Time for a quickie!

The boat we looked at on Sunday is a no-go.  It was in good shape for a previous charter, but it was completely stripped.  Practically no equipment: no ac, no generator, no solar panels (that's just the big stuff - not even a measly spoon!)  Completely empty.  And there was water in the bilge.  And a main window panel over the salon leaks.  And the guy (broker) was kinda, I dunno...  Something just wasn't right.  We really liked the way it looked - even wrote a check for the deposit, but by the end my stomach was in knots and I took the check back.  We spent the 6 hr drive  home wondering if we did the right thing.

I went to bed and just tried to focus on having a clear answer in the morning.  And guess what?  I did.

I remembered that there was another boat listed in a very similar price range and it's just 3 years older.  Also a charter in a previous life.  By now it was Monday, Memorial Day, and we knew we were not driving (5hrs 1 way) to see it that day.  I made arrangements to drive down by myself the next day, after teaching my 7:30am Pilates class.  Turns out she's great!  Has almost all the equipment we want.

I submitted an offer last night and am just waiting on the answer!  Fingers and toes are crossed!  I'll give you guys the full run down as soon as we know it's a done deal.  :)

Is THIS it!?

We are off again.  Heading to Ft. Lauderdale over the holiday weekend to look at a gorgeous 39' Beneteau.   The price is right, it's newer than most we've looked at, it has the required swim/SCUBA deck on the back, a decent sized master berth  AND  it's still available!  Send out the good vibes!

I will take pics this time - and hopefully even a video!  For now, here's a photo of a random Beneteau 393 that I've stolen from the internet:

And from what I can tell, this is roughly the layout:

Lagoon 380 = Perfection!

Well, maybe Perfection is a bit strong.  But I have to say, if I happened across a Lagoon 380 that needed a good home, I'd certainly be happy to adopt it!

We were able to board a 2008 (?) Lagoon 380 this past Thursday - here in Savannah, of all places.  She was great!  Lots of room, clean lines, not a lot of clutter - but plenty of amenities, and certainly liveaboardable/charterable (yes, I make up words.  You'll get used to it, even if SpellCheck never does).  We happened to be on the Owner's version (my favorite) but I'm sure the Charter layout would work as well.  If you're unfamiliar with Owner vs Charter - well, we were too until we started all this catamaran shopping.  The Charter version has 4 berths (bedrooms) - one in each end of both hulls.  And a head (bathroom...) between the two berths, to be shared.  So - 4 bedroom, 2 bath in traditional real estate lingo.  The Owner's layout, however, has 3 berths and 2 heads.  One hull has an identical layout to the Charter version, but the other hull has a larger berth on one end and a much larger head at the other - with some sort of desk/dressing table/couch etc in the middle.  I'll post a layout from a Lagoon 380 so you can see what I'm talking about.

So where does this leave us?  To be honest, Lagoon 380's in the Owner's layout are actually fairly hard to find.  And pretty pricey.  Our price range keeps going up and up and up...  Time to figure out how to juggle our real estate in order to land on a solid $$ amount - a realistic $$ amount, so that we can REALLY get in there and start shopping!  All in due time, I'm sure.  But I have to say, being on that Lagoon last week certainly made me itch to get out on the water!

Penalties at the 40' line

We're still boat searching.  It has slowed down considerably - and as we continue to narrow our window on brand and model, the key question has become length.  

Here's where I need some help.  We're shooting for a 38' + size, but I've read snippets here and there about increased fees for docking, customs etc.  But that's just it - only snippets.  Hints at higher costs, but no concrete evidence.  So I'm on the prowl for information.  Is it true that something magical happens after 39' and that we should be charged accordingly?  Should I stick to searches for 38' and 39' catamarans?  Or is it just more boating folklore floating around on the web?

If it's true - that certainly narrows my searches and helps me focus.  If it's just another tall tale of the seas, well, I'd entertain the possibility of another few feet!

 Cat haulout   Image from Cruiser's Forum 

*The longer the boat is, the wider it is - the longer and wider it it, the more it costs to haul out of the water!  And once you hit a certain (TBD by more research) width, it seriously limits your choices of marinas throughout the world.

Secret Diving

A lot of people don't realize you can actually SCUBA dive out of Savannah.  I know - there's a giant shelf out there.  It keeps the water shallow  (and just happens to protect us from hurricanes).  We also have a few rivers feeding into the ocean, creating healthy estuaries along the shore.  This water is chock full of all kinds of things - and if you go out just far enough, you can see it!
I had an event to go to yesterday, but that didn't keep Honey Pie from going out.  Not only do we have diving off shore - we have wreck diving!  So the gang settled in for the 2 hour ride to the wrecks.  They headed out in what were reported to be 1' seas.

Too bad the weather forecast was completely off.  Somehow the weather man missed the giant band of storms heading in from the SE.  Seas were closer to 4' to 6'.  Some of the gang is already prone to sea sickness, so you can imagine a 25' boat in 5' chop for 2 hours was not what they were hoping for.

The first stop was a bust - but they rallied and headed to the next wreck.  The good thing about diving in chop is that as soon as you descend it calms down.  Bye bye seasickness, hello freaky sea creatures!   Thankfully H.P. is a camera fiend underwater and we've got several to share.

I think it's time to buy one of those fish identifying books!

Saloon or Salon?

Hey guys!

Not a lot going on boat-wise this week.  I've got a little birdie offering to get me on a Lagoon 380 for a peek.  This one is not for sale, but I'd certainly like to see the layout.  We're at that crucial point where we're trying to decide if a 38' is big enough, or if we should suck it up and go for a 40'.

We're strongly leaning toward casual chartering/liveaboard.  Not a "oh crap we've gotta fill the calendar" sort of chartering - more of a "hey, my friend says you do tours" sort of way.  Laid back 1/2 day, full day, or dinner tours - with MackDaddy food, of course.

If that plan holds, we would like to have a little more space in the Salon.  Or is it saloon?  I see it both ways, and I've gotta say it drives me nuts.  Either way, it's technically the dining/hang out area inside the boat.    Of course, the maximum number of paying guests at any one time is 6, so maybe the right 38' would work.

See - I told you there's not much going on this week.

I think I'll take advantage of the short news day to let you know that I love comments (feel free to chime in below!) and it would be great if you would follow this blog.  There are at least 4 ways to keep up with updates - just scroll along the right and left columns here and choose whichever one works for you.  I'd hate for you to miss something important - you know, when we start getting a little more adventurous and junk.

Thanks for reading!