Well i am a happy puppy.
Its taken lots of love, time, cuts scratches and near financial exhaustion.
But i passed the finish line and it was all worth it.
My little
boat, now named "Defiant" was found sitting under a coconut tree in Far North
Queensland.
She was already over the 40 year mark and never been launched, her old
builder had passed on and she was sitting forgotten. New
motor,
sails, drive train etc, all new just 40 years old.
Considering that i was looking to buy a
boat that didn't need
work and could just float and sail straight away, what was i thinking,...hahaha.
Anyway the short long story is that shes done, shes been revitalized to an as new condition according to my
survey. Gas complied and insured. 2 pack painted inside and out.
All the while she was getting sprinkled with a little heart and soul from me and dubious amounts of hair of love from my hound.
She's been craned, shipped, slipped and already done her maiden voyage to her new home on idyllic magnetic island in the
great barrier reef.
You could almost her the old girl whinny in glee when the first little reef
fish started swishing by her bottom sides.
And yes i did ask the gods to keep us all safe in my own sort of fashion once we hit the
water.
A couple of weeks now for me to sit idle and relax and finish of the inside silky oak trims and a few other miscellaneous bits.
Then i will start
day sailing the island and just finding serenity again against the picturesque background of the paradise that i now live in.
All in all she cost me about 1 year and half of time and patience, and a total cost (including 10 k
purchase price) of around 20K, probably a little bit less actually.
Not bad considering that she has 48nm
radar,
autopilot,
vhf and color sounder, great hifi to piss off the stink boats, is totally self sufficient on
power,
water and
refrigeration, and is totally rebuilt, and everything is new, clean and neat.
So for those of you that that want the lifestyle, go for it, dont loose heart halfway, if you do, then ask yourself what made you do it in the first place and use that as motivation to keep going.
For added incentive, i have heath and mental
health issues that will be with me for life, i should have been dead a year past, and my only
income is a small pension and my wits.
But i managed to do it, so you can too
If your in the area, Nelly bay harbor on magnetic island is an absolutely lovely and affordable place to berth.
Pictures attached...
Be happy people,
Follow your dreams
Matthew & Mah
S.V Defiant