I truly believed that I would be writing about our decision between two boats and purchase of our liveaboard catamaran today. But, as life has proved over and over again, the only decision we made was that there was no decision to be made. We walked away from a Leopard 47 tour feeling confident that we could make that boat work. There were a few issues to address, but we could live on it as it sat, and the layout could be managed. Jason let the owners know we had one more boat to walk on, but their boat was certainly on our very short list of desirables.
Three days later, we walked on a Lagoon 440. The broker we've been communicating with informed Jason that he could not help us with the Lagoon because the sellers were not willing to work with a buyer's broker, so we'd need to contact the seller's broker and have them show us the boat. Peter, the seller's broker, is with a separate company from ours, and was the contact point to get the information on the Lagoon 440. Peter, like our broker, is chock full of information on the boat market and all the boats that are on our radar. Peter's response time, however, is much better than our broker's. Jason and I have gone back and forth about reaching out to a new broker. We know the market is hot in our price bracket, but we also know that some effort should be given to a buyer that has been communicating with you for over six months now. We are cash buyers, and ready to jump for the right boat. Sadly, our current broker has more buyers than sellers on his contact list, and I don't think he has the time for us. We've shifted to the bottom of his pile. Jason texts and sends inquiries on boats that come available on various websites. Rarely is there a response. But with this Lagoon coming on the market, Jason did receive a response. "I can't help you with that one" type of response. And there we were again - making our own moves and doing the leg work within a market we know enough about, to know we don't know enough. Giving up on any help from our current broker, Jason contacted Peter and we had a walk through of the Lagoon last Tuesday
afternoon. The Lagoon offers a much more flattering layout than the Leopard 47. In fact, as we were walking through it, the boys liked it so much that they started planning out the rooms. Cord and Barrett, our 8 and 9 year old, agreed (without any bickering!) that they wanted to share a room. They each went through the drawers, cubbies, and cabinets discussing where there stuffed animals, books, clothes, and shoes would go. I couldn't stop smiling as I eavesdropped on their adorable interior decorating ideas. Of course, they would need a divider for the bed. Obviously. They figured out where the curtain would hang to divide the bed for sleeping. They concurred that the curtain needed to be moveable, because when they weren't sleeping, they wanted to push it aside to make a giant play area on the bed that both could use. Priceless.
Meanwhile, Ryan was perusing his own room and noticed that his bed is big enough to afford himself a friend or two for visiting. In fact, he said, if his friends' parents wanted to come, then they could even have his room! Ryan and friends would be willing to sleep on the converted couch/dining table in the saloon. Isn't he so accommodating?
Jason and I agree that a 4-cabin Lagoon 440 is a perfect compromise for our family. With all the lines and halyards being ran to the flybridge, the boat can be sailed by one person - and for us, that's key. After our walk through with Peter, it was abundantly clear that this particular Lagoon was not for us. The price was on the low end of our range, and we could put the extra money into it that Peter estimated it would need, but that's not what we were looking to do. For Jason, he didn't want to spend
the next 2-3 months of the cruising season in a boat yard waiting for the work to be completed. And for me, I saw all the interior issues (ie. ceiling wrap is falling in places, exposing mold on the
underside) and had flashbacks of the water damage we had to renovate in our first motorhome - and I did NOT want to volunteer ourselves for that type of work again. Peter was a fantastic source of knowledge, and he understands the needs of our family. After speaking with him, I'm optimistic that Peter will have better communication and will reach out to us if another boat comes across his desk. Actually, he's already proved himself a bit by texting a couple days after the walk-through to let us know he has a potential Lagoon 440 coming up (not listed yet) in Panama and, he said, we could be looking at a really great opportunity after the first of the year. In the meantime, he'll get us videos and photos of the boat after he flies down for a better assessment. Fingers crossed!
On our way back from the Lagoon, Jason and I knew that the Leopard 47 wasn't for us. Multiple concessions needed to be made for us to own that boat. We'd be compromising our needs too much. I was so sure that we would be making the next step towards boat ownership by the end of last week. We had TWO to choose from! I didn't consider one of the boats needing massive repair, or the veil lifting from our eyes to see that the first boat was never a viable option to begin with. So, we stay on the hunt and try to remain patient with a market that is not very forgiving or cooperative.
Aside from the boat shopping, our stay at Road Runner Travel Resort in Fort Pierce, Florida was lowkey and uneventful. We made use of the tennis courts multiple times. Hitting around as a family, honing our skills. My precious 14 year old challenged me to a tennis match. Sweet, naïve boy thought he could beat his momma. I had to set him straight - it was my motherly duty. After I secured my victory, winning 6-2, Ryan wanted a rematch. This time, he came to play. I honestly thought he was going to take the 'W' this match. He was even up by two games at one point! Yikes. But, the universe righted itself and I was able to pull out the win, 6-4. I think I need to take my always-improving opponent a little more seriously. That kid is going to beat me one day - but then he'd have Dad to face. I'm confident in Jason's tennis ability to keep knocking Ryan down a peg or two for the foreseeable future.
Jason planned another family adventure for us while we were in Fort Pierce to the Navy SEALs
Museum. If you ever want clear evidence that you haven't lived up to your potential, or want to feel particularly lazy, or you need your eyes opened to the decades of sacrifices the military have given in order for us to live without fear, then the SEALs museum is the place. Our family spent about four hours there. Much longer than Jason or I had anticipated. The proprietors have laid out the museum so well. It is a self-led tour about the creation of the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams) "Frogmen" through to the present day SEALs, complete with training guidelines, past missions (including 9/11 and the killing of Osama Bin Laden), current partnerships, and honoring the fallen. I was not
expecting to be so captivated with reading every detail, attempting to put myself in their shoes, or walking out the doors feeling utterly indebted to men and women I'll never have the privilege to meet. After the museum walk, we went outside and were allowed to climb into some of the vessels the Navy had used throughout history. Then, after signing a death waiver, we attempted the Navy SEALs training obstacle course. The course was modified for civilian use, and it still proved impossible for us to complete. The video explained that during training it was required to run the course weekly - improving their time each week, or they were dismissed from the SEALs program. We took over 30 minutes to run that course, and we didn't even complete some of the obstacles. Like I said, if you want to feel inadequate, try your hand at meeting the requirements to be in one of the most elite brotherhoods of the military.
After a final dip in Road Runner's pool, and lunch in their onsite restaurant, we hit the road towards Lake Placid (cue nightmares of a crocodile-like beast circa 1999). Our family has been looking
forward to this leg of our trip since Jason booked it over two weeks ago. WE ARE IN A HOUSE!! Arriving yesterday afternoon, we have moved into a real, brick-and-mortar home. I can't begin to explain how excited we all are, but I'm going to try. As soon as he stepped out of the RV, Barrett exclaims, "Guys, we have a real yard to play in again!" Be still my heart and tear in my eye. These boys rarely complain about how we live, and always adjust to where ever
we end up with a positive outlook to check out our newest RV park. But to hear my son be so thrilled just by seeing an open patch of grass to call his own for a week about knocked me over. I was reminded that these boys have relinquished a lot, too, and I need to be more cognizant of their needs and emotions. This small space living has allowed us to travel freely and have experiences that we never could if we were still in our house in Hermiston, Oregon, but it also requires giving up a lot of what kept us "comfortable". Indoor plumbing, for example. That's what has me most excited about this house. Probably seems pathetic or sad, but it's truly exhilarating to know we have a washer and dryer in the garage. FREE to use, ANY TIME I choose. With plumbing also comes the ease of hot water at the sinks or showers, and flushing toilets. I mean, you flush it, and forget it. It's not still in the system somewhere to be dealt with later. It's just gone, never thought of again. That's it. And a dishwasher! There's a dishwasher that doesn't also go by the name Mom or Dad. A full-sized refrigerator! We have room for a gallon-sized milk. This is big time for our family. In the house, we're not turning off some systems, so we can use other systems to avoid flipping a breaker or starting another fire. There are DOORS in this house.
Honest to goodness, close and latch doors. And bedrooms! The boys are in bedrooms again. Ryan totes that he will finally be able to sleep as long as he wants to because Cord won't wake him up with his loud voice two feet away from his pillow. This house is a welcomed break from RV life. Honestly, it's probably a necessary break from RV life. But, as Jason mentioned yesterday while the boys were walking around the house in awe of the every day conveniences they had forgotten, I hope this break doesn't change the boys' perspective
and make them hate wanting to get back into the RV and on the road again. For Jason and I, too, I suppose. Hopefully, this week in a house gives us new motivation to get back on the road and keep creating a journey apart from the grind of the average family.
I love the adventure we're on, but am looking forward to spending Christmas with my family in a home. Speaking of which, we are four days out until Christmas! I can't believe it. Another perk of this house was seeing a miniature Christmas tree upon walking in! I think it kind of hit all of us that Christmas is fast approaching, and this year, like every other day since we sold our home in July, is going to be different.
So here's to the ongoing pursuit of our future home, to remembering the privilege of living in a free nation, and to looking ahead at making new Christmas traditions.
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