Not everything was done when we arrived at the Moorings Sunsail base in Marsh Harbour Abacos.  We got there safely and we’re happy to be on the boat anyway.

We’re all packed up and on our way to the boat. Remeber to subscribe at YouTube for updates and notices when we go live.

This video is day 1 of our 1500 mile drive to Florida.  From there we’ll fly to the Bahamas and get aboard our new home.

Danielle sold her car and Dean has fears.  Buying a sailboat is supposed to be fun… someone said that didn’t they?

Here’s a quick update on what we’ve been doing over the last month.  Spoiler alert – we’re owners of big shinny boat.  How exciting is that?  Check out the video…

Today is the last day for us to accept or decline our boat.  We are stuck as to what to do.  Check out the video to hear our thoughts.  Don’t forget to click on the YouTube bell so YouTube will notify you when we post other videos. Remember to make comments as well.

The boat which we’re supposed to purchase on Sept 29 is currently lying in Marsh Habour Bahamas.  For those of you that don’t follow the weather like my dad does, that’s potentially in the path of the most powerful hurricane to come out of the Atlantic Ocean since, well ever.

Our surveyor (boating world for inspector)  is supposed to get us his report so we can confirm things with the seller.  The seller is most likely to busy running around tying boats down or getting them out of the way of the storm.  So here we sit.  No one calls us back.  They may not even have phones right now.

Anyway, here’s a link to some of adventures sailing across the South China Sea with my brother.  Make sure to subscribe to our youtube channel http://bit.ly/hooksnhair and we’ll stay on top of updates.

If you saw the last post and watched the video link https://youtu.be/24hvebkm-Hg.  You may have guessed we found another boat.

It was a hard decision but I decided to increase our price by what feels like A LOT.  However, what a difference it makes.  The new boat is 4 years old and is in almost perfect shape.  Below is a video of survey day. We are actively making videos now and hope to entertain and inspire you through our adventure.

When last we left off, our dynamic duo was on the prowl for another boat.  They have signed a contract and then unsigned.

After some simple negotiations, we came to an agreement with the seller and did a full survey.  Danielle and I traveled to Arlington, VA to have a look at our new home (boat).

Let’s cut to the chase, another one didn’t work out after survey.  I’ve made up my mind that we’re going to have to spend more money.  All of the boats in our price range seem to be falling apart.

Here is a video walk through of that boat I made for Danielle.  It hints at what’s to come.

Of Mice and Men keeps popping up in my head.

We had a a boat under contract. We passed after the survey said ” everything on this boat is either broken or leaking “.

Here are a couple of pictures of the one that got away…

It’s been a long time since either of us has posted anything and for this, I apologize.

After the wedding and our honeymoon summer we had the intention of getting our home ready for the market and moving in to our staging home before going off to sea.  While Dani and I were roaming about northern Wisconsin on our summer vacation my friend Willi Abbott, house flipper extraordinaire, asked me to join him in a rehab project on a Wayzata, MN property.   Our intention was to have a contractor do the work with little manual labor from us then have a real estate agent handle the sale.  Remember the book  Of Mice and Men? … “The best laid plans of mice and men oft gang agley”.

Decent contractors seem to be very busy in Minneapolis these days so for two months I was swinging a hammer and wielding a paint brush.  Not a day went by during that job ( anytime it seems ) I didn’t think about Danielle and me sailing off to get our sea legs.  After we finally finished the project, the real estate agent, try as he did, couldn’t get the house sold.  Now, instead of just our home to sell, I have two houses to sell.  I’m a limited broker so it’s easy enough to list the property and save the commission which we now need to do because the house has yet to sell.  Pictures of the Wayzata, house and our home for sale are included in case you know someone in market.

The best deal in Wayzata. Isn’t this a pretty kitchen!!

We’re trading her in for a sailboat. Know anyone looking for a great home in Eagan, MN?

After my construction stint I got back on the home selling horse and have started in on the last minute details of getting our house ready to sell.  One of those details has been gathering up all of the stuff that seems to have some value and selling it on Ebay and Craigslist.  Yes, it’s true.  People really do want to buy your junk.  I keep wondering if people will buy my old suits.  With the exception of our wedding, it’s been a while since I’ve worn one and I soon hope to only need my board shorts and flip flops to cover my tanned and toned body.  I also tackled the chandelier fix I’ve been putting off for the last 3 years.  The ceiling is 20 feet high and I don’t have a ladder that big.  Here’s what I did…

My make shift platform to work on the foyer light.

It’s not so high.

Just like being up the mast… right?

Speaking of flip flops, in our search for the boat we went to the Miami boat show in February.  I learned that in the boat buying world, we are guppies.  Our budget is nothing compared to the amount of money people are spending on boats today.  Brokers have little time for our deal.  They’re not to be blamed.  It’s much more fun fishing for the bigger fish.  We’re learning that we need to rely a little more on our own whit when it comes to buying.  There’s always more to learn.

While at the show I thought I would check Craigslist to see if anyone in Miami was selling their catamaran.  Yes, I’m addicted to buying and selling stuff on Craigslist.   An ex Canadian Army guy ( Steve ) posted his FP Athena 38 saying he’s motivated.  Dani and I rented a car and off we went on a mini adventure to Fort Lauderdale in hopes of finding the ” perfect boat “.  We decided to take Miami public transportation to the airport to get the car.  Take a look at the picture and you’ll find out what an adventure that was. We caught a nice buzz from the side stream smoke of the kids sitting next to us on the platform.  It was like being in the islands.

She wasn’t perfect but I almost fell in love.  I’ll write more about this boat in my next post.  For now I’ll say if the weather was perfect in our lives, we would be living on a boat right now.  Something I keep reminding myself is it’s important to wait for the the weather window with which one is comfortable before setting off on a sailing passage.   Hopefully Steve will still be living on that boat in the river after we sell some real estate.  The skies are clearing and the window is almost right.