05/13/2010, Ok, Two Mindight Bus Runs
It's now 7:45AM on Thursday morning and I feel even worse than I'm sure I look, having just got back aboard THIRD DAY from an overnight bus trip to San Carlos. It was my first trip to San Carlos, but since I was only on the ground less than 7hrs, all I can really say about the town is that it looked like any other Mexican town in Baja.
I left Mazatlan at 11PM on Tuesday night on the first bus trips and set foot in San Carlos at 10:30AM Wednesday morning, and then leaving at 5PM the same day back to Mazatlan. The purpose of the trip wasn't to see if I could kill myself, throw out my back, or even to run a comparative test of traveling at night by buss compared to by boat. The reason for this crazy whirlwind trip was to check out another Hudson Force 50, which is for sale in San Carlos. Since we are trying to buy the Force 50 in Mazatlan, checking out another similar model boat just seemed like the smart thing to do, and it was because it gives us options.
Both boats have their plus and minuses, which all get factored into the ultimate decision of which boat at what price represents the best "deal". Buying a large (ok huge) boat like the Hudson Force 50 opens up a whole new world of interior and exterior teak varnishing projects in comparison to THIRD DAY. Prior to the actual boat closing, a good investment may be to purchase stock in a sand paper and varnish company, but perhaps that could be viewed as insider trading, and we wouldn't want to end up like Martha Stewart! But would her time served, be any less "hard time" than taking on such a forest of teak in need of restoration?
As I've said for almost the last week now, we should know more today, tomorrow, or heck, next week about our pending offer. It turns out that the delay isn't with our offer, but with the boat Broker situation here in Mazatlan. It's a story and drama that would make for a great mini-series, but for now, we will just remain silent on the sorted details and say that most if not all of my feelings regarding boat brokers have been confirmed in the last 14 days, since we started our attempt to make the purchase.
At this point, some sleep would be the best thing to do, but that's never stopped me in the past. So as soon as I finish breakfast, I'll hop on the hour long buss ride from the Old Harbor to the Marina area and spend a little quality time with the boat brokers to get a little fresh dose of drama.
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05/11/2010, New Boat, Hurricanes, and being busy
This morning is a scramble, as we get THIRD DAY ready to leave the marina slip and head back to the Mazatlan Old Harbor. We have been able to do lots of major work items in the last week, but blowing taco money on marina fees just isn't something we like doing so at about noon, off the dock lines go. The last week in Marina Singlar cost us $95USD, which is about 10% of what we have been spending each month to cruise. So it's easy to see how spending significant or even scant time in a marina can really add up and impact your cruising budget. We wouldn't have come into the marina if it wasn't for our scheme to buy the larger boat, which is still in the works, but now with that underway there's no need to stay. It's an hour buss ride from the Old Harbor to the Marina's, but it's a Free Anchorage! We will end up moving THIRD DAY back to the marina if we actually get the new boat and park them side by side for a day or two of unloading THIRD DAY with all our junk, I mean important cruising gear, but for now, we need to continue with what got us here in the first place, which is watching our budget!
With Hurricane season officially starting in 4 days, the thought of schedule is definitely in the back of our minds! By this time last year we were working our way into the relative safety of the Northern Sea of Cortez, but here we sit smack-dab in the middle of the hurricane area. We estimate that the new boat will take us 3 to 4 weeks to get ready before we can take her up to the Northern Sea and then there's the question of what to do with THIRD DAY. One option is to leave her here in a $329/month marina slip and list her for sale with a boat broker while the other more time consuming option is to get her unloaded and then bash her back up the outside of Baja and put her on our Port San Luis mooring until she sells. It's a tough call either way, weighing a monthly expenditure on one side, with the thought of a Baja bash on the other. Boats on moorings are more difficult to sell due to the complexity of getting people out to look at them, and there is a definite advantage for a buyer making his purchase in Mexico vs California (saving California sales tax). Although June and July are historically the best two months for a trip up the outside of Baja, is that something we really want to do? Although the larger boat will be great for our long term plans, it does cause some difficult short term decisions and increases our boat work load.
At this point in the game, after two years of cruising and almost three years of refitting prior to cruising, THIRD DAY is basically perfect. The to-do-list isn't filled with important items, but more with aesthetic and nicety items. All the systems are dialed in and working well and everything is just the way we dreamed it would be when we bought the boat. So if you are looking for a truly cruise ready Pearson 365 Ketch, hey, have I got a deal for you.
I also have to admit something; I like the excitement, turmoil and unknown factors of this whole "bigger new boat deal". It fits my "type A" personality to have lots of issues swirling around and even after learning how to relax while out cruising, it's still fun to have that feeling of being slightly overwhelmed with more on the plate than I can handle. It's helps focus the mind and it's definitely true that if you want to get something done, ask someone to do it that already has too much on his plate, rather than the person with enough time!
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05/10/2010, The latest Update
Today is Monday and if the rumors are true we will find out the status of our offer on "SV Hugeness" as we have dubbed her. We were told that we would know last Friday, then Saturday, and now it's today. Some of the delay is that we are in Mexico and some of the delay results from the fact that the current owners of the boat are currently separated and living back in the US. So each time an offer or counter offer gets made, two people have to be reached, which slows things down. I guess it would have went much faster if we would have just offered the asking price, but then again we would have much more money to buy sand paper and varnish if we get her for less than the asking price!
As soon as we know something....I'll make a quick post to keep all our friends and family updated. So hang in there with us for the suspense!
Once our offer is accepted, unfortunately that isn't the end of the buying process. We then will schedule surveys to have the boat inspected to make sure there are no hidden problems or issues. The entire boat, engine, and rigging will be scrutinized by three different "experts" while we look over their shoulders and then we will take the boat out of the harbor for a test sail/motor. Our offer is contingent upon not finding any disasters during the survey process and if we do, we can either "adjust our offer downward" to reflect the problems we have found or back out of the deal all together. So the offer acceptance stage is just the first step in the boat buying process, which could take a week or two to complete. Oh and the good news is that hurricane season begins in 5 days, so that's a nice clock ticking in the back of our minds as we sit here in the hurricane zone trying to buy a bigger boat!
These two photos may help explain why we like this potential new boat, which is a 1979 Hudson Force 50. If you have seen the movie "Captain Ron" this is the same boat Boss.
Here's a photo of "My Office" looking to Starboard:
And here's a photo of "My Office" looking to Port:
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