Turmoil, Tumult & Elation

Turmoil: A state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation or commotion 

Tumult: A violent agitation of mind or feelings

Elation: Pathological euphoria 

Yup, that pretty much sums up the last week in the world of Jill, Tim and at times Toby. There's been so much going on it's hard to sleep, hard to catch your breath, hard not to want to hide under a pillow and wait for life to calm down. But that's not what this experience is all about - it's about rejoicing in the tumult, embracing the turmoil and soaking up the elation. 

Let's get the elation part out first - the boat is "good to go!". We heard from the broker and owner today that the 4 major things that we needed resolved in order to close on the boat are fixed and she is ready for us! Her shore power system was fully reviewed and verified in good order by a marine electrician this morning, her hot water pump is working to produce hot water, her VHF is in working order and the exhaust plug that blew during our sea trial is plugged once again (i.e. no more hole in the boat, no more water rushing into the engine compartment). The check from the bank for our boat loan is in the mail to us this afternoon arriving tomorrow and the closing is scheduled for Thursday. 

WE ARE ELATED!  

This news could not have come at a better time because since the sea trial last Tuesday we've been in moving and purging mode of our land life. This weekend we rented a U-Haul and packed up all of our furniture to give away to a friend of my mom's and we stored a few important/sentimental items at the Cape house. There's no more pictures on our walls, there's no table to eat at, there's no couch to lounge on, there's not even a shower curtain in the bathroom at our Duplex now. Our home life is in utter turmoil. 

As everything else was being packed & moved this
was the only box that remained

Leaving our stuff behind at the Cape House yesterday afternoon - our record player, our photos of friends and family, the wooden jewelry box that Tim made me our first Christmas together - was very emotional. Knowing that these things were no longer going to be in our daily lives was hard and at the time we hadn't received word that the boat was going to happen - talk about tumult, we were riddled with it the whole 3 hour ride home last night.

This weekend as were ridding our lives of our stuff for a boat that we didn't know if we owned yet we were a mix of emotions. It was hard to be alone because the "what if" thoughts would take over. Analysis Paralysis was running rampant. We sought out times with friends to remind ourselves that what we're doing is awesome, exciting and worth it. We had to be reinforced and our Cape friends delivered in such a big way - thank you to our families, Michelle and family, Catta, Kyle and the beauty that is Cape Cod for helping us during this tumultuous weekend, we needed it more than you'll ever know. 

So today we sit with a boat that's good to go, a check on its way, a crew at the ready to sail the boat with us from Portland to Portsmouth next weekend and our families planning to welcome us upon our arrival on Sunday. Our house is a mess, there's more moving and purging to be done but for now we're embracing the feeling of expectation and sheer excitement! 

Stay tuned...

Reasons Why Wednesday: The Rain Stopped

Reason Why #6: The Rain Stopped on Our Survey Day! 

Yesterday was a VERY big day in this journey of ours, we had our potential boat surveyed and we took her on a sea trial! When we set out from New Castle at 7am it was POURING BUCKETS, I mean torrential downpours as we made our way up I-95. We had our "foulies" on and had committed to a VERY wet day. We arrived at Centerboard Yacht Club in South Portland and our potential boat "Zephyr" was up on the boat moving 'hammock' ready to "splash in the water". She hasn't seen the water since last September. Inside we met the current owners, the broker, the boat mover and all the old men from the yacht club there to help the owner who is the Commodore. There was coffee, doughnuts and sailing stories being exchanged around the table - a very typical scene for a yacht club and one we could certainly see Timbo being a part of years from now. For us, we were too excited/nervous to eat! And, the rain kept pouring. 

Here the owner is below being sure she's didn't blow a hole!

The tender helped us maneuver her to the dock, she's a hefty girl! 

Then it was time to "Splash Her" - as in drop her in the water! 

We climbed aboard and prepared for the ride. It was quite a thrill and all the while the owners were showing us different things with the boat's systems, electronics, storage, etc. etc. etc. It was phenomenal to have them aboard, though also bittersweet because we could tell how hard it is for them to let her go. The gentleman who owned and loved this boat for the last 5 years suffered a debilitating accident last winter while cutting trees in his yard and he's now on crunches and unable to really do the moving and work needed to sail his boat. Though yesterday, he was a ROCKSTAR - climbing aboard on the ladder, crowding into the engine room, taking the helm to guide us in. I'm sure he was in a lot of pain last night but in his mind this might be last time he gets to ride aboard his old girl and he wasn't going to miss it! 

The surveyors arrived at 9am and spent the next 3 hours aboard doing their thing - inspecting every inch, every hose, every wire and connection and valve and spigot. As the hours ticked by the rain stopped, the clouds moved out from Portland and Casco Bay, it started to get warm and then THE SUN! 

At the inspection dock - with the SUN blazing! 

Tim learning more from Deb, the current owner!

We spent the time listening in on the surveyors work, learning more from the owners, the 'old men', the broker. At one point the broker said, "You've got combined over 150 years of boat knowledge here and we still all got our heads together to figure out this goddamn water pump! Welcome to boating!" 

The assistant surveyor who was in his mid-70s said to me, "You see, this is the beauty of an old boat - you're constantly having to figure something out, fix something, jury rig something. You're constantly presented with a challenge and solving it. It makes the beer at happy hour taste a lot sweeter when you have that sense of accomplishment."

About 12:30pm the surveyor announced it was time to "take her out, shake out her sails and see how she does!" So we all climbed aboard, cast off her lines and set out into Casco Bay in the sun. There were seals popping up their heads all throughout the Fore River - amazing! We did some tests of her engine (Mr. Perkins as the owner instructed us to call him because, "he deserves our respect":)), her steering under power, her turning capacity, we raised the sails and eventhough there was no wind she sure did look pretty with her sails flying! 

Heading up the Fore River

Casco Bay

Brand new sails - they so pretty!!!

Well, our potential (can't call her ours YET) boat did AMAZING in her survey and sea trial! STUPENDOUS! Mr. Perkins, an old diesel engine, started right up and did all the tests without even a hiccup! Keep in mind this is a 34 year old boat that has sat for a year - this we were told from the surveyor and broker is PHENOMENAL! The Surveyor gave us a summary but overall he said, "This is a real solid boat". We could tell he was impressed and from the horror stories we'd heard of similar age boats that have sat we were very excited! There is one major and few minor things that we need to see remedied before we can 'sign, seal, deliver' this boat and the broker is working on that now with the owner. 

This deal is becoming more and more real than we could ever imagine! We could not have asked for better results or better weather for this survey and sea trial. We are hokey and believe in karma, signs and astrology - The fact the sun came out for our sail was a sign. The fact that the owners and friends and surveyors (those in the know) were so unbelievably helpful, enthusiastic and genuinely happy and excited for us and our new chapter in our life is a sign. The fact that the results of the day were so good is a HUGE sign. 

We are beaming from ear to ear and that will help as we pack up the U-Haul this weekend in 90+ degrees with all of worldly belongings that we're keeping to move it to storage! Life is very interesting these days! 

There she is at the dock with Portland's waterfront in the background

Our future home looking her best in the SUNSHINE!

It's All Happening...

This fantastic scene from my most favorite movie Almost Famous pretty much sums up how Tim and I are feeling these days. It's all happening...

There's something about how William has Penny ask him again so that he can feel that exuberance and excitement flush through his body and he can smile that wide smile and respond again YES that gets me every time. That's us these days...asking one another again and again - "You really want to do this?" And every time the answer is more emphatic than the time before - absolutely, positively, for sure! 

So first things first - the big news -  OUR OFFER ON THE GULFSTAR WAS ACCEPTED!!!! We still can't believe it! In the next 2 weeks we'll have the survey and sea trial and the closing is scheduled for September 5th! We'll be celebrating our 2nd Anniversary on the 18th on board our very own boat!!!! 

Just finished signing this!

The last blog we'd written we were setting out for a week-long liveaboard sailing class and as we'd expected the class only put longer legs and more stamina on our dream. We ABSOLUTELY loved the cruising lifestyle. We took to it like a fish to water (pun intended). From the early morning swims off the stern in Prudence Island, to the morning delivery of pastries by boat in Block Island, to the soggy night in Newport, to the hours sailing downwind. We loved every single second. 

Anchored out in Dutch Harbor the first night 

Dutch Harbor, Narragansett Bay 

His 33rd Birthday at the helm - living the dream!

Navigating with binoculars on the bow

The "Foulies" are out for our approach into Newport Harbor

He's a natural 

Five Mile Smile 

Block Island - The Oar Bar, amazing sailing bar - note the dighys behind us

The Crew - Capt. Jen, John & Amanda - incredible people! 

Dinghy-ing back to the anchorage as the sun sets 

Aldo's Bakery - Delivery by boat! 

The view from our cockpit - Newport Harbor sunset 

Coast Guard Eagle arriving in Newport Harbor off our cockpit - the benefit of waterfront property! 

There wasn't a single aspect of life aboard that we didn't love or at least tolerate well. The week was a mix of flash flood warnings, pea soup fog, HOT sun, drizzle, gale force winds and sea breezes. Your life is led by the direction of the wind and we loved that. When else in modern life do you determine the track you take to somewhere based upon the direction of the wind and the time of the tides? That close connection to the natural world is something that I LOVED the most. Being "environmental" it was incredible to live and breath by the elements. We woke to damp sheets and knew there was fog outside. We rocked to sleep by waves and we knew the wind had picked up out of the west. We hung our towels to the lifelines when the sun came out and took them in when the dew set in. Water and energy conservation is a way of life aboard a boat. Everyone is mindful of the amount of water they use and no one ever leaves a light on in a room they've left. 

The time spent heeling over on a close reach sail with wind whipping your hair and your sails full is especially thrilling. Sailors call it "the groove". Sure, you're only maxing out at 7 knots but sailing isn't about getting anywhere fast, it's about the journey there. It's about fine tuning your sail trim to maximize your "wing". It's about hearing the waves splash in your wake rather than the hum of an engine. It's about letting nature propel you, not fossil fuels. You work in a team to trim your sails, sheet in your jib. The crew and the helmsman execute a finely orchestrated dance to propel your boat through the water. You steer by the compass and the predetermined navigation course that you'd laid out over breakfast. You make sandwiches in a small galley while you balance yourself as the boat heels. As you approach your port you find your navigational beacons shining through the fog or the rain. Once you've dropped anchor and it's set in the mud you coil up ropes, stow charts, bring up the beer cooler and the cheese and crackers. You jump off the stern for a swim rather than a shower. You grill steaks off the stern mounted grill. You sit in the cockpit with cold beer, sunburned skin and salty hair and watch the sun set, knowing you'll do it all again the next day! 

Here's a little taste of sailing on a close reach from below deck and you can see our floating home away from home for the last week: 

We came back and stepped on shore, got in our car to head back north to New Hampshire and immediately we felt a bit overwhelmed. The speed of the car, the fast paced nature of life on land, not knowing which direction the wind was coming from - we missed it immediately. We made the (horrendous) mistake of stopping at a mall to cool off on our way north - the VW bus doesn't have AC and she cools by air moving so when we're in Boston traffic on a 90+ day it's a recipe for disaster for her and us! Being in the mall, watching all the people buying all this stuff, the store windows full of so much stuff, the bags of stuff filling people arms. None of it interested us at all - we just wanted to go back to the ocean, back to the small, little boat that had all we ever needed to be extremely happy. It was in that moment, in the crowded food court, that we both knew we were going to call the broker in Maine and offer our top dollar for the Gulfstar. We loved that boat and now we knew we LOVED the life that boat will lead us to. 

So today we sit with a signed purchase and sale. We've let our landlords know that we'll be leaving The Dupe. We have begun to discuss what we'll sell, what we'll store and what we'll move aboard. It's all happening... 

Sailing Away - not in our own boat...YET!

What's life without a little up and down, back and forth, highs and lows? Since last weekend we've been on the crazy ride called - NEGOTIATION. From researching "comps" to pricing out known repairs to calling Dads, Brothers and friends we've gained a lot of knowledge and opinions on the ancient art of price negotiation. 

We put an offer in on the Gulfstar last Saturday. The broker didn't scoff but was honest in telling us that he didn't "think it would work" because the owners were already hoping for $20,000 more than he got them to list it at. The broker was right - on Monday morning the owners came back only lowering their asking price by $2,000...we were VERY far apart. We thought and talked and sought advice and more advice and TRIED to emotionally detach ourselves from the boat because no good negotiation comes from being emotionally invested. We claimed we were "over this boat", we proudly said, "there's many more boats in the sea", we convinced ourselves that we were "right at it". So we put in our "top" offer on Tuesday morning saying that we were willing to drop a deposit in the mail and sign on the line that day. 

The owners didn't budge. We were still pretty far apart. We made sure they had our phone number and were clear how motivated we are and then...we walked away. 

So today we sit and ever since we 'walked away' we feel like the "wind's been taken out of our sails" a bit...we are a little less excited, a little less nervous, the butterflies in our tummies have stopped fluttering, we're feeling like the kickoff to this dream which we thought was going to happen sooner than later is now going to happen later and that's left us with a bit of a defeated feeling. 

BUT all is not lost! Because this evening we are embarking on a BIG part of this dream - the Blue Water Sailing School Bareboat Charter class! Yup, that's right, tonight we are heading to Newport, RI and Sunday morning we leave on a Dufour Gib'Sea 43' sailboat and won't return to port until Friday! 

Our floating home for the next week!

We booked this class back in early March because as we started to put legs on this dream of ours we both felt like we could use some more training and confidence on sailing larger boats. We've both had a good deal of experience on smaller, day cruiser boats but nothing over say 30' and once you get up over 35' there's A LOT more to know. There's major electrical and mechanical systems, there's a lot more rigging to learn, there's a galley to learn, etc. This class was highly recommended to us because it's one of the only "live aboard" classes where you learn all the in's and out's of living aboard a cruising yacht. You learn provisioning, navigation for passage making, cooking, maintenance, etc.- you live, breath, sleep and eat sailing the whole week. At the end you get your bareboat charter license meaning that we can go down to the British Virgin Islands, rent a yacht and captain it for a week! It's a big step to the ultimate goal of getting our USCG Captain's License.We are both extremely excited! So the blog will be quiet for the next week while we get a taste of this dream of ours.

We half-joke that on our way back from Newport next Friday we'll be calling the Gulfstar broker and offering what they're asking! We have no doubt that this week will only solidify and reinvigorate our motivation for making this dream happen now and not later. But we've promised not to make any move on the Gulfstar until we return from this trip. 

Since we are heading to another seaside area we've also set up appointments to look at two other potential floating homes. We have to see what else is out there in order to truly feel like the Gulfstart is it. We'll be seeing a Hunter Legend 40 with the owner who's promised us a sail and a classic Cheoy Lee 40' Midshipman Ketch. The Hunter is a newer, production boat. The Cheoy Lee is classic with LOTS of teak, including her decks. We shall see...though our minds can't seem to let go of the Gulfstar... 

Hunter Legend 40' 

Cheoy Lee 40' Midshipman Ketch

So next week as we sit on board a 43' sailboat somewhere in Block Island Sound watching sunset or a sunrise with the water all around us I know clarity will come to us and we will know in our guts what our next move will be. 

As my absolute favorite Jimmy Buffett song says:

"...Alone on a midnight passage 

I can count the falling stars

While the Southern Cross and the satellites

They remind me of where we are

Spinning around in circles

Living it day to day

And still twenty four hours may be sixty good years

It's still not that long a stay.

We've gotta roll with the punches

Learn to play all of our hunches

Makin' the best of whatever comes your way

Forget that blind ambition 

And learn to trust your intuition

Plowin' straight ahead come what may

And there's a Cowboy in the Jungle..." 

                - Jimmy Buffett "Cowboy in the Jungle" 1978 

We may have found her!

So like I said last week, there is A LOT to update on! The biggest thing is that we may have found our floating home! A few weeks back we went up to Southern, Maine to check out a boat we'd found on Yacht World. A 1978 43' Gulfstar Mark II. She was just listed at the beginning of June and she meets everything on our top 10 "must have" list. She's bigger than we'd been looking at, a lot bigger, about 7' feet bigger. She's got the center cockpit and aft cabin we want and she's got the heavy displacement (think stability) and rugged craftsmenship that we like. She's a ketch rig which we like for heavy weather. She's in our price range AND she's local - only an hour or so north of Portsmouth! 

She's BEAUTIFUL, in great shape for her age, no visible water damage anywhere that you'd expect it, warm teak interior, brand new sails and a full cockpit enclosure (think warmth and safety). She's currently "on the hard" because her current owners bought her to be their floating, cruising home and did some work to get her ready to cruise and then last winter the owner suffered and accident and is now unable to climb on her. It's a sad tale but it also bodes well for us because the current owner is the commodore of the local yacht club so he's probably not going to buy a crappy boat!

Aren't her lines pretty? And we love the ketch rig. 

She's got a lot below the water line - stability! 

Galley with fridge & lots of natural light

Some good instruments at the helm

Relatively good size cockpit  with full enclosure

Checking out the windlass - note the full dodger enclosure. 

Warm teak interior which we love

2 leaves that open up - I will be recovering the white cushions, need cozier colors

Super long navigation station & fantastic headroom leading to the aft cabin

So, after seeing this boat which was next to perfect for us we got pretty serious about our next move. We went to have beers at Joe's Boathouse in South Portland - because you can't look at a boat and not have "debrief beers" after and there were all these locals sitting around having come in from their boats talking about their days and we thought, "this could be us, on THAT boat!" 

It's like we're at this moment where we either talk about doing this for another year or we make a move and move aboard before winter sets in. Are we rushing it? Maybe. But if we wait we are one year older, one year behind the Fall '14 departure plan, one more year of rent goes in someone else's pocket, one year of "learning" is lost. And we all know all the things that can come up in a year - there's expenses that happen, trips that must be taken, family and friends who need help, etc. There are a thousand things that can and will happen between now and next spring that could deter us from our plan. Not to mention this boat might be sold! We've done A LOT of learning and research in the past 5+ months since we started this journey and though we don't know it all or have all the answers we are accepting the fact that we might never have it all figured out. Inherent in this plan is uncertainty - will we survive January in New Hampshire in the middle of a river? How will Jill, Tim and Toby dog all fit into a small cabin of a sailboat without killing one another? Will we lose power when we try and run an electric heater and the microwave? Will we misjudge the current in the river and overshoot our dock? Where will we fit our record player :) We just have to be smart enough to minimize the amount of uncertainty and the severity of the ramifications of mistakes. This is truly living - accepting uncertainty, learning from mistakes and taking risks! I feel myself taking very deep breaths these days, my heart races sometimes when I think of all that is ahead for us and though that could be looked at as stress, I see it as being alive. Feeling my heart race, taking that deep breath, my mind racing with questions in the middle of the night - to me, that's the beauty of being alive and living life fully of embracing the uncertainty and exhilaration of our life right now. Without exhilaration - what's life?

So in the past month we've done all the myriad of things that have to happen to buy a floating home. Trust us there is SOOOOO much to get in order. It's not like you just write a check and then sail away. I keep telling myself that this (stressful) part of the journey will be a distant memory once we're aboard and sitting on deck with a cold beer and the sunset. 

So in the last month:
- we have secured a boat loan (aka mortgage) for the amount of the boat
- we did a lot of comparison shopping to be sure we have a secure idea of what we'll   offer

- we read the last marine survey done on the boat in 2009 - ALL GOOD!
- we got quotes on on the land survey, the launching, commissioning and sea trial
- we read countless blogs, forums, reviews and tutorials on the Gulfstars, on sea trials, on surveys, on boat - negotiating, on boat insurance, on marinas....

- we talked to trusted 'boat people' in our lives (thanks Doc Rynne & Dad!)
- we talked to the marina about rates to move in, parking and electricity
- we talked to Town Clerks in 2 different towns in 2 different states about registration, taxes and residency - (hello Kittery, Maine!)
- we got quotes on boat insurance
- we got tutorials and quotes on shrink wrapping for winter (stay tuned, this should be fun!)
- we planned out where we'll store stuff (thanks to our parents!)
- we had numerous moments of "holy sh*t what are we doing?!"
- we worked out our down payment and our drop dead highest offer
- we had drinks overlooking as many marinas and harbors as we could to keep up the inspiration and motivation
- we figured out the price difference from mooring to slip to compare for next summer (we are most definitely slip dwelling our first winter!)

-- Oh, and we still worked full time plus some, made 2 trips to Cape Cod for family reunions and work, 1 trip to the White Mountains for Farrell family fun, and all the other life stuff that goes on daily...WHEW!

(In all truthfulness, this all wouldn't/couldn't have happened without the amazingly organized and determined Tim at the helm -there's something so great about having a cost estimator for a husband -he gets it done, done well and done fast! He is phenomenal!)

Inspiration for all this stress! September 1 maybe???

It seems these days when Tim and I are together it's all boat all the time - we are constantly talking about the logistics, the plan, the move, the details. Every time I open up a closet in our house I have a small panic attack thinking, "oh my god, all this stuff has to find a place or be sold or thrown out!" But that part of the journey is a ways off, next up comes THE OFFER. We are heading up this Saturday at 5pm to look at her again, this time look in more crannies, lay in the bed to test out our sleeping arrangement, count closets and drawers - look at her with a much more discerning eye in terms of truly living on her in under 6 weeks! In our pockets we will have a down payment and an offer letter. If all checks out this second time we will submit our offer - HOLY COW!!! 

The next step will be for the broker to take the offer to the owner and there'll be negotiating but if we can come to deal then it's on to the marine survey...

So folks, STAY TUNED it's about to get real interesting around here....

"The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live." - Leo F. Buscaglia

The Value of Learning What We Don't Want

Well the last time we wrote was a WHILE ago! With the start of summer means the start of Jill & Tim's travels all over New England soaking up the good weather while it's here. So blogging has been harder to get to but we'll get better about it because though we're busy doesn't mean there's not a lot to update about the boat search and the bus!


Today I figured I'd finally get around to reporting out on a couple of boats we looked at up in Portland, Maine back in April. We figured that we'd start to look at as many boats as we could just to get familiar with the process and to better solidify our "must-have" list and our "what we don't want list". These 2 boats were both in the territory of what we want - over 35', affordable, large living space below. They differ in that they're both rear cockpit, not a lot electronics and not really considered "blue water" boats meaning they are not built to withstand high seas and heavy winds associated with ocean crossings. An ocean crossing is not in our 3-5 year plan but we want to have the proper equipment (i.e. boat) if and when we decide to do so.

She's been on the hard for a year now, she needs some TLC 

First up was a 1976 36' Pearson 365. This boat was on the hard at Eastern Yacht Sales and the best part of this visit was meeting the broker, Pat. Pat was a delight, an older, kind, easy gentleman who was wonderfully patient with us, explaining the whole boat buying process from the paperwork to the delivery. We'd done A LOT of research on this process but it was nice to hear more about it from a pro and to ask questions without fear of judgement. The boat was nice, really nice especially for her age. It was kept up impeccably and it had a lot of great options that we liked. The living space below was roomy & definitely could be a live aboard - in fact, the owner lived on her for 6 months a year. 

Not a "Toby approved" companionway -- ladders no good. 

Spacious Salon Area

Nice Storage 

The Pearson was a really nice boat, good space below, lots of storage and extras (microwave, flat screen TV, food saver, stereo) and a virtually new Perkins diesel engine. But we both missed the feel and look of a teak and holly sole (i.e. floor) and there was just a lack of 'substance' to her construction that was noticeable. She seemed to be a bit more of a weekend coastal cruiser than a strongly built, live aboard cruiser that we ideally are looking for. The reviews online in the various chat room forums also have very mixed reviews of Pearson 365's. Also we were reminded of how the center cockpit layout that we ideally want allows for that aft main cabin. When looking at the V-berth we both wondered how we could make that work as our full-time bedroom. We're filing her as a NON CONTENDER for now...Pat as our buyers' broker on the other hand -- he's a contender! 

Second we went and saw a 1986 34' Catalina. This was a funny experience because the broker told us where she was located on the hard in South Portland, left a ladder at her stern and gave us the combo to the lock on her cabin. So we had the chance to explore her all alone without a broker. We immediately could tell this boat was not meant for blue water cruising at least how it is set up currently. Just her outward appearance, substantial standing rigging, small tight cockpit, fin keel, plexiglass portholes and velour salon upholstery tells you she's a family weekend cruiser not meant for the hard wear and tear of living aboard and sailing in heavier than anticipated conditions. However, if only looking at the layout you'd think she'd be wonderful. She's VERY roomy below deck, almost go as far as to say 'spacious'. It's by far the roomiest we've seen, which I guess is a calling card for the Catalinas. But roomy below doesn't really equate to safety and seaworthiness.

Aft Cabin - better than a V-berth, by not ideal 

Looks wise she was more along the lines of what we like in the interior - warm teak everywhere. She had an aft cabin, sort of, it was laid out around the cockpit so under the cockpit benches was the headroom with portholes looking out to the cockpit (or legs if someone's sitting there) and then your legs go into a cubby under the cockpit.

You can definitely get carried away reading the forums on cruisers world, sea net, etc. and we have. As they say with all advice - take it with a grain of salt. For boat buying newbies like us we are like sponges and all advice and opinion is soaked in. The Catalinas get a bit railed on in the forums as being factory mass produced with a lack of substance or utility in a lot of the design and layout leading to a lot of replacement costs and breakage. Again, this is worrisome to us being that we're going to be hard on any boat we buy - we're going to live on it full time with 2 adults and a large dog and maybe a little one someday and we're going to be sailing it A LOT. The first few years it's going to be in the water, in New Hampshire year round. So for us substance, craftsmenship and solid utility is very important. We're OK with buying something that's older and less "fresh" if it's got solid bones we're willing to work on it. We need something that will withstand the lifestyle we are entering into so that being said the Catalina 34 is a NON CONTENDER.

We have had numerous conversations about the 'looks' of a boat or the 'utility' of it for our lifestyle. We are acutely aware that there are a thousand more things with a boat that we need to be concerned with - engine, mechanics, electrical, sails, rigging, etc. But if we don't like the layout and don't think we can live on it then what's use in exploring the rest of it?

We have come to realization that we may have to 'cast our net wider' in our boat search. Boats around the New England area tend not to be live aboards - apparently living on a boat in NH is not super popular - news to us! So the boats are used a max of 4 - 5 months out of the year with the owners living aboard a week at a time and don't have the electronics or simple modern conveniences that living aboard full-time requires. Adding these things to refit a boat can get pricey. No matter what boat we buy we'll be adding some customization but if we can control how much, that'd be ideal. Plus the market for center cockpits is limited as is and especially so in New England. So we've been eyeing up boats in the South Florida area as well as the Carolinas. Using a buyers broker will also help us narrow down which boats might be worth buying a flight for. Potentially later this summer or fall we will take a weekend down south to do some more hunting. Buying a boat is a BIG decision for us so we can't expect that it'd go easily and quickly...but we are still very much determined.

"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else." -- Brian Tracy 

The 'What If's'

Analysis Paralysis - (n.) Refers to over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation, so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. A decision can be treated as over-complicated, with too many detailed options, so that a choice is never made, rather than try something and change if a major problem arises.

So we went down to Merri-Mar Yacht Basin on the banks of the Merrimac River in Newburyport on Saturday to climb aboard "High Hopes" the 1981 39' Mariner that we'd found on Yacht World. High Hopes' story is bittersweet, she'd been loved and sailed by a local couple for the past 15 years and lovingly cared for in the off-season by Merri-Mar. About 2 years ago the elderly gentleman took ill. The folks at Merri-Mar and his wife were determined to get him out on the water in High Hopes at least once in the Summer of 2010. They launched her and the husband and wife went sailing 2-3 afternoons that summer. She was put "on the hard" in the yard in Fall 2010, covered in shrink wrap like she's had done every year they've owned her and there she's sat since. The gentleman got sicker and sadly passed away last month. His widow is now putting his boat up for sale. We climbed up on the ladder, through the hole in the shrink wrap and aboard this gorgeous but worn looking lady.  So, needless to say this boat needs some TLC. She needs a good scrubbing, her portholes opened to some fresh air, she needs someone to love her again. 

But that's not all...as with every boat we'll look at in our price range, she needs some more involved work too. Her sole needs replacing. Yes, this boat needs a sole. The sole of a boat is the interior cabin floor and High Hopes' floor is showing her 30 years and her 2 years in the boat yard. She's got some water coming in and her floor is showing signs around where the floor meets the interior cabinets, etc. 

Her teak floors are not looking well... 

Notice the discoloring on the teak floors where it meets the cabinets?

This is the starboard settee looking aft, the bilge is under that hatch on the right. 

Now lucky for us Tim actually has replaced soles before down in Florida when working as a shipwright. But the boat broker said the million dollar thing, "You have to be ready for what you find once you rip up the floor." And with a 30 year old boat that might not go well. 

Replacing floors is one thing but this boat also needs a full electronics upgrade. She's sailed in sight of shore the last 15 years and has never needed full GPS, satellite, chart plotters, etc. etc. that we'll be needing to take off to points south. The electronics for a boat have come A LONG way since the 80's and we want to be sure we have the best, most reliable electronics we can for safety. Plus we'll certainly need to install a stereo system throughout the boat - I mean what would Tim & Jill be without our tunes!?

That's some pretty outdated electronic in the Nav Station

There are some really GREAT things about High Hopes too -she's got a great layout below deck. Lots of space, high head room, big aft cabin, 'spacious' galley, certainly live aboard quality. Plus there's a little set of stairs (companion way) to get below deck rather than a ladder so Toby Dog will be happy. 

Great, workable galley, lots of counter space & I love the little tile backsplash!

Comfy, roomy main salon, see the stairs out to the cockpit?

Roomy, airy aft cabin with tons of light & this was under shrink wrap!

So now comes the wonderful world of the "what if's". What if we buy this boat and we find rotted out core in the hull? What if it needs total stanchion replacement above deck? What if the engine is shot from sitting for 2 years? What if we run out of money to do all she needs done? Some of these questions would certainly be answered by the Marine Survey which we'd get done after we put in an offer. We'd have 30 days to get the survey done and then either adjust the offer or walk away based off what we find out. But still, as my best friend Catta texted me - "The What If's will eat you alive." She's a solid boat. She's got a great layout below deck. She needs some TLC and elbow grease. She'll need some substantial cash flow to do more. This much we know. It's the unknown that we're grappling with. We are trying to avoid 'analysis paralysis' because we could end up doing nothing and never fulfill this dream we have.

As we discussed it all over beers on the Brown Cow's deck I said this, "Inherent in this entire plan is risk, buying a 30-year old used sailboat, retrofitting it and sailing away is risky. There is no way around that. We just have to either accept the inherent risk and move forward being OK with it or we need to walk away from the plan." There's no process we can go through, no algorithm on a computer we can run or pro/con list we can make that will minimize the risk and that's the beauty in all this - THIS IS WHAT LIVING IS ALL ABOUT! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We want stories to tell in our 70's and we won't get those stories if we don't take some risks, some leaps of faith. However, we can be smarter about the amount and severity of the risks we take on which is why we're planning on hiring a boat broker to work with us. Someone who looks at used boats for a living and can tell us what things will cost to fix and what's just not worth wasting time with.

 Let's face it, buying a 1975 Volkswagen Bus from a hippie from northern Maine with no inspection or anything was risky but look at the rewards and fun that has reaped! 

So, we still have VERY high hopes and haven't ruled out High Hopes as a potential but we also agreed that we need to see more boats as a point of reference and hiring a boat broker is our next step. We are excited and very willing to take on the incredible adventure that is part of buying a used boat because for us:

"Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure!"