Cool Change Sailing

In the early spring of 2020, I had decided to someday purchase a sailboat which would be capable of taking me anywhere in the world. Many people who know me are already aware that I had once sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1979 and the memories of that trip have remained vivid throughout my life. I was anxious to return to a life of living on the sea.

But finding the right boat was not easy. At first, I began to look for suitable boats which were in nearby cities such as Sandusky, OH, Cleveland, Oh or La Salle, MI, all of which were less than one hour from my home. But it didn’t take too long to realize that my sailboat search would have to expand to more distant destinations.

There are a number of web pages which show various available boats for sale, but the most popular site was yachtworld.com I found dozens of boats that looked like they could meet my needs, but to make a decision, I needed to put in many miles on my car.

Those road trips took me to destinations as far as Racine, WI, Chesapeake Bay, VA and Annapolis, MD, to name a few. Other destinations were primarily in either IL or MI, especially Michigan: South Haven, Muskegon, Traverse City, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Bay City, to name a few. Occasionally, I’d examine a boat that had great potential…only to discover fatal flaws soon afterwards. One such boat was a 46′ Beneteau located in Muskegon. At an asking price of just $129,000, it seemed too good to be true. When I asked the broker whether any marine surveys existed, he quickly said yes–in fact, there are two done within the previous two years.

This stuck me as odd. If a marine survey was conducted in a given year, why would a second one be done so soon afterwards? He explained that the initial survey was completed after the boat had been “on the hard” (on supports on land), but it slipped from those supports and crashed down onto its side, damaging it!

With THIS new information, the second survey hardly mattered at all! There would be no way to ever be assured that the now-hidden damaged portions were properly repaired! I kept searching.

Two years into my search, I finally discovered the perfect boat in Deltaville, VA. When I saw it, I knew that I’d make an offer as soon as I sold my house, which would be going onto the market within the next two months. Luckily, the home sold for its full asking price and that offer arrived on the very first day it was officially listed for sale! Unfortunately, by the time closing occurred, the VA boat now read “Sale Pending” and was off the market.

I began to wonder whether I’d even discover the ideal boat for my future.