Choosing a dinghy

“But I’m going to need a dinghy,” I say with a suspect tone.

“Yes, but I’m going to need one, too,” my Canadian friend replies.

So, we’re negotiating.

When I got a call this morning from the owner of the boat I’ve been slowly trying to make my own I knew that the methodical, maple-syrup like pace I’d been operating at was too good to be true.

“I’ve got a fellow from Toronto who wants to come down and buy the boat right away, sight unseen, for my full asking pricing!” He said, practically laughing with excitement.

I guess it’s true what they say, about the two happiest days in a sailor’s life. . .

But I wasn’t going to let this Canuck swoop in and spirit my boat away from right under my nose. I appreciated the forewarning, which had beenĀ delivered in good faith, but it was time to act fast.

Less than an hour later I had bus fares booked and a surveyor who understood my situation, was willing to come on such short notice and not charge me for the entire survey if we decide early on the boat’s not up to par…but I hope she will be.

I’ve written up a contract. My finances are in order. On Monday morning I will board that bus that could take me into the future. She’ll be buried under snow. She’ll surely have some deck rot. She might not even have a dinghy. But she might be mine.

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10 Comments

  1. Good luck! I am loving hearing all about your boat-finding adventures!

  2. I have a suspicion that it is a boat I have been coveting from afar. Yellow hull?

  3. Despite all my past dark fore warnings of the pitfalls of buying the wrong boat, I’d say at this point your a more educated buyer than most. So, I’ll play the wisened old toothless clod one more time if you’ll let me. You’ll know if it’s right when you see it, don’t let fear hold you back, or enthusiasm push you in. Just the facts, ma’am.
    Good luck!
    Mickdog