Grand Adventure
Today is the start of our grand adventure. It has been a long process getting to this point. Today we take possession of our "new to us" boat, to cruise the US east coast via the Intracoastal Waterway.
The genesis of this idea came a few years ago as I was contemplating plans for retirement. I was flipping thru one of my Pacific Yachting magazines one day at Christmas, thinking about all the time I had spent in New York, Boston, and other east coast cities over my career, but never really getting to enjoy the usual visitors reasons for being there. I wanted to go back and enjoy the cities, but I couldn't stand the idea of going back and staying in a hotel. Seemed too much like work. Staring at a boat magazine gave me the idea, "Do it by boat".
The plans evolved over the following couple of years, as I got more familiar with the IntraCoastal Waterway (ICW) and the restrictions of hurricane season. Originally the plan was to buy a boat in the Northeast, and cruise south in the fall, following the weather. But hurricane season made this less
desirable, or advisable. So we switched to a southern start, and focused on finding a boat in South Florida area.
Over the last 18 months, we visited boats in Houston, Syracuse, Baltimore, Florida Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Florida Keys, Norfolk, and Annapolis. The boat in the Keys was the one that ticked all the boxes for us in terms of age, model, configuration, condition, and even in the right location.
We thought we had a deal for this boat in July, but the owner had a change of heart at the last moment. Very disappointed, but I kept up a dialogue with him over the subsequent months while we continued to look at other boats. After an additional couple of false starts over the fall, he agreed in December to sell. We went thru the survey and sea trial process in early January, and completed in late January.
She is a 2001 Grand Banks 46 Classic (means tri-cabin arrangement), as the picture above shows. More pics are available at the link below.
http://www.yachtpics.com/grand_banks_yacht_sales/46_grand_banks_rumaway/index.html
The new Name is still to be confirmed. We are in the process of transferring the registry from the US to Canada, and this can take a few months. To transfer registry, the boat has to go thru a formal "tonnage measurement" process, which seems ridiculous for a production recreational vessel, where the gross tonnage and net tonnage are already documented with the USGC. What turns on it? We also have to submit three names, in the event that the desired name is already in use by a registered vessel. So we will continue to sail under a US flag for a while, with the current name.
The genesis of this idea came a few years ago as I was contemplating plans for retirement. I was flipping thru one of my Pacific Yachting magazines one day at Christmas, thinking about all the time I had spent in New York, Boston, and other east coast cities over my career, but never really getting to enjoy the usual visitors reasons for being there. I wanted to go back and enjoy the cities, but I couldn't stand the idea of going back and staying in a hotel. Seemed too much like work. Staring at a boat magazine gave me the idea, "Do it by boat".
The plans evolved over the following couple of years, as I got more familiar with the IntraCoastal Waterway (ICW) and the restrictions of hurricane season. Originally the plan was to buy a boat in the Northeast, and cruise south in the fall, following the weather. But hurricane season made this less
desirable, or advisable. So we switched to a southern start, and focused on finding a boat in South Florida area.
Over the last 18 months, we visited boats in Houston, Syracuse, Baltimore, Florida Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Florida Keys, Norfolk, and Annapolis. The boat in the Keys was the one that ticked all the boxes for us in terms of age, model, configuration, condition, and even in the right location.
We thought we had a deal for this boat in July, but the owner had a change of heart at the last moment. Very disappointed, but I kept up a dialogue with him over the subsequent months while we continued to look at other boats. After an additional couple of false starts over the fall, he agreed in December to sell. We went thru the survey and sea trial process in early January, and completed in late January.
She is a 2001 Grand Banks 46 Classic (means tri-cabin arrangement), as the picture above shows. More pics are available at the link below.
http://www.yachtpics.com/grand_banks_yacht_sales/46_grand_banks_rumaway/index.html
The new Name is still to be confirmed. We are in the process of transferring the registry from the US to Canada, and this can take a few months. To transfer registry, the boat has to go thru a formal "tonnage measurement" process, which seems ridiculous for a production recreational vessel, where the gross tonnage and net tonnage are already documented with the USGC. What turns on it? We also have to submit three names, in the event that the desired name is already in use by a registered vessel. So we will continue to sail under a US flag for a while, with the current name.
What is the name now
ReplyDeleteIt's Sean by the way. Annie had a good idea, you should make a list of names that WE can vote on before you submit? I like Boaty McFlorida-Face personally...
DeleteCatchy, but a bit too long for the name plaque. Those practical considerations, you know. 😉
DeleteBob and I just took the photo tour and “Wow”! This is definitely a dream boat! Good on you for taking the time to find it and the patience to wait for the previous owner to agree to sell. We were impressed with everything but I especially loved the decor (blue and white are my favourite color combo) and a washer and dryer on board?! Luxury! Bob admired the wood accents and smiled, recalling a conversation he had with Greg. We are very happy for you both as you are obviously “living the dream”. Once again, Bon Voyage! We look forward to future updates. Good job on the first entry. Hugs to you both, Charlene
ReplyDeleteThanks. Great to hear from you. I think I know the conversation with Bob you are referring to!
Delete