When I asked this of Whitey, my husband of 16 years instinctively knew that I wasn’t talking about going out for a day sail nearby but that I was asking about moving back onto a boat to live on, returning to the sea. The year was 2006 and we had been living on land for almost 6 years. Up until then we had had 12 years living on sailboats from California, Mexico, Panama and throughout most of the Caribbean. They were beautiful, eventful, disaster filled, emotional, fun, exhausting, and wonderful years.
It was a vagabond lifestyle that family and old friends sometimes questioned. But it was our life. A lifestyle of boats and water was the life we had created as a couple. And in October, 2000 it was a lifestyle that was taken from us quickly. With no notice or expectation some unseen object floating in the water set off a chain of events that changed our lives. When I see the larger scaled worldwide disasters in the past years such as earthquakes, hurricanes or tsunamis I am mutually saddened for the people who are affected. To have ones home, source of income and lifestyle taken away by one unforeseen event is something difficult to understand. After our personal disaster, we needed a break from the ocean.
Glen Cove Marina in Vallejo, California
Our land life had been good to us. We moved to Perth for 3 1/2 years and we were able to be closer to Whitey’s parents and that side of the family. After living away from Australia for so long, it was great for Whitey to be back there. We renovated a house and spent some quality time with his family and our friends there. Then we moved back to the Bay Area (where we had met many years before) and managed the Glen Cove Marina in Vallejo. That was nice and, after renovating it, even lived in the upstairs of a 100 year old lighthouse. But we were reminded of how cold being on the water in Northern California was. So the boating life and the tropics were calling us again.
View of Glen Cove Marina looking out to the Carquinez Straits
First step was buying our own boat. As soon as I said to Whitey ‘Do you want to go sailing again?’ he presented me with a list of boats on www.yachtworld.com he wanted me to look at. (Do you think he was anxious or what?) We knew we wanted around a 45 foot boat. We wanted something that either one of us was comfortable handling by ourself if necessary. We then narrowed it down to a 46 foot Beneteau. We especially liked the larger forward cabin and the way the back opened up so you could board the boat from the stern. We kept an eye on a few different boats around the country. There were a few on the west coast and a few on the east coast but all were a bit more money than we wanted to spend. Then the one we were watching that was in Florida was quickly reduced in price. Whitey immediately called the broker. He said the guy was very anxious to sell. He hadn’t taken the boat out for at least 3 years and his slip fees in West Palm Beach were over $20/foot. He just wanted out. So we made an offer based on our approval of a survey.
Getting ready for a sail on the newly named ‘Gypsy Blue’
We already had plans to fly to the BVI’s with some friends and rent a bare boat, the same size Beneteau so we could make sure we liked it. (For those of you who don’t know – a bare boat doesn’t mean you are naked. It means you can rent it without hiring a Captain). We rearranged our flights to the Virgin Islands to stop in Florida for a few extra days so we could attend the survey. The surveyor went through the interior and we then prepared to take it on sea trials. They didn’t have a captain to take it out so they had Whitey at the helm. He put it in gear and it was not going anywhere. Then tried to put it in reverse and – nothing. Tried again – still nothing. Whitey asked ‘has the bottom been cleaned recently?’ The yacht broker and owner looked at each other – ‘Uhh, no.’ So, yes, the bottom of the boat had so much growth on the prop and the bottom that the prop could not move. We couldn’t quite believe that they hadn’t prepared the boat for sea trials and to be moved for a haul out. We had a discussion with the broker and owner, stating how disappointed we were. But stated that we still were very interested. So we said we would stop there again on our return trip from the BVI’s. We gave them a list of things we wanted to have working (anchor windless, air conditioning units, refrigeration, electronics) or at least have a report from someone stating what was wrong with them. And the bottom would need to be cleaned so we could move the boat.
Happy on our new boat!
The final result was great. They didn’t just give a report on certain items condition, they replaced them. And when we stated how expensive it was for us to change our return flights and missed a couple days of work, the owner knocked the price down another $5000. So in the end, we purchase the boat for a great price. Of course then we had to ship it from Florida to Northern California. Then we changed her name from ‘Sea Eagle’ to ‘Gypsy Blue’. And we have done lots of work on her since then. But we love our ‘Gypsy Blue’. Love working on her, doing little projects or big projects. And love sailing her! And that is the beginning of us going back to sea.
