Moving Day

I've never been so tired from not working as I am this evening. Seriously, the day's work consisted principally of sitting on my duff, while I guided Event Horizon up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) from Daytona Beach to Palm Coast. It took about 6 hours to make the 28 miles, and I feel like I lost a fight with a Mack truck.

Back Home... Temporarily!

After a huge breakfast and couple of false starts, we finally got past Ormond Beach, going home. Fueling up your car is expensive, in Florida... but then, everything is expensive in Florida!

More Odds and Ends

As might be expected, we had an early bedtime last night. This morning came early, however, as I awoke at 4:30 AM. I fought to try to continue sleeping, for about an hour, but it was futile.

Odds and Ends

Well we didn't get much of anything done yesterday, but it was quiet, and we got some rest. I managed to get a couple of the "B" list repairs done today, the most important one being the installation of a GFCI receptacle in the shore power circuit that feeds the galley and the head. Also, Honey wanted to shock-treat the water tank and lines with chlorine, so we did that as well.

Homesickness Crisis

Around 10:45 PM last night, Honey woke me from deep slumber to tell me that Kibby was having problems. Reviewing the last few days, it is clear that Kibby was having a less-than-satisfactory boating experience.

And The Heat Goes On...

Just before bedtime last , Honey and I spent some quality time just sitting in the cockpit, looking at the Daytona city lights. It's a pretty town, after dark, and the way the water smears the reflected lights is downright artistic! A half-hour or so of cool breeze and quiet reflection was enough, though, and so around 9:00 PM we headed for bed.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Honey got up early this AM and spent some time sitting in the cockpit.  I joined her, finding that the early-morning cool was very comfortable. After a while, she prepared another award-winning breakfast, and following that, she started on the laundry. Just watching her tires me out. I offer to help, but am always told (albeit nicely) that I'd just be in the way.

Still entertaining...

There was a bit of drama, late last night.  Excitement, anxiety, or whatever, left Kibby with a major headache, and for the first time in a couple of decades, I had to find an open drugstore at 11:30 PM.  Not easy, in a strange town.  By the time I returned, the culprit was already asleep!

Our First Guest

We slept over 12 hours last night, even though we were up by 6:00 AM today!  We were so tired that we crashed at about 5:30 PM yesterday.

Recommissioning - Done!

All the "A" list repairs are done now, and we're back in our assigned slip at Halifax Harbor Marina, where the previous owner had berthed Gusto.  We'll be here until we're ready to head for Georgia.

Recommissioning - continued

It was a peaceful night at dock, except that the bilge pumps for the extremely large ex-military vessel on the next dock kept cycling all night.

Recommissioning - The Beginning

This morning we visited the Daytona Marina and Boat Works repair yard, by automobile. Aquamarina Daytona theoretically owns the facility, but it is apparently managed separately, by RRC Marine Services of Daytona, LLC.

The Great Boat Hunt - The End!

It's finally over! All the papers have been signed and sent to the proper authorities.  We now have 90 days to get our "new" 1974 Morgan 33 Out Island sailing vessel out of Florida.

The Great Boat Hunt - It's almost over...

A lot has happened since my last post. I probably should have posted more frequently in the interim, but if you are as tired of the hunt as I am, you can understand why I didn't.

The Great Boat Hunt - We Have a Contract!

I just heard from our broker</b></font>, and she's sending us a copy of the agreement, signed by the seller.  It looks like this thing may actually happen!

The Great Boat Hunt - El Dorado In Sight?

I got word this morningthat the Seller intends to accept our offer.  While this isn't an ironclad committment, it was enough for both my broker and his to start getting excited.  In fact the listing broker wanted to schedule sea trial and survey for this Saturday!

The Great Boat Hunt - It never ends...

I did talk to the listing broker for the boat in Daytona, and he still hasn't sold it.  As I mentioned in my last post, he'd shown it to some potential buyers a few weeks ago, and while they thanked him for the showing, they didn't make an offer.  If they were seriously looking to buy, they may have been put off by the asking price.  Like most listings, it was 'way out of line with the current market.

The Great Boat Hunt - Hiatus

Well, I haven't written anything for awhile, but that's only because nothing of any real consequence has happened on the boating front.

The Great Boat Hunt - Strike Three! Yer OUT!

OK, I can take a hint. When the last deal fell through, I should have given up, I guess, but there was one more boat in Florida that I thought might be a possibility. I put an offer in on it this past Thursday. That night the listing broker sent me an email with yet another contract form he wanted me to use instead of the one I sent to him!

The Great Boat Hunt - Deja Vu All Over Again

Well, it seems like my bad luck is following me around. Remember that competing offer on the boat I was trying to buy?  Well, it happened again.  And for little reason that I can see.

The Great Boat Hunt - Deja Vu

I have a quote for insurance, and tentative agreement from a marine surveyer for the boat we're trying to buy.  The offer is good until this Friday (February 27), because communicating with the owner is somewhat tricky.

The Great Boat Hunt - Reloaded

We just got back from another whirlwind trip to Florida, with the prinicipal purpose of finding The Boat...

It was a little different this time, in that we have narrowed the field somewhat to a particular kind of boat.  We also took care of a little family business on the way, which led to an overnight stop in Lake City, Florida.

The Great Boat Hunt - Unplugged

Okay. The time limit on my offer has expired, and I've still not received any realistic counter-offer from the seller, so I sent the broker a note telling him that the offer is no longer available. I can't wait forever for people to find their sanity.

The Great Boat Hunt - the Twilight Zone!

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do...

Hi. My name is Rod Serling, and I'm your host...

Not really, of course, but I do feel like I'm wandering around in another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination...

The Great Boat Hunt - Fair Market Value?

I got a note from the broker today, containing a list of Morgan OI 33's that had sold over the last two years.  The amounts shown in the list were upwards of 30% higher than my offer. I think the broker is trying to tell me, in a non-confrontational manner, that my offer was too low. Based on my perception of the current market, I think he is wrong.

The Great Boat Hunt - Making a Choice

So we thought and thought and thought about it, and finally came to the conclusion that the Morgan 33 Out Island would be a better move than one of the larger boats, from several perspectives.

The Great Boat Hunt - Part Deux

The continuing saga of our search for the perfect (or merely acceptable) cruising sailboat goes on.  After burning up the internet exchanging emails with boat brokers, we left home last Wednesday, headed for Florida.