Hi Jason,
First of all, welcome to the cherub class.
I expect your family are right to be worried, but you have bought ito a class that will be a bundle of fun, keep you thinking, and make you smile from ear to ear, got to be good therapy !
Not in the same league, but I was also very concerned when I bought my first into cherub as I sailed with my (then 10 year old) son. What I found was that I recieved so much support from other people in the class helping me make sure the boat worked well (reducing risk) and how to handle it correctly. Of course we were careful initially about the days we chose to sail in and slowly ramped up the weather conditions we ventured out in while we gained confidence.
I'd suggest a similar approach for you, and you'll soon find the boat rewarding you, and the good news for your family is that your spree will be over as you wont want to buy anything else again !
Let us know which boat you have bought, and where you live/intend to sail and if you have a crew, and we'll sort out someone to come and see the boat and help you get going for the first time - tell your family to get the kettle on !
If you or anyone in your family would like to talk to me (or anyone else), you can press the contacts button to the left of here and and I'll be in touch to help in any way I can.
Graham
