News and News

Well, today I'll be seeing how public transport works from my client in downtown Manhattan to City Island where there will be a yacht club meeting. I just want to see how it goes. Frankly, I was going to try this earlier in the season, but didn't because of time constraints.

So, it's an adventure.

I put up a silly little ad in Boat U.S. for Inertia and not expecting anything from it, I got a call. That was a surprise, let me tell you. It makes the sale of Inertia all the more real. And hopefully, it will result in a view and offer. We'll see.

Of course the buyer wants to see the boat, and maybe this weekend - the problem was that I wanted to go sailing Friday and return Monday, but since the boat's coming up the Hudson October 14th, I thought, no, let's hang and let the person look. So I may not get to meet my friends in Northport for Saturday evening. Ah, well. That's the way it goes. But it was a close decision.

It's certainly sad to have someone come aboard and look at your boat not as a thing of beauty, which it no doubt is, but as a series of repairs and problems. They're looking to see if they could live with the flaws, or at least deal with them within their budget.

More, they'll see all my winter projects as a reason to bargain down the price. And I'll have to take it. Arrrrgghhh!

Last weekend I went to look at a Gulfstar 41 and a Tayana Surprise, which is a ketch with equal height masts. The Gulfstar was inexpensive, but for my needs would have to have the interior redone. The 41 is just a little too small.

The Tayana was nice inside, with some very cool features, but the teak deck (I hate teak decks for so many reasons) and the fact that the mizzen was as large as the main were deal killers. The big thing about the large mizzen is that it takes as much effort to manage as the main. That's not a good thing for singlehanding or sail balance. I hate teak because it's a maintenance nightmare (although I'm prone to live and let live when it comes to that) and because it's hard to repair and finally because it's an endangered wood species.

So, the search is still on. I'm thinking of an Endeavor 42, a Pierson 42, or a Gulfstar 43/44. I really want a ketch, but will do with a sloop if easy enough to manage.

More on this later, and one way or another, I'll see you on the water!