Whispering Wind sold, what next?

And so now it's mid 2019 and we live on the east coast of the USA. We have 6 months to go before we move back to Australia (this time Darwin)... and my thoughts are wandering to consideration of retirement. I recently had a good friend and mentor of mine admit defeat and retire from our workplace. He'd missed promotion a few more times than he expected and so was getting out before the retirement age. The nature of our Super means he can take a Pension in the next few years... and this got me thinking that perhaps I could retire earlier than the very last day. If I retire early I could still have enough strength and fortitude to sail, but perhaps not as much money as if I stayed working to the end. I need to payoff the house first, all indications are ast the moment that I shold be able to complete that by 2026, enough time to by a boat...

But which boat? There are three options..

Option 1. Large modern catamaran. Our vessel of choice if wqe could afford it woukld be a Fountain Pajot Lucia 40. It's got Galley up, island bed and is fabulously appointed. But alas, it's well out of price range.

Option 2. A smaller older catamaran that we can afford. Something like this nice option  The Latitude 1035 at CCY for $249k. Whilst we might be able to afford it, I imagine it will take us a few years to save up once we've paid off the house. Where's the fun in waiting for a savings account to tick up while I get older and creakier by the day?

Option 3. Purchase a much smaller boat earlier, hire the glossy big boat when it's warranted. This option gets me on the water earlier in a boat that EJ can 'camp' in for a few days. After seraching I've narrowed it down to three:
- Catalina 310. Has island bed, big enough galley, hot water and shower (almost separate), and wheel steering. SLab Reefing. I think its the best option. Prices seem to range from $72k to $86k. It was made 2000 to 2206(?)
- Catalina 309. Modern version of the above without the bigger v-berth and sep shower. Seems nice. My second option. Price $90-120k.
- Hunter 27. A much lighter boat than the above, but good space inside, wheel steering, modern. $55-70k(?)

I'll use this blod to list my search. I'm aided by the thorough ramblings of blogger sailing errant .com who has done a lot of research on the Catalina 310 and seems to be similarly minded to myself.

Welcome

G'Day
This is a record of my various forays into boating such as:

• 2004-07: 'Galadriel' a Northerner 28. This boat was a stout seaworthy boat which we sailed up from Sydney harbour and moored on Lake Macquarire. I paid too much for it and consequently I became more and more frustrated that I wasn't getting value for money out it. I would have had to spend every weekend on her, and then some, just to become convinced it was worth the initial outlay and the maintenance. I sold Galadriel for a significant loss in 2008.
• 2008-2011: 'Maria-Jean' build. The experience of Galadriel had put E off sailing, possibly for good (too much haste and panic resulting in yelling - a recipe for a wife reluctant to pursue sailing again), therefore I needed a smaller, lighter boat. I couldn't find one in the Classifieds and it slowly dawned on me that I should build my own. See the journey and the result here. This boat however was a little too flighty for my ageing plump body, and I yearned for a cabin with a stove, so I started looking around for a cheap, small, cabin sailer. I still have Maria-Jean and she makes me happy that I could build something to float. I will hold onto her for the foreseeable future, sailing her every once in a while.
• 2015-now: 'Whispering Wind' is an Investigator 563, a trailer-sailer from the 1980s when it won an Australian Design Award for its innovative design. It has no keel protrusion into the Cabin and is still very stable. The successful design incorporated 300+ kg of lead into a Skeg running on the bottom of the Hull forming a solid keel. To aid in pointing ability the longitudinal skeg also houses a center board that swings down to provide counter-force to Leeway.

This Blog will serve as a record of my sailing adventures, the maintenance of my boat(s), the odyssey of procuring bits n pieces (always a drawn-out affair because I'm strapped for cash), planning for possible trips, the trip reports themselves and anything else boat related in my life.