Driving to Connecticut Interview – Heading to see Bear!

As we were in the process of setting up the survey, it became clear that, because of Margaret’s busy schedule, I was going to be going to the survey without her. Understandably, Margaret wanted to see the boat in person before she committed to such an important purchase. Moreover, I felt really uneasy being the only one to step aboard the boat, essentially having to make the final decision about Bear for the both of us. So, we had this weekend free and decided to drive out to Branford, Connecticut from Illinois just to see Bear for ourselves. If we still want to go ahead with the purchase, I will then attend the survey by myself next week.
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Don’t Touch It If You Can’t Handle It – Day 6 Bahamas Charter

We woke up early in Settlement Harbor to a light rain. We used the morning shower to help clean the decks which had become pretty gross from our treks ashore. The weather sequestered us to the boat for a bit, encouraging us to enjoy a relaxing breakfast, followed by another round of Chicken and Ribs, the favored card game of the week. When the rain let up, we dingied to shore to check out the island’s amenities by daylight.
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The Yachtworld Market – What Happened to the Boats We Looked At?

There are a number of frustrating things about looking at boats on Yachtworld, all related to the fact that the managers of the website keep a good deal of data to themselves. You have no idea how long a boat was on the market for or what the original listing price was, as price reductions are not noted. Further, when listings are removed, unless you happened to see a “price reduction” or “sold” note in the days before it disappeared, you have no way of knowing whether the boat was sold or just taken off the market. In fact, we have seen a number of boats repeatedly be taken on and off the market and their list price both get reduced and, much less understandable, substantially increased. Finally, when boats do sell, you are not privy to the final selling price.
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Nipping and Grabbing on Great Guana Cay: Bahamas Charter Day 5

Day five was a big day for exploring. In the morning, Jeff took Sasha and David to Dive Abaco after listening to the Cruiser’s Net. While they were gone, I tidied up the boat a bit and made some breakfast tacos. When Jeff returned, we read for a while on the trampoline and took in the beautiful morning sky. The previous evening we had discussed our need to reprovision the boat, and Jeff and I decided that we could take care of this chore while they were off diving. So, we headed to shore and spent the next couple of hours walking around the business district of Marsh Harbour.
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An Accepted Offer!

With the call from the broker, we were relieved knowing at last, but also deflated. We had discussed our finances repeatedly over the previous four days, and had come to the conclusion that we could afford to pay only half the difference between our offer and the owner’s counter. Regardless of the condition of the boat, we really did not have the cash on hand to go any higher, and even that middle price pushed our savings to the limit.
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Call for Women Sailors

I am excited and proud to announce that I have been awarded a 2014 Puffin Foundation grant to begin a new photographic series about women who sail and work on the water. The Puffin Foundation “supports artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy”.

You can check out the Puffin Foundation here.

With the aid of Puffin Foundation funding I will document women captains, first-mates, and crew who are part of this customarily masculine tradition and intend to reference, through composition, style, and lighting, eighteenth and early nineteenth century paintings and photograph that captured men who planned voyages, conquered distant lands, and sought wealth and fame along the way.
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Waiting and Wondering

As many of you know, the weather in Illinois has been awful this winter, and the weekend we put the offer in on Bear was no different. Temperatures were in the single digits and a pile of new snow blanketed Peoria. So, we did not have much to do beyond sitting by the fire, doing work, and speculating on what the outcome of our offer was going to be.
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We Put an Offer in on a Boat!

Though I was done looking at boats in Florida, the whirlwind trip was not over yet. My flight left out of Miami early the next morning, leaving me some time to catch up with a college buddy and meet his new girlfriend. After a nice dinner and a lot of conversation, I headed further south and spent the night at a really sketchy Motel 6 (so sketchy that a police officer was not only in the parking lot, but followed me to my room). With a 3:30 AM alarm, I easily returned the car and made my flight the following morning. Of course, that still left the drive back to Peoria from Chicago. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and I was able to make it just in time to teach my afternoon class.
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Contest 40 in Indiantown

While we were walking off the dock after looking at the Union 36, Joe, the broker, asked me if I would be interested in seeing a Contest 40 that he thought was in fabulous shape. I was unfamiliar with a Contest, but jumped at the opportunity to get aboard another boat.
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Review of Fishermen’s Village Marina, Punta Gorda, FL

As our dream of boat ownership becomes more of a reality, we have begun seeking out marinas and boat yards. While we are not sure exactly where we will be buying a boat, we have narrowed down our boat search a bit to include only those located on the East Coast. Yes, that is a rather large region, but thinking about this area has helped us to consider how we might use the boat, what type of storage we may need, and what timeline we will be dealing with if we want to be sailing this summer. And it is just plain fun to dream of warm weather and sunshine filled days aboard a boat!
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