is not great (though I fancy other folks have jumped in with less). I have probably 60 hours of day sailing in a beat up old Star and a Sunfish. Crystal just completed the ASA Basic Keelboat course (12 hours of instruction). We may take a little bit more instruction, but it is very expensive and we don't want to cut into our boat fund/cruising kitty too much.
We are planning to make the NW USA (Puget Sound) our home cruising grounds due to proximity to family and a number of good folk schools that are close to shore there, but are still looking somewhat longingly at the east coast with its proliferation of sheltered waters and ease of heading to warmer climes for the winter months.
Thanks, in advance, for all the wisdom we will gleaning from the members here,
Gene Eisele