We are wondering if we are going the right way. The autumn leaves are more established the further south we go. We are also wondering if there are snow-capped mountains around the corner!
We’ve done the right thing – waited for the geese to indicate south and we are following them.
Today’s our fifth day on the move and we puttered past Lyon as time is pressing and we’ve already been there twice before. We’ve moored at Syripel or, as it is called on our other charts, Les Roches de Condrieu (40 km south of Lyon).
Main lesson learned today: check the DBA site out for updates…. our book-charts (which are embarrassingly old) have a nice spot drawn where we thought we could anchor. Our electronic charts just have a blue mooring buoy.
For some strange reason we didn’t check the DBA information (as we have done every day so far) and we were getting ready to anchor. Turning the corner, we saw a huge mariner, of which we are now a part of, paying our entire monthly budget to – sigh! … We are, however, having a grand old time… here are some pics.
A day out of St Jean de Losne and we’d seen very few boats, until we got to this lock. It was like a party – such fun – they Aussie boat behind us were just lovely.
That urge to see around the next corner! Seille River (for one night – so very pretty!)
They aren’t swear words. But Noel has his, and I have mine.
They are our verbal duelling swords. Each is sharp and effective at putting a shiver of fear up each others’ spine.
It’s a new tactic for Noel. Whenever I say, “I have an idea.” He stuffs his fingers right in to his ears and sings as loudly as he can, until I get the hump and say, rather sulkily, “Right, I’m not telling you now.” Which is, of course, his desired effect.
Don’t let the innocent face fool you!
So, in addition to this tactic, whenever I mention my B word, he slinks off and starts researching his B word.
Have you guessed them yet? Mine is Books and his is Boats!
Image courtesy of Supertrooper at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
When I was talking about more book ideas yesterday, Noel went very quiet and I caught him looking up sailboats for sale!!
With 50 years combined professional and personal knowledge and thousands of ocean miles, we still spent two years searching on the internet (while working on shore) before viewing boats (in San Francisco) and purchasing our second boat, Pyewacket II. Join groups in FB, cruising web-pages and read blogs that are relevant to your situation – ask questions, keep asking questions. Read, read, read.
But, usually, the longer the boat the more cost involved, more antifoul, heavier/longer rigging., etc, but with care & knowledge it doesn’t have to be too much more. Owning and maintaining a boat that is already in a seaworthy condition is pretty much a full time job. If you want to go cruising sooner rather than later, you do not have time for a major fixer-upper.
How much work do you want to do before you GO cruising?
3) Is it better to buy a boat from a broker or privately?
You may not have a choice. We purchased both our boats privately and sold them privately too. In the past, we thought that brokers charged too much for their service. However, we sold our friends’ sailboat on their behalf and quickly found out that doing a good job of selling a boat is an incredible amount of work. If the boat you want is for sale via a broker, do some research on the broker – be prepared. But, try to form your own opinions on the broker and remember when you are buying, the broker will be looking out for the seller (who is employing him). If you are buying privately carry out relevant checks (see below).
4) If a boat seems cheap, ask yourself why?
Is it just circumstance? Is it the market? Or is there a problem that needs addressing. Keep this in mind when viewing.
5) Verification of details
If you are buying a boat, research and verification of all the detail is extremely important and if it is all new to you, ask a friend who has some knowledge to help. If you are buying privately, we recommend that you hire the services of professional document advisers/escrow agent.
Verify:
What equipment is being left on board
Who is paying for what during survey (paint, additional work that is necessary while on the hard) – make sure this is ALL clear
There is no money owing on the boat
The owners ARE the owners
Timeline for everything to happen succinctly (booking haul, surveyor out etc)
Can you have your deposit returned at survey stage if you are not happy for any reason?
6) How do you view a boat?
We viewed many boats and we were always startled by so many differences.
There is never a foolish question, Ask, ask, ask – research, research, research.
Check everything works
Start the engine, watch it working
Try the bed, enough room for you?
Stand at the sink – are you comfortable?
Find the reason why there is oil under the engine or water in the bilge.
Do the heads flush properly?
Sample the water on board, it is a good indication of the state of the tanks.
It is imperative that you choose your own surveyor
Is it seaworthy?
7) Technical specs
Ask lots of questions about the boat. Some of the most important things to know are:
Its condition, is it seaworthy?
The length over all (LOA)
Displacement (weight)
Draft (how deep the water must be in order to sail)
Age of the vessel
Number and types of sails on board
Be sure to ask if there’s any equipment that is presently on the boat that will be removed by the owner prior to the sale. For example, some owners will remove electronics like televisions, GPS systems, and even radios.
How regularly are the batteries charged/maintained
Is there a maintenance log book available for the engine?
At survey, you could have an engine oil analysis done (if available).
8) How many viewings? A test sail?
We always arranged a second and third visit to boats that interested us. You must spend time on board, you are not wasting people’s time if you are genuinely interested in the vessel. If we felt rushed when looking at a boat (or were constantly distracted by the broker/seller) – we viewed this as a red flag and thought there were problems that were being hidden. When we purchased our boats and when we sold our boats, the agreement was:
A test sail was arranged after the deposit was received (usually 10%)
The deposit was refundable if the test sail didn’t ‘work’(!)
The deposit is a good faith payment that helps filter out time-wasters wanting a day on the water
The deposit made the potential purchaser responsible, not so gung-ho!
9) Keep Track
If you are viewing several boats, take pictures of each. Start with the name and a full picture, then take pictures as you go through the vessel, otherwise they will all blend in to one. An organised notebook helps too. Jot down what you liked and disliked for later reference.
Finalise the test sail detail prior to going… how long, how far, deposit?
10) Buying the right boat
Try to restrain your emotions. While you should listen to your heart, you must follow up with your brain and acquired knowledge or your bank balance could get hurt and your safety may be compromised. Do thorough research. However, eventually your emotions will play a part.
Be broadminded and prepared to look at something you hadn’t considered previously. We started looking for something in the mid 40ft range and ended up with a 51 footer.
Cost considerations should span out to marinas or moorings. Do some research on this if you are interested in a boat in a specific area. You will need to haul it out for a survey (at your expense). It is quite likely you will have to update safety equipment: Fire extinguishers, EPRIBs, safety equipment, life jackets etc.,
Don’t forget registration will have to be transferred, this can be a sizeable expense at times.
11) Surveyor
We had all our boats surveyed. A surveyor will help verify the value of the boat and the potential expense involved in any restoration. AND highlight problems.
12) International purchase
If you are purchasing a boat in another country, research the import duty for taking it home and any tax implications in the country you purchased the boat.
13) Make an offer
Brokers will pass on any offer, it is not up to them to turn it down, they are obliged to pass it on. Put a value (you know what it is with all your research, and start low. You can go up, but not down!) The process is similar to buying a house.
Haul out and surveyor is usually at buyers cost.
14) Checks!
Check and double-check all paperwork, official numbers, licences etc. Make sure each engraved or painted-on registration number matches the paperwork.
15) Lastly
Don’t forget that boats can vary wildly – an acceptable 34 footer in one design may be too small in another design… good luck!
If you haul out for survey (and all goes well), you may as well anti-foul while you are there.
See our books Cruisers’ AA (accumulated acumen) for over 1,800 tips, tricks, ideas and advice on living on board.
And –coming soon– Of Foreign Build…… From Corporate Girl to Sea Gypsy Woman…. following the links above.
I had no idea what Noel was working on when he said, ‘I need to buy some timber.’ Noel loves timber, he picks it up off the side of the road, he rummages in bins for it… we always have a good timber supply on board.
He cycled back carrying a long plank of cheap-ish wood (there, that shows my knowledge of wood!). I heard the drill and saw, and poked my head out to see these….
From the boat
From the bank
To increase our range of mooring opportunities and protect our expensive underwater paint, Noel came up with this idea. I am sure old hands have done something similar/better already, but I think these are pretty great and wanted to share them with you.
Noel setting up the planks (and our OLD paintwork!)
The different holes give us a different range. Currently we are about one metre away from the bank. Our adopted cat likes them too – they are her personal-boarding platform!
I had asked several people if they knew anyone missing a cat. Yorca had been with us for three days, almost all the time.
A friend gave me a large cardboard box and I drilled holes in the side. I placed Yorca a towel in the box and she didn’t bat an eye-lid.
I put the box on the bike rack and one hand held the box and one held the bike – the bike taking the weight. The vet’s wasn’t far thankfully.
Within two minutes the vet had found her tattoo (as plain as day in her ear!) and telephoned the owners. He gave me their phone number too.
Funnily enough, she lives not half a kilometre away, on the other side of the canal. We had stayed in the farm’s Gite when we first arrived here in St Jean de Losne. We had met Jane a few times – a lovely lady. I had her daughter’s number and rang her.
She was so happy to hear from us. “Lily usually wanders off for a few days, but I was just starting to get worried now.” I could hear her relief.
Lily (better name that Yorca!), was given run of the boat for her last day. I must say that the sanding was particularly dusty that day, on the boat, as it made my eyes water…. especially when I said my farewells do this dear little cat.
Jane collected Lily and off she went. Lily waited until 3 am to visit us again that night! It was very tough, but we didn’t let her in and didn’t feed her the following morning.
Today, she trotted off towards home again. Every twenty-or-so strides she’d stop and look back…debating…wondering if we’d change our minds…was there food? I was stoic, a farm life is far better than a life with Noel and I – besides she wasn’t ours.
That dust was stirring in my eyes again! But it needn’t for now . . . . Lilly is with us most days and (I assume) hunts at night. We do not feed her, but as I type she is on my lap purring away . . . . in a few days when we leave, I am sure that dust will be swirling again…
Yorca had slept all day, so at night-time, naturally it was play-time. The cat food I purchased had obviously not sated her as she bought us a rather large mouse this time (thankfully already dead) and ate it (all) in about 5 seconds, at our feet. How lovely.
During the night, she was in and out of the windows. She’d already learned that she wasn’t to go on our bed, but of course the shelving around the bed was a different thing.
“Your cat, kept me awake all night,’ I said while tickling her under her chin – she likes that a lot. She made us smile, she made us laugh, she always said ‘g’day’ when we came on board and she made it quite clear when she was hungry or wanting attention.
Not sure if she’s licking her lips or sticking out her tongue, she has me wrapped around her little finger!
During the day we kept her in the wheelhouse, with a rather soft cushion in the sun, while we worked around her. ‘She’ll sleep better tonight.’ I said, as we’d disturbed her a lot while working. But Noel still shut her in the wheelhouse – with access in/out via a window. She meowed with disgust at not being allowed below decks, only for an hour or two before settling down!
‘I really have to take her to the vet tomorrow.’
Tomorrow the mystery of who she is and where she came from is solved but doesn’t end!
We ignored her. But, she came back the following day. As I was preparing to shoo her out of the boat Noel went up to her and said, ‘she’s a funny little thing.’
Noel stroked the purring bundle of prettiness and grinned, ‘she’s quite nice.’
I couldn’t believe it – Noel does not like cats. He never has.
“Don’t feed her, she’ll never leave!” Too late, Noel had opened a tin of our finest tuna and the cat dove in.
Soon she and I were great pals!
Don’t get me wrong – I am an animal lover. But I was not ready for the responsibility of a cat, especially with our travelling lives. Noel saw it differently, ‘it’s quite nice having her on board,’ he said!
We named her Yorca as we kept saying, “Your cat needs feeding.” Yorca stands for Your Cat – her temporary name.
Soon, she and I became great pals. She was very chatty and just loved attention. The first night she bought us a mouse, which she promptly lost, but found it again at 3 am. The crunching noises, as she ate it (every part), next to our bed, were not that pleasant!
“She’s too well cared for,” I said, while she sat on my lap leaving more white hairs, “I bet someone’s looking for her.” The next day I planned a trip to the vet.
More soon….. click ‘follow’ to receive the next instalment of ‘adopted by a cat!”
Life and working with sand-paper are both battles. The first we can’t do much about… or can we?
Life is horribly short and sand-paper clogs up quickly, and slows down the process.
The end of one’s life is inevitable at some point, so we can’t change that, but what we can change is what we do within our time, or in this case what we don’t do.
Noel’s words of wisdom struck a cord with me.
“Life’s too short to worry about sandpaper.”
To explain; while sanding, the particles start to cling to the paper and the paper becomes less and less useful. Ultimately, you end up spending more time sanding than necessary. Which means more time working and less time for fun!
We need to make more time for fun!
“Just chuck it away as soon as you notice it becoming less effective, and get more, we don’t have enough time to sand for longer than necessary.”
I kind of like that – we’ve better things to do… what will you not do to make life better for yourself?
Jackie Parry - author 