My First Post

Alright, so this is my first post of my new blog.  I'll try to keep it current and be accurate with everything.  This is going to be one way that I keep track of where I travel to, how I get there, and what happens along the way.  I have big plans for the future, and like many people I'm starting off small and cheap.  I've always loved boats, and after reading a few National Geographic magazines when I was younger I decided that I wanted to travel to the Galapagos Archipelago.  This must have been when I was 12.  I later became interested in Sailboats.  In the town of Sheboygan, WI there is a pretty good maritime community.  I used to spend hours sitting on the pier watching the boats go by.  I wished that I could be out there.  I was under the impression that I needed to get a 40 foot boat at the bare minimum or I'd be going nowhere. I had no money, and no clue how I was going to get into sailing.  But I read all that I could on the subject.
In my junior year of High School I was introduced to Sea Scouts.  This is a great organization and an amazing way to use other peoples boats to gain experience.  I was hooked for life.  I spent as much time as I could spare sailing and working on the boats. Anyway, to cut to the chase... I moved around a lot.  I've always had a love of travel.  Growing up I rarely stayed in the same house (or city for that matter) longer than 3 years.  And after moving back to Sheboygan I decided to take my desires for adventure and travel up a notch and actually buy a boat.  After lots of research I determined what type of boat would suit my needs for blue water cruising best, and then examined my budget and found something that fit both criteria. 
I inspected a couple of boats and decided on a 1970 Bristol 24 that I found on Craigslist.com and Boats.com  I'll explain more of the pros and cons of her in a later entry. 
My plan is to fix her up over the winter, and be ready for a trip next summer.  I'd like to be in the water by May 24th. (My 23rd Birthday).  And then I plan to sail out the Great Lakes Chain, across to Ireland (the land of my heritage), then over to Wales and England (where I served as an LDS missionary for 2 years), then over to France and Spain.  I intend to hit the Azores on the way home, and then work on completing bigger trips.  Anyone that wants to sponsor my endeavors, or would like to know more, feel free.
Thanks!