“Have you got a boat yet”? This question comes up a lot. “It’s going to be hard to sail around the world with out a boat”. Yup, we know. There has been a lot of talk about boats lately. With our spring 2007 departure rapidly approaching, it’s pretty much at the top of the list of things that need to get done.
In fact, we’ve been looking at boats for over a year now in and around Vancouver and online. What has been really great is how many leads we’ve received from friends and family who know about our plans. We’ve followed up on most, but still we’re boat-less. There was a fire-sale on a Maple Leaf 42’ in Steveston that Bryson was teased with by a salty old marina hound. The Newport 41’ Hugh found on Craigslist (!) that we took for a sail in Seattle but just wasn’t big enough down below. And a beaten-up, over-priced Fraser 42’ in Nanaimo that was, well, beaten-up and over-priced!
Through all this looking we have learned a lot. As we narrow down our criteria for a suitable vessel, it is becoming clear that what we’re looking for just isn’t too common in Vancouver. Now there are plenty of suitable boats, but our criteria also includes affordibility. That’s where things get difficult. Add to that the equipment necessary to sail offshore safely, and we’re going to be broke before leaving the dock. So Plan B is rapidly becoming Plan A. Plan B? Go south. In 5 months (yikes, did I say 5 months!) we’ll pack up things here in Vancouver and hit the I-5. Around Los Angles we’ll get out the map and start driving to marina’s. If we haven’t found something by the time we reach Tijuana, then we’re going to resort to Plan B2.0: Mexico, Florida, or the Caribbean. Why those places? Supply and demand. Those are the places, relatively close, where sailors, for whatever reason, finish their voyages. We’re hoping that with a bit of luck and good timing, we will find a boat that will fit our budget, and carry us safely where we want to sail. In the mean time, we’re trying to get as much information from cruisers who are sailing at the moment, or ones who have recently returned, on where we’re mostly likely to find the boat.
So Plan B is rapidly becoming Plan A. Plan B? Go south. In 5 months (yikes, did I say 5 months!) we’ll pack up things here in Vancouver and hit the I-5. Around Los Angles we’ll get out the map and start driving to marina’s. If we haven’t found something by the time we reach Tijuana, then we’re going to resort to Plan B2.0: Mexico, Florida, or the Caribbean. Why those places? Supply and demand. Those are the places, relatively close, where sailors, for whatever reason, finish their voyages. We’re hoping that with a bit of luck and good timing, we will find a boat that will fit our budget, and carry us safely where we want to sail. In the mean time, we’re trying to get as much information from cruisers who are sailing at the moment, or ones who have recently returned, on where we’re mostly likely to find the boat.
It’s not an ideal situation, since having the boat in Vancouver for a few months would allow us to kit it out exactly as we want. Any major refits could be made with out having to live on the boat while doing them, and a shake-down cruise would let us learn valuable information about our vessel in the relative safety of Georgia Straight and the West Coast. Many cruisers spend years outfitting their vessel for an offshore trip. We’re planning on arriving in a foreign port to buy a boat, and departing as soon as possible. Bold, we know!
Until then, well, make all the other preparations we can, save our pennies, and dream of the day, not far off, when we cast off and sail away on our own boat…