How do you use your large "Trawler"???

So far our big little boat has been a platform for :
!. Me to improve my boat carpentry
2. The both of us to improve on paint and varnish skills
3. me to get a grip on boat mechanics ,plumbing and electrical
4. Great place to meet new people along with cruisers headed south .
We just took the saw horses off the back deck last spring . We are still doing some painting and some other projects as always but we have the boat where we can take some long weekends with a 60 to 80 mile round trip .It's been great.
We still dream of larger boats and cruising off to far destinations but in reality we know it ain't happening . This is the boat for us for now and probably will be forever . We'll just keep throwing hard work and boat bucks at her /him . When we show up to relax,cruise or work on William it always puts a smile on our face . Until that goes away William is the one .

In 3 years with my Offshore 54 I have travelled from San Diego to Acapulco and north to Prince William Sound. We average over 450 hrs per year and are trying to spend as much time as possible exploring and enjoying life in our 60's. We fish, shrimp, explore, cook wonderful meals and enjoy the occassional bottle of wine.
We also take pictues for our future enjoyment when our travelling days are in the rear view mirror. Even now I get a kick out of reliving that joy of time spent in places we may never visit again. We named our boat Libertad (Spanish for FREEDOM) because it gives us freedom we could never have imagined when we were land bound.

I just signed onto trawler forum today and found an offshore 54.I purchased an 2001 offshore 54 in October in curaçao and i am crusing to florida. I am currently in st Lucia .
I would like to correspond with other offshore 54 owners

My Wife and I do contract work in the Radiation safety field at nuclear power plants up and down the east coast. Instead of renting a house/hotel for a couple months we just take the boat and stay at a marina close to the plant. Then after work we usually take off and cruise the keys or outter banks wherever we choose. The last couple seasons tried to make the Bahamas but the weather shut us out. Since we work and cruise we have the dreaded schedule to keep up with (not a good thing to have on board). We live on the boat about 8-9 months/yr, the rest at our home in SC.

ToCher said:

I just signed onto trawler forum today and found an offshore 54.I purchased an 2001 offshore 54 in October in curaçao and i am crusing to florida. I am currently in st Lucia .
I would like to correspond with other offshore 54 owners

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Happy to correspond. Mine is same year as yours with the Cummins 450C's. I have had it for almost 4 years abd travelled between Manzanillo and Prince William Sound without a significant hitch. So far I have put on approx 1400 hrs.

You can private message me for chit chat off the public record.

Larry

During the first two years of having our 58Vantare it was all about the working to get things operational. The last two year we have been living aboard full time in the California Delta and now Alameda taking care of some of the comfort items. In 7 months we plan to head slowly towards San Diego and join up for the 2015 CUBAR, spending the next few years in Mexico.

Moonstruck said:

.................... After a few winter cruises in South Florida this winter, we will start working our way North. This time probably short stays in St. Augustine and Jacksonville. We would like to do the St. Johns. ............ .

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We are thinking of cruising the St. Johns River again this May/June so we might run into you. This time I want to stop in St. Augustine first.

As far as how we use our trawler (it's not "large"), we keep it at a marina near our home and often spend weekends on it without leaving the dock. We sometimes pick up lunch and eat on the boat if we are nearby. A few times a year we head out on "cruises". Anywhere from a few days to a couple months or more.

Dswizzler said:

In 7 months we plan to head slowly towards San Diego and join up for the 2015 CUBAR, spending the next few years in Mexico.

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Isn't the CUBAR the rally to Cuba? I think the one to Mexico has a different name. Is it the FUBAR?

Well I'm getting ready to learn something. Always thought the trip down was called the Baja Ha Ha and the return trip north the Baja Bash.

WHAT IS CUBAR:
An acronym for Cruise Underway to Baja Rally. A powerboat cruise from San Diego, CA to La Paz, B.C., Mexico. It was formerly known as FUBAR (Fleet Underway to Baja Rally).

Kevin, let me know when you'll in Seattle.