-Hell freezes over
-Pigs fly
-We find a boat
It’s hard to explain to your brain that it’s ok, you’re in control. You’ve heard that last clack at the apogee of the first big hill. You seem to hang there. And then the bottom falls out beneath you and you’re plummeting into the abyss. Control is the last thing on your mind. It’s more like will I survive this?
Finding a blue water cruising catamaran is like riding some kind of malevolent roller coaster.
Take our friends’ ride for example. Before we met them last summer, circumnavigating Florida counter clockwise while we were circumnavigating clockwise, they found a catamaran in the panhandle of Florida. Clean decent example of the breed. Reasonable asking price, well known brand. They negotiate a deal, fork over the hand money, everybody signs. Smiles all around, but they don’t hug it out. Why? The survey and sea trial, that’s why. Survey went well but during the sea trial our friends noticed some strange maneuvering on just one engine. The broker was trying to cover for a bad transmission! Once the cards were on the table, the owners would only pay for half. Our friends pulled out and left. This is not easy to do. I mean once you’ve measured for drapes it’s hard to walk. There’s an emotional attachment between you and your boat and it happens fast. It’s like the puppy dog close, on a very expensive level.
We’ve emailed them recently and they’re back buying the same boat a year later with a new broker. Yes, it’s a roller coaster alright.
We’ve negotiated the first drop off the big hill. We have a signed deal, hand money in hand, and if the survey and sea trial go well we have a new home.
Marce has been treating this like a pregnancy. Apparently you just don’t speak of it until you see it. Kind of like the malocchio. I just don’t roll that way.
Meet our new home.
Oh…one last thing. Did I mention we’ve been on several Mantas of various sizes but we haven’t been on ours yet. It happens. As a matter of fact she’s not even in the country yet. Which is why we’ve been waiting around Florida for months.
How she came to us is strictly Marce’s story and she’s not talking until the keys are in her hand! Stay tuned.