Going Places Where Most People Don't

We just got back from a 5 day road trip looking at boats. We searched the east coast from Wilmington, NC  to Wilmington, DE. We looked at about  a dozen boats and found about two that looked promising.

Since we are saving every penny for the boat purchase, we made this trip on a shoestring budget. We utilized the web site Couchsurfing.org (a great resource for those who like to travel and meet people wherever they go) and we stayed at Anna’s wonderful Aunt and Uncles house in DE. We did pay for one hotel that we got for half price on Priceline.com making the only big expense being the gas. But we drive a Prius / Hybrid so that was nominal.  We did a little boogie boarding in NC, and thanks to hurricane Issac got decent waves to ride. It was the first time any of us had been in that part of NC and we were happy to enjoy its beauty.

We went through historic Halifax, VA and learned a little about slavery in America, on our way to Washington, DC. Since this was a boat focused trip, our time in our Nations Capitol was very brief only affording a quick stop at the Lincoln Memorial and the Viet Nam War Memorial. Both very impressive and emotionally challenging.

That same evening we found ourselves at Anna’s families home. The next morning we were out looking at two more boats which took most of the day even though they were both located at the same marina.  We went out for a delicious crab dinner that night.  Up super early the next morning for the long drive back to Knoxville which started out under a Blue Moon.

I don’t know when the next road trip will be, but I sure hope it’s on our way to see the boat we made an offer on.

When we go, you’ll be sure to know

A lot of time has been spent looking at boats lately, only to find out today we’ve been looking at the wrong boats. Let me explain. Anna talked to a well-respected boat broker today who tried to set her straight on the size of boat we need for our cruising plans. You see we’ve been looking at boats as small as 38ft. Mostly because of budget.  Our search parameters  did include the 38 to 42ft range, but according to this very wise broker, if we want to sail the Pacific with all the gear on-board that we want, we’ll need to look in the 42 to 45 foot range.

Anna tells him those boats are out of our budget. Simple, he tells her,  we need to expand our budget about fifty thousand dollars.  Of course he didn’t use those exact words. He was very professional and polite and he had a very good argument for doing so. He just didn’t understand that if we had another fifty thousand to spend on the boat, we would have been looking in that price range to begin with.

After all those questions are answered, only then can you determine with absolute clarity that

Your Boat Budget Isn’t Big Enough!

The countdown timer reads just 50 days. A little over a month and a half. To say that we’re all just a little bit excited would be an understatement. Except for maybe Jordan. Every day is spent reducing inventory and educating ourselves about boats and cruising.  The house has been on the market for a week and has been shown 4 times, but still no offers. Not like the good ole days in CA. Seriously potential buyer for the business. Yeah! That would be one less thing to worry about. If only some movement on the rentals.

It’s a struggle keeping the house spotless so people can come look at it, but a small price to pay. Those of you who have sold their house can relate I’m sure. A time line has been created and lists are written and adjusted daily. We just keep plugging on.   Doing all the little things that were doing daily can be frustrating because  we know that nothing big can happen until our house sells.

More stuff is being sold on Craigslist and e-bay yet still plenty to go. Ah the joy of down-sizing.