survey says....

Our survey, which took 10 hours over 2 days ("thorough" is the word of the day if you plan to make such a huge purchase and want to know without a doubt that your future home will, in fact, float while you are living aboard it) turned up various issues on the boat we are under contract to buy. Some of them we knew about and some were a surprise (not the good kind, mind you!). We used a gentleman out of Green Bay, WI named Ben Miller (who I highly recommend. I am happy to pass along his contact info for those in the market for a survey.) and after lots of discussing with him and between us, we approached the seller/brokerage with our list of "issues". We fully expected they would fix at least the very minimum problems in order to move forward with the sea trial. Those issues were more safety and structural in nature and ABSOLUTELY HAD to be addressed before putting the boat in the water, mast up, sails on, etc. Surprise of surprises, they have agreed to fix almost all of the items on the list! We should hear back today or tomorrow about the schedule of the maintenance and when we can get her into the water to complete the sea trial. We are beyond excited with the response and are already making our own little "to do" list of things we want to upgrade once she is ours :-)

Windtraveler: Cruising Swag: A Giveaway!

Our friends over at Windtraveler, Brittany, Scott, & Isla are giving away some swag! Talk about perfect gifts for the boat owner in your life! Even if I don't win the swag, I think I'll perhaps invest in some polos for Josh and myself emblazoned with the name of the new boat! Check this place out! Boatnamegear.com


Windtraveler: Cruising Swag: A Giveaway!: When Scott and I raced in Chicago, it was always cool to race on a boat that provided their crew with gear.  You know - shirts, hats, jac...

sale pending.

As this process has been progressing, it seems slow to an unbelievably impatient person such as myself. I've been trying to tell myself that good things come to those who wait and in that I've been contenting myself with the little things--one of which is the photo below. We've been waiting and checking every day for the listing for the boat to change to "sale pending". It's small but I'll take it :-)

Next up is a marine survey including the rigging, scheduled for Monday and the sea trial scheduled for Friday. Unfortunately, I will be in Vegas for the sea trial but if all goes well we'll be closing on her the following week and be enjoying the last of summer on her by the weekend!

offer: accepted.

News, you guys! We are thrilled, though cautiously optimistic, to announce that our offer was accepted. Many steps are still between us and our dream boat but this is the first step in the right direction. Surveys and a sea trial will be scheduled beginning next week. More to come...

and we're off.

We JUST sent off our offer to the brokerage. We feel confident and excited about this huge decision. We'll keep you posted!

make 'em an offer....hopefully one they won't refuse.

You guys, this is stressful. We looked at the Union 36 again on Friday, toting along our laundry list of things to consider (the list Mr. Nigel Calder has in his book Cruising Handbook). On the way home we threw out concerns and ideas for upgrades, and of course next steps. This boat is slightly different than previous boats we've seen in that it's owned by a brokerage, not an individual. What does this mean, exactly? That's what we are trying to figure out. Actually, we feel it puts us in a good position. This particular brokerage is associated with a marina and has its own shop for repairs, upgrades, and just all around knowledgeable people. So we have the distinct comfort of knowing that any repairs necessary will be performed by professionals. The next steps: we'll make an offer, make sure the surveyor inspects the issues we feel the boat already needs fixed and hopefully they'll agree to fix them. We actually feel as if the boat is very well outfitted for our purposes. And in excellent condition. Fingers crossed!

back in the cockpit again.

After the disappointment that was Serena, I had been feeling sour. In my excited impatience, I thought this might actually go smoothly. How immature of me! I mean, it is after all, a floating house. Making a huge purchase of something with so many moving pieces, is fraught with complications. Look at our friends over at Windtraveler who are further along in the buying process. Analysis paralysis and blips, indeed. 

There are still many variables at play in our situation so again, hiccups and all, I feel pretty great about saying that we are back in the cockpit again. On the prowl and ready to pounce on a gem. I believe there are two that are very real, if slightly unattainable options on our horizon. Both are from the Robert Perry design catalog. One is 35' and one is 36' and both are priced within $5,000 of each other. They have full keels, and a classic look full of teak (oh my, when I saw both of them I swooned). Both are sturdy and sea-kindly to those of us with weaker constitutions. One is slightly better outfitted with a few features we want (brand spanking new engine and single-sideband radio, hello!). Actually, as I write this, I realize that the one with the new engine has even better berthing options as well and has already seen the Caribbean and been majorly upgraded in the last year ($40,000 worth). We are planning to see the more local one later this week and see if we still have that feeling about her. Fingers crossed.