The Game Plan

Back in 2014, I was in my little office looking at YouTube and I came across SVDelos. I am sure that most people in the sailing community have watched at least one of their videos. I was completely mesmerized by their lives. At that time there wasn't a ton of videos that they had uploaded so it was easy to start from the beginning of Bryan and Brady's adventures and binge with a healthy jealousy. Soon, I had run out of video content and I needed more to feed my appetite. I began searching through YouTube for more sailors documenting their adventures through the lenses of cheap cameras. I wanted in, period.

Could I accurately describe why I had this compelling desire to abandon societal living and embrace the ocean and adventure? No. Society promises us comfort, protection, stability, and money. The ocean promises us nothing. However, many people and myself included have recognized that some promises by civilization are a mirage. The institutions that promise health, wealth, and happiness have put on bigger shoes then they can fill. Colleges, 401ks, insurance, and careers claim to be the ticket to get you were you want to be but when they fail you they say "You should have looked at our disclaimers." I'm definitely not anti-establishment but I do preach an eyes-wide open approach to life. Many of these establishments are necessary at their core but only the blind put their trust in every word.

I quickly started googling cheap sailboats and I searched over the next year for a boat that could get me across an ocean. It didn't have to be luxurious it just had to have a bulletproof hull, a keel-stepped mast, and a reputation. I didn't have a big budget. In fact, I didn't have a budget, I was broke. At the time I was starting a small cleaning business where I could share the work with a few employees so that I could work part-time. I had just moved back in with my parents after spending 3 years in New York during a different chapter in my life and I didn't really have much to work with. In fact, part of the appeal of living on a sailboat was finding a way to live simply and cheaply.

During my search I came across a whole host of derelicts that people were eager to dump. One find was very notable. A couple of hours away a man was selling a Cal 33 that had seen some better days but in my opinion had potential. I thought that would be enough room for myself and possibly my then girlfriend Savannah to use as a getaway. However, after meeting the seller and seeing the boat it was obvious that something was off. He claimed to have sailed it from the Northwest coast of the US down around the Panama Canal and up to the North Carolina coast via plenty of blue water sailing. However, I got a sleazy vibe from the guy who was a braggadocios 50 something that complained about his family constantly saying that his kids only spent time with him for his money. He was asking 10K but I told him I wanted to think about it. After doing some more research about the boat I chanced upon a month old listing of the same exact boat from a different seller for a sale price of only $1000 dollars. I called the fraudster back and told him I found out his game. He confessed he never sailed the boat and that he had just bought it hoping to turn a quick buck. I told him I would buy the boat for $2500 so he could make a quick $1500 and sleep better at night knowing that he isn't scamming someone. Incredulously, he refused because he already had another couple of potential buyers lined up. I realized I had just met the used car salesman of sailboats.

As a year had passed, I eventually came across a woman on craigslist that was selling a Hughes 38 about 5 hours away from me. I sent an email inquiring a little more about the boat and over the next month we exchanged a few messages and I decided to make the drive to see it in person. The boat is not a huge boat but it definitely had a lot more space than the Cal 33 that I had seen previously and the price was right. Remember, I had next to no money. Heather, the owner, told me it was her husband's prized possession that he had brought it down from Canada to Virginia. She and her husband were both doctors who used the boat for recreation. Unfortunately, after many years together he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. Heather had a hard time selling the boat for years because of the sentimental value of it. Some people were interested in scrapping the boat and pulling anything of value off of it but she couldn't bear to see that happen to her husband's boat. When we came around and told her our plans to rehab the boat and give it it's dignity back she was excited.

Heather too, was asking 10K. Maybe it was a little much for the boat but there were two things that sweetened the deal. First of all, it had a brand new diesel engine. Her husband had just put the engine in the boat shortly before he became sick. So with an engine that had less than 6 hours on it, I was basically buying an engine that came with a boat! Secondly, I didn't have 10K to give her. I hatched a plan to give her the asking price for the boat along with free financing for me. She would keep the title to the boat until I had paid off every last cent. Heather liked our plan and gave us a shot. So we wrote up a contract and within a year we had paid off and owned outright our project boat.

All that was left was to fix the boat...