Commander #38

[C38]

Hello Everyone - I am officially the proud new owner of Commander #38! I am new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself and my boat. I do not know too much about her history, as I am atleast the 3rd owner, she has been well cared for, but is certainly showing signs of her age (as most boats of this era do, a few soft spots, etc...). This spring I had purchased a 1968 Bristol Corinthian that needed some work and after about 2 months of weekend work one her (rebuilt interior, new bottom paint, general cleanup) I have been sailing her almost everyday with my girlfriend, and it has been great. However, I have come to the conclusion that she is a bit small for my purposes and needed to upgrade. When I saw an add for this boat - http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/18734 - I jumped on it.

I will be sailing her from Orient, Long Island to New Suffolk, Long Island on Saturday.

Here she is:


I am greatly looking forward to reading and participating in this group. Just browsing through the forum it is amazing to see the amount of knowledge and commitment many of you have. I hope I can bring the same to our new boat and get her in better condition then i found her!

[Tony G]

Mike,

Congratulations! And welcome aboard. You seem to be heading in a direction with a purpose. Two Albergs in less than a year and sailing everyday with your girlfriend. Man, I wish I'd had my poop in a group at 24 years old!

speaking for all left-handed peeps out there, we love pictures!

[C38]

Thanks Tony,

Yeah my fam always had a sailboat growing up, they sold it a while back and I have been dreaming of buying my own boat ever since... Finally made it happen this summer and I couldnt be having a better time. I am looking forward to taking my new boat on some more extended cruising (block island/marthas vineyard/etc...).

I will definitely post more photos after this weekend when I sail her to her new home.

[Rico]

Hey Mike - Congratulations! You are making the best investment of your life! (definitely not too much of an exageration!)

Your Commander will serve you and your girlfriend well. I find that it is the perfect boat for weekending...
What is that saying?? The perfect boat dines 6 sails 4 and sleeps 2 - or something along those lines???
Alberg's lovely Commander certainly fits the bill...

I've spent up to a couple of weeks on mine and although it is not a condo, it suits the almost-minimalist very nicely. It is quite comfortable!

I'm sure that with a bit of work and she'll be better than the great majority of today's brand new boats.

Keep us posted on the progress on the acquisition, the work you do on her, and especially the sailing adventures!

Welcome to the board!

[Commander227]

What a pretty lady!
Looks like you got a real good deal.
Have fun with her and welcome.
Mike
C227

[C38]

Thanks!

Only time will tell if she was a good deal or not.... For 2 grand its hard to go wrong! And I will most likely be ten times more satisfied with my boat as well, after putting in the work myself!

[C38]

Luckily, the boat is fairly close to my current home port. The trip will be great for getting to know her a little better and what, if anything she needs immediately. It is about a 5 to 6 hour sail from the Orient Yacht Club to New Suffolk.

Here is basically the route. I have done this trip before, but not on my own boat.


Hopefully nothing falls off!

[Rico]

VERY, Very nice looking route. Great day sail... I'd ask to join you, but I am a bit far away... Please take a few pictures so that we can have a look at those waters!

Remember; keep the boat in the water and the water out of the boat...

Make sure you have everything as buttoned-up and ship shape as you can before setting off... The ounce of prevention concept... Do you have a handheld VHF? If not you might borrow one for the trp?

Just for kicks I'd ask the current owner to deliver her for you... - the tone of his answer might indicate the state of things!
If he is forthcoming and a capable sailor I'd ask about the issues that most need attention before you take her away... He might have good insight.

I am looking forward to the weekend myself. We have a good group of people at a very hard to get campsite on Angel Island. We'll be taking the Mephisto Cat and spending the Weekend on a mooring!

See you on the other side!

[C38]

Rico, Have a great time this weekend!

Thanks for the advice - I do have a handheld vhf/life preservers/air horn... Also, a crew of 4

Happy Sailing! Will definitely post photos of the shake-down trip.

[C38]

[C38]

Hi Everyone, Here are a few photos from the trip. Everything went great except the mainsail tore about 4 inches very close to the top of the sail about 3 quarters into the trip. At which point I took down the main and sailed back with just the genoa. I suppose it coul have been worse! Really really beautiful day overall and she is now sitting in her new home in New Suffolk. Very busy but wanted to put up some photos.


Motor-sailing past a fleet of sunfish entering Greenport Harbor




Finally Sailing!

[Tony G]

Very nice, Captain. You're off to a great start.

[C38]

Thanks!

Been pretty busy sailing and working lately... Right now trying to enjoy the last few days of summer and get in as much sailing as possible.

The main projects that I will be undertaking at some point are focused around the deck and deck hardware. There is a soft area in the foredeck, so re-coring that area will be in order. Also removing the stanchions for the lifelines and either replacing them or getting rid of them entirely (they are not in the greatest shape). And then of course when thats all done, sanding and re-painting the deck. It's a lot of work, especially for someone with no experience, but it greatly helps to have such a large wealth of knowledge on this forum of people who have or are doing the same projects.

[C38]

My co-worker was able to snap some shots while we were out there.

































Hope you all enjoy!

[Tony G]

...co worker... It's Tuesday, Michael. Co-worker? Just kidding.

Seriously, that is a fantastic photo layout. It looks so much better than what I see looking outside here.