Nearly buying a catamaran in Martinique report (incredibly long post)

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But he can’t let me have the computer cos it has personal stuff on it, he says. Jeez. Delete it then? Long boring explanation about how it is still retrievable.

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Weird. Unless he's got the blueprints for an attack on the Houses of Parliament on the Dell why would he be bothered? Or on the other hand, why not make sure that a piece of kit integral to running the boat didn't have personal stuff on it?
 
As my grandmother used to say, "My dear boy, it clearly wasn't meant to be".

Hope you find a better deal elsewhere. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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Back home I find an emailed quote for insurance from Pantanenius - €11,000 incl hurricane cover

[/ QUOTE ] Stroooth - do you have some history with them?
 
Nice decision - and the right one I've no doubt.

If they come back to you offer the -10% price with the computer included. You never know what you might find on his hard drive.

PS - Like the new name?
 
Nearly buying a Tayana in the S Pacific

Couple of years ago (after I'd been in NZ for a year and getting serious about buying another boat) I flew up to Fiji to see a Tayana 37 that was advertised by a NZ broker with an office up there. Fancied a solid-ish boat with some character and capable of offshore work. Didn't have tons of dosh so T37 a good compromise. Price looked v attractive compared to typical NZ prices which I supposed was due to (1) boat being a bit remote and a mission to get home to NZ - albeit a nice mission if done properly and (2) probably needed some TLC. Just finished big project at work, deserved a few days break, so booked return flight for week's trip to Fiji - see boat, maybe start purchase process and enjoy a bit of R&R etc.

Arrived Nadi Sun eve, OK-ish lodge for the night by the beach, then off to see swindler on Mon am. Arrive at his office, all looks normal, he gets on phone to owner to confirm we'll be over in about an hour. I can hear call not going well and then broker puts down phone and announces:

1. Owner is 85 and has been living aboard for last 25 years
2. Owner has changed his mind and doesn't want to sell anymore

Nice one.

Couple of half-hearted attempts to show interest in potential other suitable boats but game over. Swindler now lost interest too. I can't exactly blame *him* for wasting my time but all the same I've had a wasted trip. So I reckoned he owed me so I asked him if he minded if I wandered up that way anyway and if I can find the owner and just see the boat out of idle curiosity is that ok? Broker says yes sofast he's glad to see the back of me without any more protest. Goodbye.

So I head to Vuda Pt marina - there can't be that many other T37s with a white-haired 85 yr-old liveaboard in the marina right? Right indeed and I find my man no problem. He's a charming old sod, bit of a character with a wicked glint in his eye and some great life stories. He welcomes me aboard and I spend a couple of hours chatting and gently looking around. I was right about it needing some TLC but it's mostly cosmetic and the price takes care of that. He confesses that he's had cold feet about leaving his home of 25 yrs and who am I to put pressure on the old seadog to give me his love and joy and send him ashore?

So as we part I give him my address and tell him if he ever changes his mind to let me know.

I head off to the dollar bar at Musket Cove (now 3 dollars!) to drown my sorrows, meet a yank couple halfway through a circ in a new-ish Hylas 54 and they invite me to join them for the leg to Vanuatu - leaving in the morning. Try and stop me! So next am we get customs uniforms to fly out from airport to marina (at my cost) just to clear me for departure by yacht. And off we go. To cut a long story short I have a great trip, visit the volcanic island of Tanna, nearly kill myself by nearly flying a cessna into the side of a cargo ship in low viz. Also I nearly lose my job in NZ by getting back to work late. Hey this is the south pacific and those kiwis are relaxed I thought. Not so.

Anyway, you can see where this is going. Roll the clock forward a couple of months and I find another boat, v happy with it, about to complete purchase and letter arrives from Tayana-man to say he's changed his mind again, realises the inevitability of needing to retire from life afloat and would I still like his boat?

Mmmmm. Now I've kind of changed my sights away from offshore reqs to more of a gulf cruiser to keep me happy for a couple of years. Easier w/e living etc and the double-ender can wait for the big blue water thing. BUT I did love it and decide to take my partner back up to Fiji for a whistle-stop visit just to confirm our decision. Have a great visit back at Vuda Pt and see the boat again but by now we've switched mindset to our almost-purchased Gulf cruiser back in NZ which is newer and cleaner and faster etc. So we come clean and say, thanks but no thanks. No hard feelings.

Came back to NZ and last thing I heard the T37 had sold to a yank who sailed it back towards Hawaii.

One day.
 
Re: Nearly buying a Tayana in the S Pacific

What a nice story! Thanks Rob for sharing it with us. I am sure we can all learn from Tcm's and your experiences above.

Although I think your story re the Tayana would have been worthy of having its own thread really.

Has anyone else got an interesting story to complement Rob's and Tcm's??
 
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When are you going to publish these stories as a volume?

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My favourite is still the one where he got arrested - priceless! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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I must have missed that one, have you got a link to it.

Great story Matt, cheers.

Al.
 
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