Buying a Boat Part 3 - Trial by Snow Storm

Who goes to see a  Boat when it looks like this outside?

March break seemed like a good time to go see the boat in Cleveland.  It wasn't my first choice for a March break vacation but it was the only chance to see the boat.  It would be a lot of driving for the kids but when you have a Honda Odyssey with a DVD player anything is possible.  

A change in the weather turned this plan into a really bad idea.  By the time we drove to Burlington  in the blizzard my knuckles were white.   It was then I realized emotion had trumped  reason as we drove in the one of the season's worst storms  to see a boat.    We rationalized that  reaching the destination of Niagara Falls was just as far as turning back to Toronto.  For the record it was all my wife's idea.  But really this was a good sign because now I knew her heart was in it too.  The kids were just along for the ride but they had lots of DVDs so it was quiet in the back seat.

Three hours after departing Toronto we arrived safely at Niagara Falls.  Tomorrow it's onward to Cleveland and the weather is looking much nicer - but first a few cocktails and a good night's sleep in Niagara Falls.   

Buying a Boat - Part 2 - Inspiration, Intervention, Motivation, Acceptance & Spouse Approval

Inspiration, Intervention, Motivation, Acceptance,  Spouse Approval -The  Five stages of boat buying

Working at boat shows over the last two decades always included a little shopping during the quiet times.  It has been both fun and expensive but never too crazy.    Occasionally  I meet people at  shows who get caught up in the emotion  of buying a boat but this has never happened to me.   This year was different and my heart has started to rule over my head as far as boats are concerned. 

Inspiration - At the 2014 Toronto International Boat Show my brother took a break from the booth and  returned  holding a bill of sale for a new Catalina 315.  This is a very nice boat and I'm looking forward to sailing it when summer arrives.   Later in the week I wandered around the show with my wife, Erica,  and the kids.  We liked Catalina 315 but we all agreed the Hanse 415 was our "Best in Show".   The kids will likely attend university at some point  so financially our dream of a new Hanse was not going to be a reality this year.   When I showed everyone  a more affordable (but not so comfortable )  J70 sport boat I was shot down in flames.  It seemed to me that a  cruising boat was a GO, a sport boat was a NO.

Intervention -  A few weeks later at the Sail Canada Rolex Awards I was fortunate to have the company of a friend from Nova Scotia.   I shared my experience from the boat show and his response was immediate.  "Forget the Hanse, there is a nice Bavaria 38 Cruiser  in Cleveland that is the perfect boat  and you could get it for a great price."   My East Coast buddy set the hook  that night.  When we met again after the Halifax Boat Show and he worked it some more.  But by that time I had viewed the Yachtworld listing dozens of times and was a quite smitten.

Motivation - Sadly, I have attended far too many funerals of great men in the last year.  Gary Poole,   Bob Eaton, Hans Fogh and Larry Later.   I have also seen too many  friends battling all types of  illness.  Our short time on this earth is precious and I intend to live it to the fullest while I'm still able.   With my daughter turning 12 and a son turning 10  the timing is perfect  for a family boat.  A place for us to grow together in adventure and to introduce a new world that is fun, challenging, and rewarding.   A place to build a lifetime of memories together.

Acceptance - This is just a small piece of the puzzle but a cruising boat is a done deal as far as I'm concerned.  I accept that this is the proper course and   I'm  committed to buying a boat.

Smiling wife avatar - not  Erica

Spouse Approval - The buck stops here.  If you do not have a meaningful value proposition, if the finances aren't in order,  if it doesn't engage the family,  if it is just about YOU - then this is where the boat buying story ends .

Fortunately for me things were just getting  started in earnest.

I Bought a Sailboat. Sounds Simple Doesn't It?

Part 1 - Buying a Boat.

It has been about 20 years since I bought a boat.  That deal was done in 30 minutes with a handshake and cheque.  I knew the boat and had raced against her many times.  I knew the  owner and there was an unspoken trust that a fair price was paid for a good boat and nobody was taking a risk.   No survey, no certified cheque, no lawyers, no brokers and no third parties in the deal.  Simple.   That boat has been fun, exciting, challenging and rewarding.  It has paid dividends a 100 times over but most importantly the sailors I competed against became an  important part of my life.  Competitors, mentors, business colleagues,  and most importantly good and trusted friends.  I also met my wife of 15 years through the Thunderbird class but that is for another time - maybe.

Now with a family  of 4,  my priorities have shifted and I recently purchased a new boat for cruising.  The process was completely different from my earlier experience.     I fell in love with  a repossessed boat, in another country (USA) that was not build in a NAFTA country.   Having just returned from the marina where it was delivered tonight I finally feel at peace with my decisions.    Safely landed in Canada with all legal obligations met I can say I was not always certain I would get to this point as pleased as I am today.

If you are thinking of buying a boat in the US you will want to follow along as I share the story of this deal in bite size instalments.   

What is your Most memorable Boating Experience?

If you love boating then  there are moments in time  that mark the start of the love affair.  I consider myself fortunate to have been born into a boating family so my boating memories are from my childhood.   I have a lifetime of wonderful boating experiences but  a few really stand out.

When I was a boy we would take trips to the Toronto Islands aboard my grandfather's Gordon Boatworks 32 ft Commuter .  The boat's name was "Skippin" - short form for Skippers Insurance.   We would start out from an old boat yard behind Tip Top Tailors and enter the inner harbour on an epic journey (or so it seemed to me) to for a picnic on the island.   It was a strange new world of ferries,  freighters, and other pleasure boats.  I remember thinking my grandfather was something special as he navigated through the harbour signalling other boats with his horn and making calls on the VHF.   This was when boating became part of my DNA and I have never strayed very far from the water ever since.

 Those early days on the Inner harbour set the hook but I swallowed it whole once I was Captain of my own vessel at 10 years of age.  She was a patched up 8ft fibreglass tender powered by a lovely old Johnson Seahorse 3 hp outboard.  This was my first memory of independence and freedom on Georgian Bay.     My freedom was actually limited to a 300 ft radius from the watchful eye of my father but it sure felt like freedom at the time.   I have sailed many finer boats in my life but  no other boating experience compares.  

Have you ever thought back about your first boating experience?  Give it a try and I would love to hear what comes to mind.

Largest vessel ever launched.

Prelude is a 'floating liquefied natural gas facility owned  Shell.  It is is 488 metres long and 74 metres wide making it the biggest ship in the world.  By comparison, the Empire State Building, which was the world's tallest structure for almost 40 years, is 443 metres high.  It is hard to believe that even larger vessels are being designed today.

We're Moving - Sorry for any Inconvenience

On Friday April 4 our marine department will be shut down as we move to our new office at 80 Richmond Street West (near Bay Street) in Toronto.  Our IT staff are working diligently to ensure we have phones and computers for 9AM  Monday April 7.   There may be a few glitches or delays with the phones so let me   apologize in advance for any inconvenience. 

Our new mailing address is 80 Richmond Street West, Suite 700, Toronto ON  M5H 2A4 .   Policy Holders will receive a mailer soon with all our new phone numbers but they will be redirected in the interim.    If you have any urgent matters and cannot reach us by telephone please email me at andrew.robertson@cgbgroup.com  and it will come to my Blackberry. 

Farewell Markham, it was fun while it lasted but now we are Downtown bound.