But first, let’s catch up on what’s been going on with us this summer. We left Arizona in mid-August and stayed with Tess’ folks in Glendora, Ca, so that she could have one last reconstructive surgery (God willing), which went well this time. At the same time, John had a large skin cancer removed from his cheek and our beloved dog, Hazel, was diagnosed with cancer, so we all laid low for nearly two months of recovery.
Our daily entertainment was the game camera we set up–the day AFTER–Theresa finally saw her first bear in the wild! It seems that the fig tree on the corner of the house, about three feet from our bed pillows, attracts an amazing variety of creatures of the night. Although we didn’t get pictures of the bear, here’s the proof he was here! We also got together with some dear friends from John’s prior professional life for a great day of catching up.
Throughout, we were constantly looking for a new boat and working closely with our broker in Charleston. We settled on wanting a Leopard 45, preferably a 2022 or newer due to styling changes from the previous versions. We quickly learned that, as not very many are built in any given year and maybe only half of those would be US wired (110 volt), we were looking for a boat that didn’t come on the market all that often. Of course, we had also seen some pretty sweet upgrades that some owners had done and were hoping we might find one with those same options… (We did!)
As the weeks passed, we learned about a boat that fit the bill but was already under contract in Ft Lauderdale and another that would not become available until at least late January of next year. So we made plans to attend the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October thinking that it might be a while before we had a home again. We drove up to Chico, Ca to see our daughter Paige and her boyfriend Zane and took in a Butte College football game. Zane plays and Paige works as an athletic trainer for the team. We had a ball at the Sierra Nevada Brewery’s Octoberfest and somewhere in there we found out that the buyers of the boat in Florida were having trouble with the purchase. Our broker suggested that we make a backup offer, which we did. Things spiraled quickly from there and we found ourselves changing from flights to Annapolis to flights to Florida for a sudden sea trial and inspection. And, as we are hurricane magnets, we had to change our flights to Annapolis twice to get out of Florida before Hurricane Milton crashed into the state.
We were there long enough to get an abbreviated sea trial and meet with the surveyor who had done a very thorough inspection for the previous buyers just a week earlier, a report that we were able to purchase at a steep discount. So, while we were at the Annapolis show we found ourselves suddenly under contract for our next dream boat and shopping for very specific items instead of idly looking around. We ended up getting some very nice boat show discounts on stuff that we either actually needed or just wanted to upgrade. Also met a bunch of our favorite podcasters and YouTube sailing channels, which was fun.
After a week in Annapolis we returned to California and piled our stuff in the van for a return trip cross-country to retrieve all our gear from the storage unit in Charleston, SC. You see, to sweeten our offer, we had abbreviated the closing date so time was short. We lingered only in Nashville for an extra night to check out the scene and then spent a couple of days renting a big truck, loading a few tons of crap and driving down to Ft Lauderdale just in time to take possession of our new boat/home/catamaran/money pit!
As the boat was already at a private dock, we only had access to her M-F during the day. Absolutely no exceptions by city law. We had a little over two weeks to get moved on and have a few jobs done. Holy cow that was a lot of work! We’d stagger back to our nearby apartment in the evening and just collapse. That first weekend off we recuperated at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), the world’s largest in-water boat show with 1,299 power boats of all sizes (mostly very large) and exactly 1 sail boat! The vendors were great and it was fun to see how the other half of boaters live but we didn’t really have much in common with the attendees at this show. Very interesting indeed but now we understand why no one from “our” crowd goes to this show.
Then it was back to work on the boat and we began thinking about where we might move her when we had to leave this dock. Well, that proved to be more stressful than buying the boat! It seems that every last one of the thousands of larger slips behind private homes are taken. There are several companies that manage all of these ICW/canal docks and literally nothing was available. And every city in the greater area seems to prohibit live-aboards. And there are just a few places you are allowed to anchor and then only for a few days. So we looked into marinas and spent two days contacting literally dozens of them up and down the coast, looking for a spot for up to two months. Yes, there actually were a handful of available spots. No we didn’t really consider them. Yes, apparently there really are people who will spend ten to fifteen thousand dollars a month to dock their boat! Plus water and power. We saw ads for private dock space up to $70/foot. Unbelievable! And none of these would let us park our car on site or sleep on the boat.
Theresa thought she’d scored when she found a slip for $1400/month that allowed live-aboards. But then the broker said that was an old rate and the owner now wanted $2200. Ok, that’s still a bargain and we could park the car! We went to check it out the next day and, um, NO. Not a chance in hell. It was beyond decrepit and unsafe. Terrifying exposed electrical wiring, planks with rusty nails sticking out into the slip and lines dangling in the water just waiting for a prop to come near. And don’t ask about the bathroom that opened into the muddy yard! Fortunately, another company came through with a brand new customer who could accommodate our boat and we took it. Unlike our previous host, Jack is a wonderful guy who could not be more accommodating. He’s a former long time boat owner himself who just recently sold his own boat opening up his dock for rent. And he lets us park the car in the driveway! Wonderful guy, because he’s Canadian, he says, eh!
And so, as I write this, we have finished moving aboard, actually organized everything, bought a bunch of needed stuff (and tossed a load of crap) and done almost all of the big jobs that needed attention like: replacing the leaky water maker pump (which led to a new motor as well); replacing a leaky seal in one engine; servicing the generator; servicing both engines (a four day job); servicing the air conditioners; flipping the chain, remarking it and discovering that we need a new anchor as our old one is too big (need one without a roll bar); having the sails removed, cleaned and repaired. These jobs alone took two weeks to do, even with professionals doing the big stuff. And did we mention cleaning top to bottom and learning, at least perfunctorily, how to actually use all the new-to-us systems on this behemoth? But it’s been fun and it feels great to be so physically active again after being lazy land lubbers for several months. (Not sure my hands and their eight much-needed bandaids would agree…)
We are presently back in Cali for Thanksgiving and then we are planning a two week leisurely shakedown cruise on the ICW with John’s folks. Then, after Christmas, God willing, we will head off to the Bahamas!
