Second Happiest Day (?)

[Koolau]

those TVA lakes looked just spectacular when we flew over them on the way to Asheville and points east. It looked like you could play forever in those wrinkles filled with water.

My mom and dad took big sis and me to FL to see grandparent ca 1952. We stopped at Norris Dam and I was utterly impressed as a 5 year old. Couldn't believe people could build something that huge. It was awe inspiring.

As a side note, mom and dad left us with the grandparents and went to a trade convention. We all returned with the beginnings of my little sis though no one knew it yet. Watch out when mom and dad get some alone time from the other rug rats. YMMV

 

[old medic]

those TVA lakes looked just spectacular when we flew over them on the way to Asheville and points east. It looked like you could play forever in those wrinkles filled with water.

Some of them are a real challenge to sail... Narrow and finnicky wind directions.

 

[Koolau]

Some of them are a real challenge to sail... Narrow and finnicky wind directions.

Heh, heh and then there are those pesky dams!

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

The two happiest days of a boat owner’s life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it.

Friends, I’m about to have my second day.

My great-grandfather raced sailboats, my grandfather (mom’s dad) did and my father did (that’s how he met mom). For fifty five of my seventy years, I’ve owned a variety of boats, sail, power, row.

Thirty years ago a dear friend called while DW and I were on our honeymoon telling me that he was 'very' ill and needed to sell his five year-old sailboat. His was the only boat I had ever really wanted and I jumped at the opportunity.

A 52 foot sailboat isn’t the type of thing that you use casually when there’s nothing better to do, so for the next thirty years our life revolved around that boat; it was a lifestyle commitment.

But with hundreds of trips up and down the coast north of Boston, overnights in Nantucket, birthday parties on board, one memorable 'cook aboard' dinner for ten, we have had more than enough memories--and photos for a lifetime.

The boat and I aged together over time. But it was not the type of boat you just took out for an hour spin, and it’s a very big boat to handle yourself; a lot of work. Heck, it took almost an hour to get out into deep enough water to hoist the sails. Over the past few years, we stopped sailing as much and the boat became more of a summer home; lunch at the mooring, a swim, some music, a nap. Thirty five is also old for a boat like that, the maintenance was getting more involved (and costly) and, well….we had just had enough. It was just time to move on and do something different.

So, our old girl is on her way to a better home. Happy? A bit melancholy for DW and I. We did join a local boat club where we can take out power boats whenever we want and we’re really looking forward to that. No mess, no fuss; 'here’s the keys, kid, thanks'.

One regret: Every year, my brother and I would do three or four different overnights at the mooring. An entire bottle of Scotch would evaporate during the early evening as we sat in the cockpit chatting, looking at the stars. In the early morning my brother would jump out of his bunk, stark naked and run up and over the rails into the cold New England water. The last time we went out, he was begging me to join him; he loved it. 'C’mon, c’mon!'. I refused; just didn’t feel like getting wet that day. Had I known that in four weeks he’d have a life threatening and life changing stroke, I’d have jumped in with him even if I were wearing my best business suit. But…regrets are for another day.

Bon voyage my girl!

I spent many , many hours on the deck of a 23 foot bay boat fishing next to my brother. We lost him to cancer at age 51 in 2011. Id push a big stack out of my pile in to spend one more morning "fishing" with him.

Carpe Diem yall

 

[marko]

OP here..
With boat hauling time approaching here in New England, I thought I'd provide an update.

As noted, we joined Freedom Boat Club and have had a blast all summer. There are several types of boats available including a 27 foot twin engine Key West.

Our old, large boat was a lot of work to take out and her size prevented us from getting into a lot of small coves and shallow waters. These smaller boats let us get into and enjoy some really nice areas...and get to them quickly. We can anchor in a sandy cove in 4 feet of water for lunch and a swim. We've had zero problems reserving and in fact have got boats at the very last minute by calling the dock master. We go out 3 or 4 times a week.

We've also discovered life without a boat that required a lifestyle commitment. Wouldn't change a thing, but that boat was all we did for 30 years...and now we find there's a whole lot more we can do. We now even go to family cookouts!

Best of all, at the end of each day and with fall/ hurricane season approaching, there's nothing, I mean nothing, like pulling up to the dock, handing the kid the keys and saying "see you next week". Come haul out time, I'll be reading a book somewhere while all the crap that goes with that is handled by someone else and I say " see you in the spring"!.

 

[Souschef]

Best of all, at the end of each day and with fall/ hurricane season approaching, there's nothing, I mean nothing, like pulling up to the dock handing the kid the keys and saying "see you next week". Come haul out time, I'll be reading a book somewhere while all the crap that goes with that is handled by someone else.

Marko, That is the same way I feel about renting a plane. I pull it into the tiedown spot, hand the keys to the line person who gasses it and ties it down.

 

[Koolau]

OP here..
With boat hauling time approaching here in New England, I thought I'd provide an update.

As noted, we joined Freedom Boat Club and have had a blast all summer. There are several types of boats available including a 27 foot twin engine Key West.

Our old, large boat was a lot of work to take out and her size prevented us from getting into a lot of small coves and shallow waters. These smaller boats let us get into and enjoy some really nice areas...and get to them quickly. We can anchor in a sandy cove in 4 feet of water for lunch and a swim. We've had zero problems reserving and in fact have got boats at the very last minute by calling the dock master. We go out 3 or 4 times a week.

We've also discovered life without a boat that required a lifestyle commitment. Wouldn't change a thing, but that boat was all we did for 30 years...and now we find there's a whole lot more we can do. We now even go to family cookouts!

Best of all, at the end of each day and with fall/ hurricane season approaching, there's nothing, I mean nothing, like pulling up to the dock, handing the kid the keys and saying "see you next week". Come haul out time, I'll be reading a book somewhere while all the crap that goes with that is handled by someone else and I say " see you in the spring"!.

Once again, we who are FIRE'd attest that Time>Money.

 

[marko]

Once again, we who are FIRE'd attest that Time>Money.

And in this case, I'm saving both! Maintenance and storage for the old girl was running close to $25k of late (with an extra $12k repair looming). The boat club is costing us $550 a month! (Plus gas)

"The Boat" was our entire life and now it's just something we do…a few hours of riding around, lunch, snack, swim and then go home. In a way its a lot more relaxed way of living. Different, but we really do enjoy the change. More of a hobby than a lifestyle. Also I just hit 70 and I'm looking for things to lighten the load.

 

[street]

I've heard that "second happiest day" saying a lot.

I think it only applies to those who shouldn't really have owned a boat in the first place. I've sold lots of boats, and every time it was with some sadness. Even if it was a pain to unload. Even if it was big relief from a burden. It was still like selling a part of myself.

9 years on, I still miss the last boat I sold, even though at that time I already owned my current boat, there was a very soft market, and it was on the market (consuming my time and money) for a year.

It's like they say: If you don't understand boat ownership, no explanation is possible. If you understand, no explanation is necessary.

I would have to agree to your assessment and also fits other things in life as well.

 

[skyking1]

Congrats on both sides of that story, Marko. I really enjoy sailing and those 30 years you had are golden. I always wanted a boat that size for the hull speed and amenities, seaworthiness.
My first sailing experience i was 17 and my brother and friend had rented a 34' boat out of Shilshole Marina in Seattle, and he invited me to go with them on spring break. My brother was not the experienced sailor, Marty was.
Our Spanish club had done a play at Wenatchee that Friday, and I got special permission to drive my own car there, and then across Stevens Pass to Anacortes. I got on the state ferry there with my duffel bag, and got off at Friday Harbor and waited on the dock for them. I think back that this was all pre-arranged and decades before mobile phones.
Friday Harbor is a sheltered rocky inlet to a nice cove, and here come 3 or 4 sailboats around the head and in. One by one they start dropping sail and firing up motors to come to the dock, save one boat.
They are all out with a nice breeze and the captain has a sheet in each hand and a foot on the tiller. There was exactly one berth on the outside of the transient dock, and he was making for it!
I'm there with all these other spring break boaters, and they start to watch this sailboat heading at the dock.
They get close and I recognized my brother, who was just standing by with a fenders and a line for the dock and doing what he was told. Marty drops sail, kicks the tiller over at the perfect time and my brother steps off and ties off the boat.
The crowd cheers and claps in appreciation, and I put my duffel on the deck. I had never even stood next to a sailboat before and I got hooked.

 

[Koolau]

Congrats on both sides of that story, Marko. I really enjoy sailing and those 30 years you had are golden. I always wanted a boat that size for the hull speed and amenities, seaworthiness.
My first sailing experience i was 17 and my brother and friend had rented a 34' boat out of Shilshole Marina in Seattle, and he invited me to go with them on spring break. My brother was not the experienced sailor, Marty was.
Our Spanish club had done a play at Wenatchee that Friday, and I got special permission to drive my own car there, and then across Stevens Pass to Anacortes. I got on the state ferry there with my duffel bag, and got off at Friday Harbor and waited on the dock for them. I think back that this was all pre-arranged and decades before mobile phones.
Friday Harbor is a sheltered rocky inlet to a nice cove, and here come 3 or 4 sailboats around the head and in. One by one they start dropping sail and firing up motors to come to the dock, save one boat.
They are all out with a nice breeze and the captain has a sheet in each hand and a foot on the tiller. There was exactly one berth on the outside of the transient dock, and he was making for it!
I'm there with all these other spring break boaters, and they start to watch this sailboat heading at the dock.
They get close and I recognized my brother, who was just standing by with a fenders and a line for the dock and doing what he was told. Marty drops sail, kicks the tiller over at the perfect time and my brother steps off and ties off the boat.
The crowd cheers and claps in appreciation, and I put my duffel on the deck. I had never even stood next to a sailboat before and I got hooked.

I can see why that would make you want to join in. I had a similar experience with a friend who took DW, me and a couple of other friends out on his sail boat. He let me steer the boat and I realized it was more complicated than flying (especially the navigation.) He too was able to drop the sail, and still slide into his slip.

I thought I'd arrived when I turned off the engine and stalled the prop of my C-150, landed and coasted up to the gas pumps. Heh, heh, It was a calm day and I was the only one in the pattern. Too bad there was no one there to see it. YMMV

 

[skyking1]

I believe you Koolau. My second solo the instructor said go ahead, knowing it was pretty nautical that day. I bounced up into the air and realized this was a different beast, and had it about half right. It took me two missed approaches to figure out the nasty crosswind and how it interacted with the rows of hangars. I got it landed and was quite happy to taxi in and tie it down with ~0.4 on the hour meter. The flip side to your day

 

[Midpack]

OP here..
With boat hauling time approaching here in New England, I thought I'd provide an update.

As noted, we joined Freedom Boat Club and have had a blast all summer. There are several types of boats available including a 27 foot twin engine Key West.

Our old, large boat was a lot of work to take out and her size prevented us from getting into a lot of small coves and shallow waters. These smaller boats let us get into and enjoy some really nice areas...and get to them quickly. We can anchor in a sandy cove in 4 feet of water for lunch and a swim. We've had zero problems reserving and in fact have got boats at the very last minute by calling the dock master. We go out 3 or 4 times a week.

We've also discovered life without a boat that required a lifestyle commitment. Wouldn't change a thing, but that boat was all we did for 30 years...and now we find there's a whole lot more we can do. We now even go to family cookouts!

Best of all, at the end of each day and with fall/ hurricane season approaching, there's nothing, I mean nothing, like pulling up to the dock, handing the kid the keys and saying "see you next week". Come haul out time, I'll be reading a book somewhere while all the crap that goes with that is handled by someone else and I say " see you in the spring"!.

Same journey here. We had a series of 5 sailboats, and it was a lifestyle for us, including over 20 years racing competitively. But I finally sold the last one in 2018. I’m glad we sailed together for all those years, but much to my surprise I don’t miss the commitment or (eye watering) expenses. We joined a sailing club where we have access to a fleet of Flying Scots, Sunfish, paddleboard, kayaks and canoes - good enough for me. I’d join Freedom Boat Club if not for the upfront one time entry fee, the annual cost after that is fair enough but not the entry fee IMO. I’ve moved on to golf, and DW to pickleball, MUCH cheaper.

 

[Koolau]

I believe you Koolau. My second solo the instructor said go ahead, knowing it was pretty nautical that day. I bounced up into the air and realized this was a different beast, and had it about half right. It took me two missed approaches to figure out the nasty crosswind and how it interacted with the rows of hangars. I got it landed and was quite happy to taxi in and tie it down with ~0.4 on the hour meter. The flip side to your day

Did I ever tell you about landing in a winter wheat field? THAT's what I think of as a flip side to my intentional dead-stick landing. (Full disclosure: It was about my 5th lesson and the instructor landed the aircraft.) Once a year, I drive to that field just to "reconnect" with my youth. YMMV

 

[wsmurdoch]

We got back from our five month trip to the Bahamas in our Pacific Seacraft 34 June 20 and have been here at our Tennessee mountain home messing around with our boats on Patrick Henry Lake across the street and the nearby Watauga Lake. Next year rather than make a fourteenth winter/spring trip to the Bahamas, we are signed up with friends to take a cruise ship from Chile to Argentina with the primary objective of seeing Cape Horn.

 

[Ronstar]

I felt sad when I sold my last pontoon boat. Sold it to a family on the same lake as us. I felt a lot better when I drove it over to their place and their young son was waiting for me on the dock with a line. I knew that it was going to be enjoyed for a long time.

 

[JP.mpls]

I bought my boat when I purchased a cabin.
It was the exact boat that I wanted, and I've had no regrets. My friend had one, and I always liked it.
Sadly, all I do is go to a quiet calm bay nearby, anchor the boat, and go swimming. Silly.
I plan on keeping it as long as I own the cabin.
It stays on a lift. If I had to tow and launch it every time, no way.
Both of my cousins bought pontoons around the same time, and they have both upgraded once, and one is talking about a third upgrade. I don't understand why they are doing this.
I should just bring it to the marina for winterization and storage, but so far, I do that myself, and tow it to storage.
Take care, JP .