We have been praying that the Lord would show us the right boat. The last month has been a series of minor disappointments. One boat that we had been thinking about that had been on the market for years was sold just before we made the trip to see her. It seemed like there were no options in sight, but that changed on Friday.
I had been working on a long commission:
and finally finished it, contacted the customer and finalized the payment method, so I decided to see if anything had come up on craigslist. The top ad was one I had seen before but it was out anchored off Catalina and so I had passed over it. This time we decided to call and find out more about her.
Grace is a 1965 (I think) Mariner 40' hull #7, mahogany on oak, displacing some 26,500lbs. After talking with the owner we decided to make the trip out to the island next day to have a look at her. The trip over was uneventful. Roo loved watching the spay fling off the bow of the ferry and the seagulls wheeling over head. Jim, a local charter captain and Grace's owner, met us at the dock with an inflatable dinghy and we headed out of the harbor and down the coast to where Grace is anchored.
Being engineless at the moment, she is floating like a cork well over her waterline.
After boarding and going below both of us really liked the beautiful mahogany interior and the (for the most part) the floor plan.
Both of us stared thinking,"Wow, look at all that wood work- it probably needs to be sanded and re-varnished..." We shouldn't have worried. Almost all of it is in great shape.
Roo found his favorite spot, and was working really hard to keep us on course (he's not quite clear on underway vs, anchored yet).
After going over the interior and deck (hearing all the things that needed to be fixed) we decided that it was time to head back to shore for lunch and a much-needed break and change of scenery for Roo.
We had lunch at the park in Avalon and spent the afternoon walking around the city.
Tip: Get a locker for your bags. It is well worth the fee (we didn't do this till we were worn out carrying the heavy bags we brought). We need to learn to travel a bit lighter. After having dinner we caught the last ferry back to the main land.
Roo much preferred watching the spray to having his picture taken (even if it was by his new friend from Boston (he has a way with the ladies).
A last picture of Grace as we headed back home.
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