THE boat

Well, we did it. We found and bought a beautiful brand-new (to us) boat. With the help of Tom Harney, we were able to dot the T’s and cross the I’s from ten hours away through nearly daily phone calls. Grete and I took a second trip down to Fort Lauderdale while Muddah Goose (Grete’s mom) watched the kids.

We spent a full day aboard with a licensed surveyor, rigging surveyors, the owner, and of course Tom. After hours of inspecting, we cruised over to Harbor Towne Marina for a haul-out which pretty much just gave Brian Stetler, our surveyor, a chance to take out his aggressions on the bottom of the boat with a hammer. Seriously though, he basically hit every square inch of the underside of the boat looking for spots that seemed like the integrity of the hull was compromised. He found nothing, so back in the water she went.

Once in the water, we went out to the Stranahan River to make sure that the sails and rigging were all in working order. There were a handful of minor issues and some issues indicating that the engine needs a decent amount of work. Everything seemed reasonable and the final price was agreeable. So, we now own a boat! The lettering on the side still reads “Stagger Lee”, but I present, our new beauty, Sea Horse.