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Introduction I’m going to start my logs here for the simple reason that when I was trolling the web looking to read stories about families who had gone from living on land and working a 9-5 job to making a sea change to go cruising, most of them had started blogging once they had bought a yacht and already moved on board – sometimes a year down the track. In my desperation to gain information about how they actually made it happen, and what it was like, I searched countless blogs to read stories about what the transition in their life was like from as early as I could. Now I always promised myself that I would start my blog from the time I was searching for a yacht. That way if anyone else was searching to see what it actually was like, I wouldn’t do to them what others had done to me. Now I am a little further progressed in my yacht purchase, I can sort of understand why people only start a blog once they have bought a yacht and made the move. In reality, if I had documented, even every month, from when I first got the dream and started looking and learning about yachts, I’d have a blog covering from around August 2005 until now, and it would likely be filled with frustrations, failures and follies enough to put any sane person off ever contemplating purchasing a yacht and going cruising. So I can sort of understand why people tend to leave the blogging until they’re safely onboard their yacht.
Yes we’ve had stories from the beginning when we had a dream, but had to look up terminology just so we could talk to a broker and not sound too green. To the first time we actually went out and met a broker and walked onboard a yacht, trying to pretend we were serious buyers just to get a look onboard a real cruising yacht. Then there was the time, just over 12 months ago, when we thought we’d found our dream yacht. We’d talked to the broker and she had faithfully answered all our questions assuring us how great a vessel she was. We’d made an offer that was accepted, and excitedly we flew from Australia to Jamaica to inspect the yacht, get her surveyed and close the deal. Only to arrive and hear the broker comment “I haven’t actually seen this yacht in real life yet” Yes … it actually happened! The yacht was in a terribly sad state. She had numerous leaks through just about every hatch and window, she had sections of under floor dissolved by rot. She’d been burgled at some stage and lost her stove, radios, instruments and anything else that wasn’t bolted down and to top it all off, we landed one day before Hurricane Gustav clipped the island! What an experience!!!
So we’re going to pick up our blog around the time I first discovered our yacht. Here’s the blog as best and accurately as I can remember it.
27th October 2009 I found another Lagoon 42 that’s for sale in Turkey. I first noticed this vessel in July 2009, and catalogued it’s specifications, inventory and all the photos off the web, but didn’t do much with it since it’s was a Jeanneau Lagoon 42, was ex-charter and had very high engine hours. We’re looking for a Tillotson-Pearson International built Lagoon 42, not a Jeanneau. TPI built a number of these Lagoon 42 cruising catamarans under license to Jeanneau. As history would have it, TPI built them to a much higher quality than Jeanneau and because of this they are preferred by cruisers for their sea worthiness and offshore ability. Today I was browsing through my growing number of folders filled with details of yachts that have been, or are still on the market. I had another look at the photos of this particular yacht and just happened to notice the “TPI” logo in a tiny corner of one of the photos. The broker has advertised this yacht as a Jeanneau, so I’ve decided to send off an email to find out.
28th October 2009 I had a prompt reply from the broker today, which is a good start. You wouldn’t believe how many brokers just aren’t interested in helping you buy one of their yachts. This yacht is indeed the TPI, and while the yacht has been on the market for the last 12 months, the owner has recently dropped the price to get a quick sale as he’s wishing to upgrade to a larger yacht. The yacht engines still have very high hours, but she could be worth looking at, since if we can get her for the right price then we can factor in the cost of replacement engines. |