Since then I've learned to sail, have gone on trips where I've been part of the crew on a charter boat and have bought two sailboats of my own. The charters were in the San Juan Islands of Washington, San Francisco Bay and Greece. The boats I've purchased are a mid-1960's Alcort Catfish, cat-rigged catamaran and a 2001 Hunter 240 marconi-rigged monohull.
The Catfish has been excellent for learning how to efficiently handle a sailboat. It's extremely responsive to helm input and changing wind conditions. It can go fairly fast when the wind is up and will still sail when the wind is almost non-existent. Overall it's fun to sail. The only drawbacks are there's not much room for passengers and the seating position is becoming more uncomfortable each year.
In March of 2001 I purchased a Hunter 240. It's not nearly as responsive as the Catfish but it's still fun to sail. Even though it sails well in light air, the sails can be reefed so it's easy to manage in heavier winds. The main advantages are there is plenty of room for crew and I can camp comfortably on it. I've rigged it so I can single-hand it but it's much easier and more fun to sail with a couple of people along to share the crew duties. It's really nice to have someone else on the helm.
Here is informaton about my boats and pictures and narratives from some of
the places (by state) I've sailed. I hope you find them interesting.