Well, so far that most frequently asked question that Mark and I have received from our dockmates that we have met is....

How did you find the boat?

This question usually comes after we have already told them that we bought the boat in Florida and had it shipped to Minnesota/Wisconsin on a truck. I am sure they are really thinking...why would you buy a boat in Florida and ship it here?

Well the answer is really quite simple, there are not alot of ocean going boats available for sale in Minnesota/Wisconsin that would be suitable for our intended purpose of cruising in the tropics/living aboard. Once we settled on the purchase of an Island Packet, there also are not a great deal of Island Packets on the market in Minnesota/Wisconsin either.

So this really required that we not focus so much on where the boat was located but instead focus on purchasing the right boat for us, regardless of where it was located. Yes, shipping is a considerable expense, not to be ignored, however when compared to the overall cost of the boat itself, it really is just a small percentage and one that we were willing to pay on the right boat.

Of course the more simplistic answer to the question is, we found it on yachtworld.com. Now perhaps not everyone knows about yachtworld.com, so I explain that it's like the MLS listing for houses online, only for boats. Nearly any boat in the world that is for sale, is listed on yachtworld. So, like us, you just sit back and browse through the descriptions and pictures in the comfort of your favorite lazy boy and dream about which one you want to buy....hahaha.....then you wake up from your nap in the lazy boy :)

Yes, browsing yachtworld.com can be an obsession on to itself. Sometimes you kind of forget...am I looking or buying?