As I posted about here, we recently flew out to Maryland to be there at a vessel survey for a boat we were interested in buying.
It was the weekend before Thanksgiving. We left Juneau at 8 p.m. (after working a full day), arrived in Seattle around 11:30 p.m., and hopped on a red-eye overnight flight bound for Baltimore, with a stop in Minneapolis. My dad met us in Baltimore and together the three of us made the 45-minute drive south to Annapolis.
If you're not familiar with sailing and/or the East Coast, Annapolis is widely known as the "sailing capital of the world". From the plane, I could see why: the ocean is all around.
Once we got to our hotel, Scotty and I had just about enough energy left to grab dinner. We decided on a local joint, "Davis' Pub", featured on Guy Fieri's show, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". The "Back Creek Potato Skins" were pretty ahh-mazing.
But this is not a post about food, it's about a boat. Back to original programming...
The following morning, we woke up early and met the broker we had been negotiating through, along with the seller, at the boat yard. Shortly thereafter, the surveyor, whom Scotty and I had hired to assess the condition of the vessel, arrived. After introductions he went right to work, tapping the sides of the hull and taking audio "notes" with a hand-held recorder.
We'd already negotiated and agreed on a price, but the seller didn't want to renegotiate after the survey so our fingers (and toes) were crossed that it didn't turn up any major defects. Fortunately, all went went and we were able to move past that hurdle. Buying a boat is quite the process!
It was cold out that day, around 45 degrees and windy. Inside the boat, the heater was already working, but with the hatches open it was still chilly. As the surveyor worked around us, he would occasionally call Scotty and I over to explain a finding to us. We had heard advice to shadow a surveyor's every move, but in this case we found it helpful to listen when he talked to us and let him do his work. You could tell right away how experienced he was and we were very pleased with his work.
Another positive aspect of the day was being able to meet Wind-Lass' current owner. He had driven over five hours one way, all the way from Pittsburg, to be there, and had to make the trip home only later that day. As he meticulously and patiently explained how things worked, you could tell how much he really loved his boat. He had lived on her for years, in Boston and Maine, taken her for a cruise down to the Bahamas with his parents. There were a lot of memories within that space, dreams those sails had held. It was humbling to think that we might have the opportunity to make our own.
The day of the survey was an experience that while appropriately professional, was also extremely personal. In the end, Scotty and I learned a lot about the vessel and felt thankful that he had taken the time to make the trip. We were also glad to talk with the seller's broker, who was helpful, personable, and professional throughout the entire process. Even though he wasn't working for us, we decided not hold that against him. ;)
Technically, Wind-Lass is a yacht (anything over 40 feet is generally considered such). She's a CSY (Caribbean Sailing Yacht) 44' Walk-Through, built in 1981 and commissioned in 1985 (when she was first put in the water). In terms of model, a CSY "walk-through" is the rarer and more sought-after design, compared to the "walk-over" model, meaning you have to exit to the deck to get to the separate aft cabin.
A walk-through layout means you can travel from bow to stern inside the vessel without needing to exit to the deck to get to the aft cabin, basically resulting a roomier-feeling interior.
Scotty in the main living cabin
Wind-Lass is fully-equipped with shower adjacent to the head, which means we won't have to sacrifice good hygiene on board. In the galley there's a really nice gas stove with an oven and a side-by-side fridge and freezer which actually freezes things (the seller had even made us some ice to prove it!).
In addition, the seller added some modifications and extras over the years that we're really excited about, including: self-tailing winches, a self-furling and fully battened mainsail, well-thought out organizational details, and one of the heads converted into extra storage.
We're lucky that Wind-Lass' last owner took such great care of her and the survey found most things in good condition. Still, being a used boat, she'll need some maintenance before our first voyage. We've been advised to not go crazy with the cosmetic updates until those are accomplished... but we shall see ;). After more than ten years of renting, I'm so excited to do some updating and really make the space our own.
Wind-Lass has another very important aspect of what we wanted in a boat: enough space that family and friends can join us when we go sailing (with sleeping room for at least six people).
Me and Dad (who offered to help us "kick the tires") ~ Annapolis, MD
Right now, Wind-Lass is out of the water at a boat yard in Annapolis. Eventually, we plan to take her through the Panama Canal and up the West Coast. But since these things take time (and money) and we can't put a timeline on it. Still, the next chance we get, Scotty and I will be flying out there to give our new girl a little TLC and get her ready for sailing.
I'm looking forward to sharing upcoming new adventures as we go about the business about making her "ship-shape", how this all came about, and our plans for the future. In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed this part of the boat-buying story and a little virtual tour.
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