It was a crisp night one October evening in 2006 when I arrived home in St.Louis, MO and found a pretty magazine in my mailbox. I did not order it and wondered how it made its way to me with turquoise waters and sandy beaches on the cover.
The magazine was Cruising World and in my mind I've been sailing ever since.
A year later I found myself living in Maryland. I did not move here just for sailing-I would have moved back to Ft.Lauderdale for that. In 2010 I went sailing for the first time through the Annapolis Community Boating FreeSail program. From there I was referred to the Baltimore Annapolis Sailing Club. From there I was able to crew on different boats.
I recently suffered a very personal loss and my husband and I both knew it would take a special kind of therapy to get over that. So, we decided to take our savings and buy a boat now because I needed it. I have been reading SpinSheet since I moved to Maryland. I would always look in the classifieds for a nice used boat. Other sailors have told me it's best to get a used sailboat that was lovingly cared for by its previous owner. My husband made a call to an ad that was advertised in SpinSheet. He went down to the marina to check it out. He couldn't find it, so he asked a guy he saw and the guy told him about a boat HE was selling and the rest is history! 
I was able to buy a 1980 Hunter 36 for $12,000! The previous owner bought a Sandy Storm boat that was damaged. He was able to buy a 2001 Morgan 41 for $25,000. So he passed a good deal onto me. My next boat? I do like those Morgans and a Hylas 56 isn't bad either.
Next winter my husband and I plan to sail the Caribbean. In the meantime, I am working towards being able to fully sail/handle the boat by myself. The absolute coolest thing is I have a FREE, PRIVATE, DOCK SLIP ON THE MAGOTHY RIVER!!!!!! How awesome is that?
