On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 16:44:46 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

Although I'm not young, I'm still in pretty good shape, and do like
the idea of sailing, having crewed some.

Sure, sailing is great fun but it is difficult to get a boat that
sails well and cruises well, and still meets your shallow draft
requirement. You might want to get an inexpensive day sailor just as
a fun boat. There are lots to choose from, but one of my choices
would be a Flying Scot.

http://www.flyingscot.com/

They are good boats that sail very well and meet your specs with the
exception of cruising. You can beach them and go tent camping of
course. I'm guessing you could pick up a good used one with trailer
for less than $5K.