Buying a Boat Overseas, Part 2

Got your beverage? Settle in, because this is a long one...

We said goodbye to our house after a long day of packing. After making sure all was set, we left the keys for the new owners, took one last family photo, said goodbye to our neighbors, and pulled away. After a quick stop for a coffee for J and I, and snack for the kids we set off. It had been a long day and we still had a 3 hour drive ahead of us. We were officially homeless, or in-between homes, as our boat is not ready for us just yet.

We set up a home base at the grandparents' and arranged for all of our packages to be sent there. There is so much stuff we have to order for this adventure! We made two large purchases the following day. Because part of our plan while we wait for the boat work to be completed, is to travel across country, we needed to find a travel trailer. We found a great one but realized our Honda Pilot would have a tough time towing it with it loaded down. So, after a short discussion, Jared and I headed over to see our family friend who is an auto broker. John is a dear friend who I have known since childhood and we have bought most of our vehicles through him. It's just easier that way because we avoid the whole negotiation process. We walked onto the lot, found a Toyota Sequoia that would do the job, and bought it. Just like that. None of the usual dealing and wheeling, as we got a great price! It is not brand new, but it is in great condition and will easily tow the trailer. 

With that big item crossed off the list, we could focus on the upcoming trip to the BVI.

We loaded up our bags and drove off at 3:30am for San Francisco airport. We arrived at 6am, found a parking spot, and caught the shuttle just as it pulled up. Checking in and going through security was a breeze, thankfully. At one point, the TSA agent asked Matt where he was going and what day it was. He got the first part correct, but being still half asleep, he could not remember the date. Poor tired kiddo.

We found breakfast and boarded the plane. The flight went well and our connection boarded early, which meant we arrived at St. Thomas a little earlier than expected. Right as you exit the airport there, you are surrounded by what our boat broker calls the taxi mafia. There are so many, that you never need to worry about being stranded. With a short drive to our hotel, we dropped the bags and headed to the beach to check it out. The kids really wanted to swim, but decided to go to the pool a few feet away instead of the ocean at night. The water was brightly lit up in different  colors, which they thought was pretty cool. An hour or so later, we were all settled in bed and crashed hard. It had been a long travel day.

After a lovely breakfast the following morning, we caught a taxi to the ferry terminal. $200 for all of us and our bags to go to West End, Tortola. Ouch! We took the kids to the restaurant upstairs for a cold drink (strawberry smoothies) and eventually made our way back down to the waiting area. The woman who was the security guard must have felt sorry for me struggling with braiding Cadence's hair in the wind, so she came over and helped me out. She showed me a new braiding technique with quick work of her hands. I need to practice more and branch out to the different styles. We boarded the ferry and arrived after 45 minutes or so, to West End. Jared and the boys road up top, while Cadence snoozed on my lap. The next step is to go through customs. There are three lines: Visitors, Residents, and Belongers. We hopped in the visitor line and a friendly customs agent checked us all into the country. After going through another security area, we were through and were welcomed to the BVI.

Fortunately, Clive, our broker, generously offered to pick us up. He pulled up just as we were exiting the building. He took us to Nanny Cay hotel and marina, which was our home base for the next few days. After dropping the bags off in our room, we hopped back in his car and went to see our boat for the first time! She was docked at the maintenance yard area, preparing to be hauled out. We stepped aboard and explored all over. We fell in love and she just felt like home. After a couple of hours exploring around, we returned to the hotel to relax a little.

Nanny Cay is a beautiful marina and has lush gardens and a nice swimming pool next to the beach. There is a lovely beach bar in-between the two and serves dinner as well. The environment is laid-back and very kid friendly. After exploring around, and trying out the beach (the swell was a bit large), the kids hit the pool and Jared and I had time to relax a bit. Later on, we walked past the marina to the little market to load up on drinks and snacks for the next day. Dinner was at Peglegs restaurant, which sits atop the building next to the beach. The kids had lobster for the first time and loved it. After a lovely dinner, we headed to get some sleep because tomorrow promised to be a long day.

We woke up and grabbed an early breakfast from the restaurant just passed the marina. Clive picked us up back at the hotel and we set off for our  boat. Geoff, the surveyor, was already at work. We settled the kids down below in their cabins with the AC running. Jared, Clive, and I walked around with Giles (he works for the Moorings). Sometimes, we would talk with Geoff, but we wanted to give him space in which to work and focus.

We had a bit of bad news though. One of our engines was leaking oil, so we could not do the sea trial. While Geoff would continue to do the in-water survey, Moorings would haul the engine for repair. We took measurements for solar panels, washer, and other things, and made more notes. Eventually, Geoff would need to go inside, so I walked the kids over to the pool at the Moorings base. It was so hot, I jumped in with my clothes on. No worries, because I dried off in like 5 minutes with the heat. I settled in a chair to watch the kids play. After a couple of hours, Jared came as the survey was finishing up. Giles had arranged for us to go out sailing on another Leopard 46 at 2pm, so we ate a quick lunch and swam some more to stay cool.

At 2pm sharp, we walked over to the D dock and climbed aboard to go out for a sail. Leopards sure do sail well! Wind was about 20 knots with 4' to 6' swells with some breaking (steep swells) and we didn't bash around much at all. Everything ran quietly and it felt so good to be back out on the water, sailing the same type of vessel as our boat. I recorded a lot of video, listened down below (not much water noise or creaking), and no one experienced feelings of seasickness. Score!

The update we received is that our boat would be hauled the following morning and Geoff would continue the survey then. We also might get to do the sea trial later in the week, if the engine was repaired in time. Fingers crossed.

After Clive dropped us off at Nanny Cay (his office is based there as well), we set a plan to meet up with him the following day. We let the kids play in the pool again while Jared headed off to do some work in the room. Clive's daughter joined us, as she is Cadence's age and those girls had a blast together! They swam, swung on the playground, and made a fort with towels in a tree. They played so well, that when her mother came to pick her up, she didn't want to leave! So, I watched her until Clive came to pick her up after work. The girls ended their playtime snorkeling on the beach and finding sea shells. The boys had returned to the room earlier to relax a bit before dinner, so I didn't see them again until I walked Cadence back to the room. We changed for dinner and decided to try out the beach bar. Ordered a couple of pizzas and cold drinks and watched the sunset. So lovely!

The following morning, Clive picked us up to take us to our charter boat that would be our home for the next week (since we couldn't be on our own boat, we decided to charter one instead of staying in a hotel). This would allow us to sail around the islands with the kids and make some fun memories. We dropped our bags, settled in with the charter company, and then grabbed a taxi to the market. A couple of hours later, provisions stowed, Clive picked us up to check out our boat up on the hard. She had been hauled out earlier that morning, so by the time we arrived, the boatyard crew were already at work. The engine had been hauled out the previous day, so she was getting a wash down with an acid solution. This gets rid of the corrosion, as well as any undergrowth. Geoff had already been by to conduct the out of water portion of the survey. He found only a few items: one of the rudders would need to be rebuilt, two seacocks replaced, and some work needed to be done to the keels. Our rub-rails also needed replacing. No delamination or osmosis, thankfully was found! We didn't stay too long, as we did not want to interfere with the work going on. Plus, it was hot.

Clive dropped us back at the boat and we made plans to meet up the following week. 

We had hired a captain to show us the ins and outs of docking a catamaran. While we have sailed quite a long time, we had not sailed a large cat. We wanted to ensure we were doing things correctly and so we took the time and spent the money for the instructor. We went over docking, anchoring, pulling up a mooring; all different on a catamaran. It was good to have this practice before we set off on our own. After a couple of hours, we had dropped off the captain and had set off for Norman Island.

Later that evening, we received an email from Geoff with the survey report that had been done so far. It was a long list, but better than we have seen before. But, I'll save that for another post.

For now, we are sailing around the islands and exploring the BVI a bit more. We will return about a week later and meet up with Clive to hopefully go out on a sea trial on our boat. If she isn't repaired by then, we will head back to California and work out way across country until we move aboard in mid-August. Clive will go on the sea trial with Geoff and Giles and update us. That's all for now.