Flying Lady, was a good introduction to sailing; but I decided that I wanted to look into upgrading - maybe something a little nicer and perhaps larger. Our one family vacation on her had proven her to be inadequate for a family of 4 even though she "supposedly" slept 5 people.
Heaven Bound
I
began to do as much research as I could especially on the internet. Early on in
my sailing career I had found the Trailer Sailor Bulletin Board forum and the
members are great for bouncing ideas around and getting advice. The board
represents a vast array of boating and sailing experience and they proved very
helpful. I also visited several owner forums paying particular attention to
owner reviews. I even took a couple days and went to the coastal areas of NC to
visit some marinas and look at several particular boats up close and
personal. I looked at a Macgregor 25 in Elizabeth City and a San Juan 24 in New
Bern - not boats for sale but they were on my list of possibilities. I visited
the Rhodes plant in Edenton and looked at the Rhodes 22 - a very nice boat,
well thought out but even used boats were pricey. I saw a Compac 23 in Oriental
- a boat I really like but it weighs a little more than my car would pull. The
SJ 24 had a great interior but was really about the same issue -
weight.
After much deliberation I settled on a Macgregor 26C. The water
ballast made the boat much lighter to trailer, no fixed keel made her easy to
launch and retrieve, the interior included a queen size berth, after some
initial tenderness she stiffens up nicely, and she was reportedly a quick
and fast boat. All of this and they were also affordable. So the search to find
one for sale began. I found one in West Milford, NJ on Greenwood Lake. The
owners were in their 80's and were giving up sailing. They had bought the boat
new and had kept her on the Hudson River in the summers. After some negotiating
I bought the 1990 model for $5600. That was in 2004.
I christened her Heaven Bound. As many boat names have
double meanings, so would ours. Sailing off into the sunset can indeed be
heavenly; and as Christians, we are heaven bound when we leave this life.
I sold her in 2012 for $5500. She was actually worth more than
that but the gunnel on the starboard side had gotten crunched against the
piling at my pier when the fenders slipped out of position. My home repair was
pretty good but still it was there. The motor also had a problem with cutting
out when you put it in reverse. Turned out that was a minor fix. Oh, well.
Still not bad for 8 years of enjoyment.
Oh, yea - the new owner is a Christian too and loves the name. You can read about the new adventures of s/v Heaven Bound here.
(boatyard: to be continued)
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