PyratSail would like to welcome two contributing authors to our growing family of sailor-writers. RossinTampa, our Trailer Sailor – chronicling the adventures of his family aboard Lola as they sail the waters of Tampa Bay and beyond. And, skipper/chef Robbie Johnson, author of Gourmet Underway – our new Galley Guru. You can read more about them both in the contributing authors section.

RossInTampa is PyratSail’s Newest contributing author. We would like to welcome him aboard and look forward to his posts regarding “trailer sailing” Tampa Bay and anywhere else he can tow his vessel. Ross tries to take his boat, Lola to the keys a minimum of once a year. We’re very much looking forward to hearing of his adventures and the virtues of a mobile sailboat.

Have trailer, will sail.

My wife and I bought our boat, Lola, about 3 1/2 years ago. Lola is a 1979 Oday 25, and for a boat of this vintage, she is in great shape. We were looking for a sailboat, on a trailer, that we could take with us to exotic locations. This part was just a bonus, we were actually looking to save the 300 dollars a month slip fee. In our search for the perfect boat, we looked at several. We looked at an Oday 23, several MacGregors and a Catalina 22.

When we went to look at Lola for the first time, she spoke to us. She has near standing headroom,  berths for the 4 of us, and ample storage for all the things that we can’t live without. Prior to buying the boat, our family had been tent campers. So we are quite used to sparse living arrangements. The transition to a “luxurious” sailboat was easy for Kaye, the kids and I.

We keep Lola on her trailer, and are fortunate that our boat yard allows us to keep it in the lot with the mast up. Our boat yard in Apollo Beach, is very convenient, and is very boater friendly in the fact that we can work on our boats on the premises. They allow us to keep her in a slip overnight when we are sailing again the next day, or are just too tired to take her out.

I’m passionate about sailing and lucky that my wife is as passionate or perhaps even more passionate than me. Check back often as I will contribute to the site on an regular basis, and attempt to pass on some nuggets of information that you might be able to use in your trailer sailing experiences.

Discuss trailer sailing and more with RossinTampa in the forums.