wrote:

... One of the problems that I am having in narrowing my selection is due
to the fact that my principle harbor, Havre de Grace, MD, has one
marina of significant size and, I swear, 90% of the boats are
either Hunters or Catalinas ... [and] ... when I walk around I do not run
into owners of Freedoms, Bristols, or even Sabres and Tartans, etc...

I suspect you will almost always find that owners of particular boats are
inclined to "shill" (as another writer put it) for their own boats for a
number of reasons. Makes sense. But a more detached approach admits that
any design is a compromise. I don't know how many times I've decided that a
Corsair 31 was the perfect boat, or a Morris 42, or a Bristol Channel
Cutter, or a Gemini 31, or a Newick Native, etc., etc. All different, and
all very good for certain purposes and pocketbooks. Yet most of us end up
with one boat, and hold onto it for a while.

You must (well, not really "must," I guess) decide what you want to do and
where to do it, then work backwards. If you intend to sail short handed out
of Havre de Grace, you need a reliable engine (long entrance channel), not
too much draft, a boat that won't cost an arm and a leg to pay for a slip (I
cannot recall if there are moorings there, since I have anchored out on my
visits). This results in a long list. What you want to do is buy "smart"
with a good survey and at a fair price, then stick with that boat until you
are absolutely certain that it's time for a change.

And that day may never come.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/

very true. I look at the Bristol Channel Cutter (my favorate,
aesthetically) and the Nor'Sea and the old Allieds and the non-decimal
Bristols the way I look at Meg Ryan (to a 50-something she looks good).
Many of the boats that I am attracted to are full keel (or 3/4). I came
close last month to buying a beautifully restored Allied 35' and I am
very attracted to the 'Princess', but, given that my home is the
Chesapeake, I suspect that an affair with a full keel boat will, in the
long run, prove to be less than satisfying. However, I confess that I
would like to hear to the contrary.
Last weekend I was sailing with a group on one of the few boats
willing to deal with strong shifting winds on the Chesapeake; the
conditions in which these boats would excel - saw a large Beneteau give
up. I was taking a sailing course in a small 22' - great way to really
get your feet wet. However, in July and August in the upper Chesapeake
I suspect that I would get pretty frustrated owning a full keel boat.
Again, I do not care much about speed - I do the swimming race across
the bay and I am trying to get away from that kind of competitive
upmanship. But I do not want, especially with an older boat, to rely
too heavily on the motor. I want a boat that I can regularly take down
the Chesapeake and back for 3-5 days by myself and sometimes with my
wife and teenage son. I want to hang out, take in my environs and have
lots of time to be with myself and write. But, as a retiring
triathlete/adventure racer I know that once I hone my skills I will
want to explore less accomodating waters, so I do not want a boat built
only for mellow moments.

wrote:\

... I came close last month to buying a beautifully
restored Allied 35' and I am very attracted to the 'Princess', but,
given that my home is the Chesapeake, I suspect that an affair with
a full keel boat will, in the long run, prove to be less than
satisfying ...

I don't immediately see why, assuming you buy "smart." On the Bay boats
that do well in light air are probably more "fun" but there is nothing
wrong with an old CCA design that good sails (and good sailing) won't fix.

... in July and
August in the upper Chesapeake I suspect that I would get pretty
frustrated owning a full keel boat ...

I think this is an oversimplification, but it is certainly true that the Bay
has its own character. Why not sail over to New England during August like
everyone else and be done with it?

... Again, I do not care much about speed ...

Did you not just indicate the opposite?

? ... But I do not
want, especially with an older boat, to rely too heavily on the
motor. I want a boat that I can regularly take down the Chesapeake
and back for 3-5 days by myself and sometimes with my wife and
teenage son ...

I have noticed that people who have to get back by Monday morning need a
reliable engine. My own solution was to retire early.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/