That's right, I do. I'm really not a wealthy guy, and whenever I mention that I can't afford to do something I ALWAYS get the "But you own a boat, you must be loaded..." comment. Correct, I do own a boat, and I have it tied up in a harbor in one of the most expensive cities in the world, but this does not mean I'm loaded......at all. I'm a big fan of boat ownership on the cheap......one doesn't have to be a millionaire to pursue the things that one loves.
For many years I was told I was not allowed to get a boat, so when I shed that aspect of my life, my first wish was to be back out on the water. As I young man, I had travelled extensively, teaching sailing and SCUBA diving, and crewing on commercial sailing boats.....the tourist types, boozy sunset cruises and snorkel trips. I'd lived in Australia, the USA the Caribbean, and much of Europe. I then gave up that life style to provide some security and stability, and thus ended up living in Chicago... and that's a long way from the ocean!! One of Chicago's many great features is the inland sea of Lake Michigan, and I figured that I would sail here to get my fix...except I wasn't allowed to get a boat! Now, free from the oppressive "No" saying other half, I was out and about and shopping for my new toy. The snag in this plan was the bank balance... or lack of it. My attorney was, I'm sure enjoying the bounty I had just bestowed upon him, but I still wanted to get my boat. I still wanted to have that freedom that a floating home can bring, but was it possible to do on a very tight budget? The first thing to find out was the cost of keeping the boat, never mind buying it. By this point I was racing in one of the many one-design fleets, so spending a good amount of time getting to know other sailors, and finding out about the astronomical cost of owning 40' racing sloop...good racing sails cost more than a family car. This was discouraging, but not as discouraging as finding out the coast of slips in the city. Upwards of $6,000 per season for a 40' slip. Well shit. Thats waaaaaaaay outside the realm of possibility for me. Everyone I was speaking to was complaining about the cost of owning these floating toys.....and then I met a very interesting character. With one sentence he changed my whole perspective. "Why the F**k would you get a slip? You can't pick your neighbor, they could be a real pain....why not get a mooring can, it's peaceful, easy to dock regardless of wind direction or speed.....and way cheaper...." My attention was peeked. Not only for the cost, but also the nostalgia. As a child, my family had a motor boat, an old trawler, that we kept mored in the middle of the local river. My Dad would throw six of us into this lovely clinker-built wooden dingy, and row us out to the middle of the river. I liked the idea of rowing out to my own boat. This kind chap put me in touch with the company that runs all the harbors in the city, and I started to learn more about the cost of parking a boat...It goes by the foot! That news to me. So a smaller boat is cheaper to park...this was very exciting. It turned out that the smallest category of mooring is 30', and that a mooring can for a boat up to 30' would cost less a month than a weekday car parking pass downtown...suddenly I was out shopping for boats. I was also pleasantly surprised about the amount of options 30' gave me. There was now a new problem, the cost of buying the boat. These things can get really pricey really fast, hence everyones perspective that a boat is an expensive toy. Boat yards and brokerages are wonderful places, stuffed full of waxed and shinny fiberglass, the type of machines that fill my night time dreams, but they all have price tags to match. I learned fast to put my blinkers on, and walk to the back of the lots. I discovered Craigslist, and Nautical donations, Boneyard boats and Ebay, and I discovered that there were some deals out there, if one was willing to accept a little work, or if one could find someone who really needed to sell. As luck would have it, my situation involved both of these things. All in all, it took three months of searching, and looking, procrastinating, climbing ladders, lifting floorboards, tapping decks and hulls and research. When I found the boat I eventually purchased, it was a no brainer. She was a Cal Mk II 25, she was shabby and needed work, her owner HAD to sell her, and I knew she was right for me the second I climbed under the shrinkwrap.
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| Thinking I'm going to pull the trigger!! |
For those who don't know, these are huge small boats. She has a 9' beam, which doesn't make for great sailing characteristics on such a short boat, but it does provide standing headroom in the spacious cabin without the need for a poptop. It also provides space for a small galley of sorts, a head, and private forward cabin. This thing can happily sleep 5, but you'd want to be very good friends!! The icing on this cake was a roller furler, and the 13HP inboard Volvo Penta diesel engine...with a sail drive. The cherry on this iced cake, the owner REALLY needed her sold, and she needed a new rudder. Rudders are expensive, so this was a problem for someone trying to sell an already cheap boat. I had a plan for rudder (I'm a handy type of chap) so was willing to roll the dice on this one. I bought her for less than I pay for my health insurance a year. SCORE!!!
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| I'm probably going to need to fix that |
Now, don't get me wrong, she was in a sorry state, but the important stuff was good. Dry decks, good standing rigging, good engine, she had good bones with the exception of the rudder, she just looked sad, but that was all cosmetic.
So there you have it, I don't have any money...even less now, but it is possible to do the things you love on the cheap. It was time to do some projects to get her ready to launch now!
I'll go into the projects in more detail next time, but in the mean time, check out the first episode of the video diary when we bought her.
J
Those of you who know me, know I keep a video diary, and I also run and mediate the "Sail Chicago" Facebook group. Please feel free to join/follow both of these if you wish.
Video Diary
Sail Chicago Facebook Group
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