Info on getting started on keelers

[Guest]

So I'm thinking of selling my 18ft trailer yacht and getting a small keeler (variant or southerly most likely) for cruising around banks peninsula

 

So my questions are:

 

How do I find a mooring at french farm (akaroa harbour) and how much will a swing mooring set me back to rent/ own?

 

if I bought a bilge keel variant (theres a nice one on Trademe at the moment) how hard would it be to get it back to Canterbury, conversely how hard will it be getting it back to the Sounds for the summer holidays (I get four full weeks off over xmas)?

In short is the coastal trip from Akaroa to the sounds within the realms of these little cruisers (given a decent weather window) and as a moderately expereinced sailor (couple of years in trailer yachts) my abilities?

 

Finally the reason I was looking at a variant is I do need something slightly bigger and safer than my current trailer yacht and worked out that a noelex 25 or Gazelle were really pricey and i'd need a new car so how would the economics of a wee keelr stack up?

 

Thanks in advance for all the advice! sorry for all the stupid questions just looking for personal experiences if they are out there!

[Steve Pope 251]

Good weather window is the definitive answer, Variants are great little cruisers, (or racer in their day with a fin keel)

There are folk who sail up from Dunedin to the sounds every summer, bigger boat though, but definitely doable in a Variant.

Have a read of Kiwi_Bardys story in marine talk about the delivery if BDA from Lyttleton to Auckland, I guess thay thought they had a good weather window.