It is two hours before I have to get up to drive another two hours to Michigan City to take a look at a boat that is for sale. The excitement always gets to me and I have a hard time sleeping. You might say, "But, It's just a boat." However, to me it is freedom, relaxation and time I get to spend with my family.
There are a few other things that I am excited for as well. This boat has stand up headroom. Something that you miss in a 23 footer with only 4 and a half foot clearance. Next, I am tired for lugging the old port-a-pot to shore to dump. (It's a crappy job, but someone has to do it and with all girls in the household that fall on me. I did not even get to vote.) This boat has a storage tank and can be pumped out at the marina. The Hunter 34 has wheel steering that my wife and I learned to sail with. I am glad to have had a boat with tiller steering in the past to help me get a better connection with the wind and water, because with a tiller, it does FEEL different. In the past, the girls wanted to being friends sailing with us. Now, there would be plenty of room. The 34 sleeps 7. So, as she sits in the water and I await seeing her, she meets my criteria for the next boat.
All that stuff is fine and dandy, but a waste if left day and night at the dock. I have a plan. Actually, it is a five year plan. First, complete the purchase of the Hunter and secure storage for winter and a slip for next summer. Over the next three summers, take a months vacation to explore Door County, Traverse Bay, and Mackinac. In the forth year, we will take two months to take the boat through the St. Lawerence seaway, down the ICW to berth the boat in Florida for year five. The last year of my five year plan will see us take several trips from Florida to the Bahamas. This will help build our confidence to cruising and off shore passages. I look forward to getting to know this boat. I am sure we can learn from each other.
So, in the end, I just need the current owner to sell ME his boat. I know we are not the only ones interested in her. I just know we are the best fit for her. What about after the five year plan is up? I am thinking, further south....
