An Unexpected Getaway

Originally Posted at www.svsweetescape.com

We have been paying attention to the boat market for a long time in anticipation of buying the boat that we would ultimately retire on.  Of course, before we could do that there were obstacles to overcome, not the least of which was the sale of our beautiful home in Pleasant Prairie near the bottom of a depressed real estate market.  We were lucky to be able to find a buyer and sell the house last July after ten months on the market and a lot of price reductions.

Since then we have continued to watch the sailboat market with the intention of purchasing a boat this spring (2012).  After a lot of looking, we  decided to purchase a 40+ foot Hunter sailboat that was built in the late 90’s or early 2000’s.  It seems to us that with these vessels you get a lot for your money.  Decent build quality, great brand name gear like Yanmar, Harken, Selden and Lewmar and huge interior volume which is important to a live aboard.  We had focused in on the Hunter 41 or the older Hunter 410.  There were many available on the market at very good prices.  It seems that real estate is not the only down market these days - thankfully for us.

A few miles north of where we live is a Hunter dealer.  Racine Riverside Marine in Racine Wisconsin.  We had become acquainted with a boat broker there a few years ago and understanding our timeline and situation he stayed in touch with us, calling every six months or so to update us on a new boat he had in brokerage or just to touch base on our plans and progress.

We also kept our former boat, an O’Day 27 named Integrity at Riverside last season after moving the boat from Muskegon Michigan where we originally purchased it a few years ago.

Riverside had a 1998 Hunter 410 in brokerage that we had been interested in for a while and we made arrangements to see the boat in early February after having run into our boat broker at the Strictly Sail Chicago boat show.

We liked the price of this boat.  One of our requirements for any boat we would buy would be that it must either already have or if not, we would be able to add a diesel generator.  This particular boat did not have a genset but it’s price would allow us to easily add one.

When we looked at this boat we were disappointed.  There was some evidence of deck leaks and the general condition of the boat struck us as below average.  While we were at the boat yard, in a snowstorm I might add, broker Steve insisted that we look at another boat that he had in brokerage.  This was a 44 foot 2003 Hunter 426 named Festina Tarde.  We had been aware of this boat and knew that it was priced well above our price range.

Since we were there, and never ones to turn down the opportunity to get on board any sailboat, we looked at the 426 and she was truly beautiful even in the gloom of the mini blizzard that was ongoing, her polished stainless steel fittings gleamed. She appeared to have been well taken care of, had only 300 hours on the Yanmar diesel, in mast furling and almost everything else we wanted except the aforementioned required genset.  But alas, it was not to be as the price was well above what we could comfortably spend plus there would be a generator to pay for as well.

That night we decided we would have to travel to find the boat of our dreams.  For sometime we had been aware of a 2003 Hunter 426 for sale in New Smyrna Beach Florida.  After having seen the 426 in Racine we decided to go to Florida to look at this boat.  We booked flights and three hotel nights and developed a plan to see that boat along with two others in Southwest Florida over a two day period.  This was going to be a challenge but we made arrangements with the Florida boat broker to see the 426 and started working on contacting the two other brokers to do the same.

Two days later, while at work Brian received a call from broker Steve at Racine Riverside.  Steve said that the owner of the Hunter 426DS, Festina Tarde was highly motivated and that he believed that we could buy that boat and have a new genset installed at a number that was right at the very top of our price range.  Brian told Steve that we would think about it.

That night we talked it over, and determined that if it was possible to buy the 426 at that price including a new generator, that we would be getting a very good deal so we decided to make an offer on the Hunter 426 DS Festina Tarde at Racine Riverside.  We delivered the offer the next morning and waited.  The following afternoon Brian received a phone call at work from Steve informing us that our offer had been accepted.  

The emotions came fast and furious, first joy and excitement and then terror “wow”, this was more boat than either of us ever thought we would own and certainly more boat than either of us had ever handled or sailed before.  The majority of our boating and sailing experience was aboard our 27 foot O’Day, Integrity, a sweet but very basic boat and compared to the vessel we had just contracted to purchase; as different as night and ... o’day.  Getting to know this boat in time to take it cruising will be a challenge but hey, we’ve got all summer and someone has to do it.

So that gets us back to the title of this post, An Unexpected Getaway.  If you will recall we booked a trip to Florida to go boat shopping which was no longer necessary but of course had been fully paid for and was not refundable.  So, we decided to go anyway and spent 2 1/2 days in the Orlando/Tampa areas.  Despite a flight from hell on the way down, an encounter with a maniacal homeless guy on a bicycle and cooler than normal Florida weather, a nice time was had by all.  

We will post some photos in our gallery from this trip.